Category: Writing and Editing

Secrets are a big part of story tension, both for internal and external conflict. One might argue that stories themselves are secrets that unravel as we read them, but that idea is probably a blog post all by itself. On a smaller level, secrets are the things that keep us reading and wanting to know … Continue reading The Secrets Stories Keep: Maintaining Story Tension with Some Help from Power Rangers

A little-known fact about me (mostly because I don’t overly publicize it) is that when I’m not writing or editing, I write study guides for fiction novels. And so when Joy approached me about helping to promote her upcoming course on creating a discussion guide for your book, I jumped on the idea. The study … Continue reading Guest Post: Create a Discussion Guide for Your Book by Joy E. Held

Story inspiration can be tough to come across. Whether you’re new to creating or a seasoned author, story inspiration is the bread and butter of staying relevant and active in publishing. There’s lots of advice out there for getting the creative mind going, but actually finding story inspiration boils down to one thing—asking a question … Continue reading The One-Step Process for Finding Story Inspiration

What are you afraid of? There’s no right or wrong answer to this, and you don’t have to tell me. I just want to get thinking about fear for a moment. Public speaking is often touted as one of humanity’s greatest fears. I can understand this. Getting up in front of a room and talking … Continue reading Writing Can Be Dark and Scary, But It Doesn’t Have to Be

A physical and spiritual journey to putting my work out there. Image credit to Matt Howard on Unsplash In 2018, I moved in with my boyfriend, and we jointly moved across several states for him to take a new job. While he was off at work, I was home at work, writing Grimmfay (the new … Continue reading What I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Almost Gave Up Writing

“You must spend money to earn money.” And it’s no different for authors. Buying refurbished can save you money, and these three steps will also help you avoid the headache of purchasing bad products.

The reason you "can't" write today is because you just told yourself you "can't."

You’ve heard of stretching the creative muscle—the hypothetical muscle that keeps you putting fresh ideas on the page. But what about the other more literal muscles involved in the creative process?

Editors are trained to look for repetitions and redundancies. And no, they are not the same thing. How to tell the difference, and when to use each in your writing.