We’ve all had those moments when pure inspiration strikes. An amazing new idea for a story crystallizes in your mind. You know you’re a genius, maybe even the best writer who’s ever lived. You prepare your writing tools and sit down ready to write the world’s next mega-bestselling novel. And you’ve got nothing. The empty page mocks you with its emptiness, and you have no idea where to start. Whether...

I don’t think there’s anyone who would argue against the adage that “character is king.” An irresistible plot is, of course, essential too, but a bad character can destroy even the best plot, for a story is nothing without the people experiencing it. Readers want to know who these people are, why they do what they do, and what makes them tick. That means doing better than slapping in a...

Finding a critique partner (CP) is easy.  Finding the right CP is the challenge.  It’s a bit like dating. In fact, if some industrious app developer out there wanted to, I bet they could make decent money designing a Coffee Meets Bagel for CPs.  But alas, such an app does not yet exist, so we are left to navigate these waters alone. And in my experience, these waters can get a bit...

For any author who has received a publishing contract, you know you’re signing away a lot of rights. For some, that might be a good thing. You’re too busy with your life to be bothered with a lot of the details and just want to see your books in bookstores. Or, you’re an author wrapped up in the idea of “validation” that the gatekeepers of publishing accepted your work. Neither...

Many writers are familiar with this conundrum: you’ve always loved to read and it’s the reason you want to be a writer, so you’re trying to write every day and hit those word count goals, but now you kind of miss reading! However, of all the things that fall by the wayside when you make writing a priority— diets, Netflix binge habits, and bonding time with the brunch crew—  do...

In independent (Indie) Publishing, the author is both creator and publisher. They maintain both power and profit. However, they must also take on the costs of design and production. This responsibility can be daunting, especially for new writers who may wish they had someone to help them make the right choices.  While it is essential to hire a professional editor and designer to help you create a quality book, there...

Writing is like cooking: You are the chef, your words are the ingredients, and your hands are the utensils. If you’re making a new dish, you need a recipe. If you don’t have the recipe, you can’t cook. When it comes to writing, outlining is the recipe that brings everything together. For pantsers, ideas come quickly and they write them as they come. It works out fine in the beginning,...

You can find endless stories about how a certain person may have been a muse for a particular artist, and how this muse inspired said artist to create extraordinary pieces of work. Many artists themselves believe in the muse as something that  fills their head with enlightened ideas that – poof – become extraordinary pieces of work. And if ideas vanish, artists will claim their muse died or left them, leaving...