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Hundreds of Helpful Articles

Hundreds of Helpful Articles

We have created hundreds of articles on topics all authors face in today’s literary landscape. Get help and advice on Writing, Marketing, Publishing, Social Networking, and more. Each article has a Comments section so you can read advice from other authors and leave your own.

The Problem With Overused and Misused Words

“That just about sums up that problem.” Or does it? That which is that is too much of that. I searched for the word ‘that’ in my most recent manuscript. What I discovered shocked me. In a 65,000-word story, I had used ‘that’ over 450...

Why Readers Dislike Dream Sequences and What to Do Instead

Among the top pet peeves that readers consistently tell us they really dislike are dream sequences. These vehicles that are most frequently used to symbolize emotions, foreshadow events, or cannonball into a character’s psyche are surprisingly unpopular among readers. While they might seem like an...

Writing About Time Travel

If you could go back or forward in time, when and where would you go? For me, it would be the sixteenth century, Scotland, the era of Mary Queen of Scots. I chose that era for two of my books: “Queen Mary’s Daughter” (Clean Reads:...

To Be Continued…

Give your story a strong ending. There’s nothing a reader dislikes more than that endless tag at the end that reads: “To Be Continued…” Teaching creative writing to young people always earns you a chuckle or two. Not that I’d laugh at the student writer,...

It’s All Greek to Me! Ancient Philosophy and the Modern Writer

One of my favorite jokes to unleash at a party and impress absolutely nobody goes a little something like this: Why did the Greek philosopher bring a pencil? Because he wanted to draw a conclusion! Bah-dah-chhhhh! And then somewhere out there the thinkers, lovers of...

Weapons of Mass Distraction: Over-explaining War Fiction

I come from a family that served in the US Military for many generations, and war fiction has lined the bookshelves of our home since before I was born. Its appeal is in how effectively it delivers gritty action, death-defying stakes, and characters who walk...

Using Weather as a Character: How to Make Rain Feel Like Sadness!

Have you ever wondered how weather can influence a story, just like a character? Weather is not just a background; it can be used as a tool to reflect the mood, create tension, and symbolize emotions. Writers often use rain as an emotion that evokes...

Writing In and About Your Garden

Are you an avid gardener? Do you spend hours outside planning your garden, or browsing nurseries looking for the next unique plant to add to your plot? That’s me. I also browse online and communicate with other garden enthusiasts, looking for ideas to enrich my...

Alpha vs. Beta Readers & Why You Need Both

Congrats! You've accomplished writing your book, and have even polished a couple of new drafts. Well done! Now the real work begins. Wait....what? Enter alpha and beta readers—two indispensable groups of early readers who provide feedback at different stages of the writing process. For absolute clarity: while...

Plot Development, Subplots and Tangents

What if? How often do you ask yourself this question while weaving your story’s plot into action? Are you writing in a straight line – Johnny did this and this happened and this was the result? Perhaps you need to add some subplots and tangents,...