The books we write reflect the world around us, whether they’re contemporary, fantasy, or even futuristic. It only makes sense that our stories should also represent the diversity of the people around us! Doing so enrichens our books and allows more readers—across all...

Congratulations! You’ve finished the first, or “draft zero” of your novel! Where do you go from here? How do you even begin to wrap your mind around the process of taking your thousands of words from a messy draft to a polished novel?  

We've got you covered!...

It's always fun to embark on a new writing voyage. Driven by an intriguing premise, compelling characters, or thrilling plot twists in the wings, the beginning of the drafting process is often the most exciting part. However, it’s not uncommon to eventually encounter a dip in momentum,...

A supporting character, or secondary character, is a person in your protagonist’s world that adds depth, conflict, and complexity to their journey. Think of characters like Han Solo in Star Wars, Annabeth and Grover in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, or The...

Whether you prefer to plot at the beginning of your writing process (outlining), in the middle of it ("pantsing"), or after the first draft is done (revision), every writer plots.

You make decisions about how your characters, settings, and relationships grow and change throughout your story. And...

No matter what genre of novel you’re drafting, finishing a manuscript requires writing tens of thousands of words. As a writer, you most likely have a limited amount of time to write and need to arrive at the computer ready to churn out those words. A great way to facilitate that is by...

If the title of this blog post made your eyes widen or your heart quicken, you’re not alone. The thought of writing an entire novel is daunting enough, but writing one in a month? Is it even possible?

If you’ve been part of the writing community for a while, you know the answer is...

Imagine going to a new place and meeting the most fascinating person. They have delightful mannerisms, quirky speech patterns, and an intriguing personality. After chatting for a while, you move on and meet someone else—only to discover this person has the same traits and mannerisms as the...

A lot of detailed information goes into the creation of a novel: beat sheets, plotlines, character wants, goals, flaws, and physical characteristics like hair color and tattoos, scene breakdowns, setting descriptions, research, revision lists—and so much more.

And that’s just for one...

What happens when the idea well runs dry? When you open up that shiny new notebook or blank document and all your brain has to offer are cobwebs, dust bunnies, and a giant block of your creativity?

It is absolutely possible to experience writer’s block in the brainstorming phase....

If you give ten writers the same idea, you’ll end up with ten different stories. This holds true even if you tell them who their characters will be, what the setting is, and a couple of major plot points to include. But how could such specific instructions produce such different results?...

Third-person narratives are one of the most commonly used points of view. This may give new writers the impression that it’s a fairly simple viewpoint to write. However, it’s easy to fall into pitfalls and clichés without even realizing it. Knowing the ins and outs of writing...