How to Write Stock Characters: Good Villains

The audience must believe a villain would actually behave that way, which means understanding and…

The Optional Comma

The optional comma can go or not go somewhere depending on what you think works…

Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make: Dialogue

Using terms like "uttered," "exclaimed," or "interjected" can pull your reader out of the flow…

How to Write Stock Characters: The Likeable Superman

World Building: How to Cut Down on Exposition

Creating a world for your story, whether based on the real world or not, involves…

Dragons, Thrones, and the Truth of Endings

Today’s post can be summed up with a simple truth: possibilities are almost always more…

2 Tips for Professional-Looking Fiction

The following come from my own mentors, most of them editors for publishing houses. I’ve…

Does Fanfiction Improve Writing? Part 2

I recommend writing fanfiction for people who need to work on their dialogue skills, pacing,…

Does Fanfiction Improve Writing? Part 1

Despite its occasional bad rap, writing fanfic is a great way to improve your writing.…

3 Tips for Writing Better Dialogue

Stories survive on their dialogue. Yes, there are some great novels with page after page…

Navigating Fan Fiction, Public Domain, & Fair Use

So how do you protect yourself and still share your work? It all comes down…

What Is Fair Use?

We’ve all had it drilled into our heads that we have to cite and reference…

What Tense Should I Use in Writing?

People are right to be confused because what tense you should use varies widely depending…

Fiction Writing and Changing Narrators

When we write, we act as God in the universes of our stories: creating and…

Simple Secret to Writing a Great Story

When you sit down to write and wonder where to begin, remember that many writers…