Blog

Literal language tells readers what's happening. Figurative language makes them feel it. It's the difference between "she was angry" and "she was a storm looking for somewhere to break."

That second ...

You've written your climax: the big confrontation, the devastating twist, the moment everything comes together. Now what? The answer is the falling action, the part of the story that determines whethe...

You've written your novel, polished your prose, and decided to self-publish. Congratulations! Now comes a step many indie authors underestimate: formatting. How your story looks on the page (or screen...

Before a book hits shelves, it goes through several preliminary versions, each with a different name, purpose, and audience. Understanding the difference between a galley, an ARC, and a proof could sa...

Starting a story in the middle of the action is one of the oldest and most powerful techniques in fiction.

That technique is called in medias res, and once you understand how it works, you'll start r...

Think about the fictional characters who have stayed with you long after you finished a book. Chances are, it wasn't just what they did that moved you, but how they changed.

Plot gets readers to turn...

What's the difference between a manuscript that gets read and one that gets rejected on sight? In some cases, it's formatting. Literary agents and editors expect submitted novels to follow specific in...

What do a dystopian pig farm, a modest proposal to eat children, and a galaxy-spanning hitchhiker's guide have in common? They're all brilliant examples of satire, stories that make us laugh while for...