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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...
The Mystery, Detective, Suspense, and Spy Novels (Part 1 of 2)
Contrary to popular belief, the mystery, detective, suspense or spy novel did not begin with Edgar Allen Poe. These genres date back to as far as ancient mythology. If you look closely, the different mythologies--from Greek to Norse--carry such stories. Even sacred books like the...
Cultivating Writing Habits (Part 2 of 2)
Looking back, you will find that your simple habit of writing in short bursts has become full-blown so that writing has become your priority, that a day without writing makes you uneasy and restless to the point where you may have a writing addiction. Well,...
Cultivating Writing Habits (Part 1 of 2)
It only takes twenty days to form a habit. If you have been doing something consistently without skipping a day, then you have developed a new habit. A habit, they say, in any form of endeavor serves as your foundation that will hone your skills....
16 Reasons Why Every Writer Needs a Website (Part 2 of 2)
8. You become word-of-mouth, which is an effective means of marketing. People will always look for someone who has expertise in their particular need. Recommendations are effective because a first-person experience that guarantees the efficiency of a professional is often trusted, especially if the recommendation...
16 Reasons Why Every Writer Needs a Website (Part 1 of 2)
I network with other writers and attend writers' conferences whenever I can. I once met a budding writer who said that he often hear writers talking about keeping a website, but he has also seen many writers who still thrive even if they don’t have...
Protagonist with Unclear Motivation
Short stories, even novels, sometimes have main protagonists with unclear motivations. This is not for the lack of skill of the writer, but because the writer chooses not to reveal too much of his protagonist, to keep him/her mysterious. Some writers believe that the less...
Using Figurative Language to Describe Setting and Attitude
Figures of speech come in numerous varieties. Simile and metaphor are the most common. These two figures of speech have been employed by writers in different ways to create original effects in description and narration. Figurative language, if used with care, enhances the reality of...
Suggested Writing Exercises to Boost Your Creativity
Everyone has a story to tell. This is an inarguable truth. No civilization ever thrived without stories. Most of us tell stories orally; others write and preserve it for the sake of posterity. You too have a story--it could be an experience, an anecdote, or...
Foreshadowing in Dialogue
Dialogues can be an effective tool for foreshadowing. Characters have a distinct way of speaking depending on their biographical background. They have their sentiments and prejudices, and they could negotiate, persuade, and object. The way they speak not only reveals a hidden part of themselves, but...
How to Get More from your Reading Experience - Part 4
Ask questions along the way Observe your reaction to different events and aspects of the book and question why you have a specific reaction in a particular case. If you laugh or cry along with the characters, check what kind of wording achieves such an emotional...