Should You Open with Conflict or a Thrill?
As they reach the end of this season, the Writing Excuses hosts focus on integrating the topics they discussed this year into actionable advice....
Create Compelling Suspense and Tension Even In Your Quiet Moments
In a guest post on Jane Friedman's blog, Tiffany Yates Martin discusses how to create suspense and tension no matter what is happening in...
Five Tips for Exploring Mental Health
In an article for Writer's Digest, Lisa Williamson Rosenberg discusses how emotions connect to mental health and offers five tips for exploring mental health...
The Powerful Worldbuilding of ‘Wicked’
In a post on ScreenCraft, Alyssa Miller examines the powerful worldbuilding in the film version of Wicked. "From Oz to Hogwarts or something as...
Define Your Characters by Letting Them Speak
In a post on Lit Hub, Maya Kessler examines the power of dialogue in revealing character. "In my writing, dialogue often drives the narrative,"...
Incorporating Spirituality Into Fiction
In a post on CrimeReads, Cary Groner offers advice for incorporating spirituality into your fiction. "When the terms 'spiritual' and 'narrative' keep close company,...
Use Limiting Beliefs To Get to the Heart of Character
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Lisa Hall-Wilson says that exploring your protagonist's limiting beliefs can help you go deeper into characterization...
5 Tips for Creating Character Voice
In an article for Writer's Digest, Tracy Clark shares five tips for creating character voice that will keep readers engaged. "The goal of voice and...
A Final Word on N.K. Jemisen
In their latest episode, the Writing Excuses hosts wrap up their close reading series that focused on N.K. Jemisen's work. They reflect on how...
Sometimes We Need Ambiguous Endings
In a post on the Killzone blog, PJ Parrish asks writers to consider writing the occasional story with an open-ended conclusion. "I want to...
