Helping Writers Become Authors

Confused about scene/sequel? You probably know more than you realize. Here are five facts about scene structure to help you stop overthinking.

Life creates art, but life also devours art. Learn how important it is for committed artists to take steps to protect creativity.

You cannot master the art of organizing subplots without mastering the art of plotting itself. Here are five ways to add complexity and power to your story.

Take a look at what "head-hopping" means, why it creates problematic POVs, and how you can correct it to create a stronger story.

Explore seven different ways to connect thematically-pertinent antagonists to your protagonist--and thus, your main conflict.

Harnessing creativity with logic starts and ends with the ability to identify your biggest writing challenges and frame appropriate questions about them.

Here are four ways you can amp up your story with a great mentor character without falling into all the usual stereotypes.

Fixing clunky dialogue is one of the single best ways to give your manuscript a major facelift. Here are five rules of thumb to get you started.

Writing righteous characters is about making certain they are larger-than-life in their ability to reflect your readers' own personal struggle for goodness.

What does it mean to make your setting a character in its own right? Here are 3 main questions (and 12 mini questions) to get you started.

Here are six important principles of the writing voice, including solid ideas for giving readers a powerfully authentic experience of your stories.

Here are three ways to make sure you're taking full advantage of the groundwork you've already laid when writing the First Act in your sequel.

Here are the three most obvious (and important) entry points to creating strong, dimensional storylines, rather than boring flat plots.

Use these intuitive methods to calculate your book's length and plan the perfect timing for all the structural beats within your plot.

Find ideas for creating a writing process that is simple, steady, and provides a solid foundation you can return to with confidence every single day.

The first step on the road to a perfect first draft is consciously addressing why so many writers believe this is an impossible idea.

Understanding whether you are more naturally a writer or a storyteller can help you optimize your strengths and holistically address your weaknesses.

Let's look at some of the misconceptions about writing I've fallen prey to during my career, so you, in turn, can avoid getting sucked into their undertow.

"When does writing get easier?" is a question I'm often asked. And yet, all these years, I've been giving the wrong answer. Here's the right one.

The problem of overly complex plots is really the problem of authors writing stories they either fail to fully understand and/or aren't in control of.