Celebrations in Story—Marking the Special Days

Use celebrations and holidays in your stories to make characters real, to tap into emotional moments in a character’s life.

read Celebrations in Story—Marking the Special Days »

Author intrusion is disruptive and annoying. Look at ways to identify and cut out the writer’s obvious intrusions into a story.

read Weed Out Author Intrusion »

My apologies to those Firefox and IE9 users who’ve had to deal with ugly formatting on The Editor’s Blog. I hadn’t realized how bad the problem was. Clearing your cache will allow you to see the correct version of the blog. Please don’t hesitate to tell me if you ever have problems with the blog. [...]

read Apologies for Formatting Issues »

I don’t take on every manuscript that’s sent to me for editing. The simple reason is that many are not ready for a professional edit. A look at my reasons for turning down an edit.

read Why I Would Decline an Edit »

A reminder of the power of story to take us where we’ve never been, to make us into people we can only imagine.

read Take Me Somewhere New—Tell Me A Story »

Unrelated story events and characters and setting make for unsatisfying, even bad, fiction. Check out ways you can connect story elements to create full and satisfying stories.

read Story Threads—Tie the Elements Together »

Nice characters make for bland fiction. Don’t strip imperfect characters of their personality and flaws, not if those flaws and traits make them who they are and what you need in your stories.

read Bitches and Bastards, Maybe. But No Perfect Characters Wanted »

Too much attention on writing mechanics and rules can discourage writers when instead they should be encouraged by what craft allows them to create. A reminder to think about the fire and passion of fiction.

read Write with Fire »

Deep POV has become the most common point of view for current fiction, but some writers are unfamiliar with it. Read about deep POV and learn tips on how to use it for your stories.

read Deep POV—What’s So Deep About It »

A reader’s belief in your fictional world and characters can be easily destroyed. One way is when writers intrude into the story with explanations that have no place in the fiction. Resist the urge to explain.

read No Explanation Necessary »