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Book Review & Contest Insights from Real Reviews and Submissions

What separates great books from the rest? Below are articles with insights from real reviews and contest submissions—what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your book. You’ll also find a wide range of articles covering writing, publishing, marketing, and more. Each article has a Comments section so you can read advice from other authors and leave your own.

Why Some Books Win Awards (And Most Don’t) — Insights From Real Contest Submissions New!

What separates award-winning books from the rest? After evaluating contest submissions across a wide range of genres, certain patterns become clear. Some books consistently rise to the top. Others, even with strong ideas and clear effort behind them, fall short. The difference is rarely dramatic—it...

What We’ve Learned From Reviewing Hundreds of Thousands of Books (And Why Most Don’t Stand Out) New!

After reviewing and evaluating books across thousands of submissions over the past two decades, certain patterns become impossible to ignore. Some books immediately stand out to reviewers. Others—even well-intentioned ones—fade into the middle or fall short. The difference is rarely luck. It comes down to...

How to Write Powerful Scenes - Part 1

A scene is a point in which an incident occurs in a plot. This definition allows us to draw the first reason for having scenes in your work - the happening of an incidence. Any scene that appears in a novel has either of these...

Avoid Those Name Brands!

While the radio played the latest song by (name of famous pop star), she saw his (name of a luxury car) pull up in front of the house. Slipping into her (designer name) shoes that looked stunning with her (designer name) dress, she dabbed some...

About White Noise

As a writer, I need white noise to concentrate. Yes, there is good in peaceful silence, such as at a church service. However, as for writing, it is just a different story. So, I am going to share with you most of the sounds I...

How to Format Dialogue Correctly

Keep it simple. Dialogue tags—he said, she said, etc.—are usually all you need to indicate who’s speaking, so resist the urge to get creative and overdo it. Mentors and teachers who tell you to do otherwise and find alternatives are, more often than not, unpublished and...

How to Write Effective Dialogue

Dialogue can make or break a story. It is one of the most powerful tools you have if you know how to write dialogue effectively. Here are some of my suggestions.  Cut to the chase Every single word of dialogue needs to reveal something about your character's...

The Lessons I Learned About Being a Writer - Part Four

I hope you have enjoyed the previous articles on the things I have learned since becoming a writer; this is the final part.  31. Story trumps structure Many experts and books on how to write a novel concentrate a lot on the structure but this could actually derail...

The Lessons I Learned About Being a Writer - Part Three

As a writer, you never stop learning. It is my pleasure to share all the things I have learned over the last 20 years. 31. Writing is hard Anyone can string words together, but knowing which of those words to combine to touch a heart and change...

The Lessons I Learned About Being a Writer

Who doesn't wish they knew what they know now as a teenager? At 15, while in high school, my favorite subject was English, especially short story writing. I will never forget the day my teacher approached me in front of the whole class, holding my...

The Lessons I Learned About Being a Writer - Part Two

This is the second part of all the things I wish I had known about writing as that 15-year-old teenager in High School.  11. Make good habits I always try to write something every day as part of my daily schedule. I never used to be very...

Pen and Paper vs. Computer

When I was a kid, a priest at my church, Msgr. James Nugent, took me aside to give me some advice. At the time, computers were not invented. He told me that if I wanted to write successfully in school, I should write everything down...