Your Hero Has to Fail
In writing, as in life, the best lessons and the sweetest victories come after we fail. While we want our protagonist to succeed in...
Don’t Stop Dreaming Big
Sometimes, you have to do the thing, even if you aren't ready to do it. Even if you don't have the skill. Even if...
Planning and Navigating Your Novel’s Muddy Middle
It's common wisdom that the middle section of your novel is the hardest part to write, especially when you're tackling your first long project...
The Difference Between Conflict and Tension
In a guest post on the Killzone blog, Becca Puglisi of the Writers Helping Writers blog discusses the difference between conflict and narrative tension.
Puglisi...
Homework: Study Your Writing Strengths and Weaknesses
Very few writers excel at every aspect of our craft. If we did, we wouldn't revere writers like Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, or John...
Is Horror a Genre or a Mood?
During an interview with DIY MFA, Andy Marino talks about his first horror novel, The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess. During the podcast, Marino...
A Call to Action: Your Story’s Inciting Incident
Every story has to start somewhere. You can start with your protagonist waking up in the morning or looking at themselves in the mirror...
Jonathan Franzen: “The Novel Can Change Things”
During an interview with the Open Source podcast, Jonathan Franzen talks about the importance of writing about big ideas.
"I had this idea that the...
Are You a Mad Genius or a Kind One?
Writers can be insular, competitive, and resentful of our peers, but we can also be the most generous and supportive community. In a post...
Blending Facts and Imagination in Historical Fiction
Writers who use historical settings or real-life characters in their work must walk a fine line between hewing too closely to biography and veering...
