Whether you’re on your first draft or tenth, there’s always something new to learn about your characters. Just like us, relatable characters have hopes, fears, goals, pet peeves, and more—the challenge is making all those pieces fit together.  If you’re at a loss when it comes to elevating your characterization, here is a list of unique ways to “meet” your characters to spark some creativity! I’ve often found focusing on...

Many authors are familiar with the “Golden Rule of Writing”: In order to be a good writer, you should also be a good reader.  But I’ve recently spent some time on writing forums and Reddit threads where other writers have challenged this idea.  Comments typically vary based on personal experience and style.  Some people agree, others don’t.  While I respect other writers’ personal experiences and styles, my position has never...

Here’s the thing: About 80% of the female characters that I write wind up being self-inserts to some degree. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a self-insert character is typically defined as the fictional version of yourself that lives out your dreams and fantasies in a novel, short story, or most commonly, fanfiction. While the literary community might frown upon or call them unoriginal, I have reason to believe they...

When we think back on the books we loved as kids, the plot details may not be preserved in our memories, but the characters often are. For many readers, it’s the characters that hold a special place in their hearts. They drive the narrative forward, complicate it, and give it meaning. In short, characters are the heart of the stories all writers strive to tell. This comes as no surprise...

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett Congratulations! You’ve written your first draft, put it out of your mind for a few weeks (or months) and are prepared to dive back into edits. You’ve got your colored pens or highlighters at the ready; your characters eagerly await your return. But where to start? Every writer has a different process, and they should! None of our...

Every writer I know has some trouble sharing their work with others. It’s easy to get lost in our insecurities and dwell on the “what ifs” of life. What if people hate it? What if someone makes fun of it? What if it’s so bad that my entire family disowns me? I can joke about these fears on paper, but in real life, they can be debilitating. Writing anxiety can...

So you’ve finally finished that manuscript, congratulations! Now it’s time to turn that story crafted from months of blood, sweat, and tears (and love, of course) into a book on the shelves, but where to even start? If you’re pursuing the traditional publishing route, the first step is to find yourself an agent who loves your story as much as you do. In order to land an agent, however, you...

I don’t know about you, but self-care can be a challenge for me.  It’s an oft-neglected part of our busy lives anyway, and then you add writing goals, and self-care moves ever further down the list of priorities.  For the sake of all of us (myself included!), I’m here today to share my best self-care tips for writers.  1) We’ll start with the basics.  Don’t compare yourself to other writers. I’m...