3 Tips for Consistent Tone
If you find yourself having a difficult time sustaining one tone over a long work, try these three tricks.1. Find a paragraph that sounds exactly the way you want to sound for this work, and tape it to...
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Crafting Novels & Short Stories
Crafting Novels & Short Stories by The Editors of Writer’s Digest Books Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-571-2 ISBN-10: 1-59963-571-2 $19.99 paperback, 368 pagesBuy the Book at...
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50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day
Writing rules. Self-promotion drools. Isn’t this how most writers think?But as long as you view your writing as art and your self-promotion efforts as the furthest thing from art, your chances of...
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How to Resurrect a Stalled Manuscript
Are you working on a nonfiction writing or fiction writing project that needs the mirror test just to see if it’s still breathing? If so, take a break from completing fiction projects. Hit the “Save”...
View ArticleHow to Write Effective Supporting Characters
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave Sherlock Holmes a full panoply of supporting characters. There was Dr. Watson, the quintessential “sidekick,” to act as a sounding board; Scottish landlady Mrs. Hudson, to...
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What is a Minor Character: Understanding the Minor Characters’ Role
Not all characters are created equal.You must know—and let your readers know—which characters are most important to the story (i.e. the major characters), so they’ll know which are worth following and...
View Article7 Things That Will Doom Your Novel (& How to Avoid Them)
There are a lot of ways not to do something.Like the new boat owner a few years ago who was filling up his pleasure craft with fuel for that first time out. Only he mistook the tube meant to hold...
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Create Powerful Imagery in Your Writing
We’ve heard the old montage “Show, don’t tell” so many times that it’s become stale–and what does it mean, anyway? It’s an easy phrase to utter, but how do you achieve resonant, meaningful description...
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Create Structure in Your Fiction Using Index Cards
I was reading through some of our older science fiction titles, and I came upon Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold (published in 2001). As I was flipping through the book, I read an opening line that...
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Genre Spotlight: Literary Agents Answer Burning Questions About Science...
We asked agents from our annual roundup to weigh in on some of the most popular genres they represent—talking trends, common weaknesses, series potential and more. Here’s how to stand out in the...
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Crypto, Sci-Fi, Soldiers, Spies (and Disasters): 5 Varieties Within the...
The technothriller genre may be slated to become one of the most popular of the 21st century, and as such, it’s a hot area in which writers can experiment. If you’re looking to write a technothriller...
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5 Tips for Incorporating Real-World Politics into a Futuristic Narrative
Many authors seek to incorporate contemporary themes and issues into novels that are set in the future. Here, Jay Schiffman offers five ideas to get your started if you’re interested in incorporating...
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Who Ya Gonna Call? Writing Paranormal and Supernatural Phenomena...
Given the popularity and depictions of “paranormal and supernatural phenomena” in movies and TV, one of the world’s foremost scientific experts on writing paranormal and supernatural phenomena explains...
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20 Things to Consider When Building Fantasy Worlds
by New York Times Bestselling Author Sara Raasch I have crafted two fantasy worlds in my career so far. The first, Primoria in the SNOW LIKE ASHES trilogy, included eight countries; the second, the...
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What a Coincidence: 7 Clever Strategies for Harnessing Coincidences in Fiction
Well-timed coincidences can catapult a story forward, but a poorly planned one can bring your readers to a dead stop. Use these 7 strategies to harness the power of this storytelling tool while...
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Tobias S. Buckell Discusses Successful Writing Collaborations and the...
Tobias S. Buckell is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 stories and science-fiction novels, which have been nominated for awards including the Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and the John...
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11 Ways to Write More Scientific Fiction: Lessons from Michael Crichton
It’s been said that readers will believe anything; it’s the author’s job to convince them. Keeping readers absorbed in the fictional dream is challenging, but it seemed to be second nature for Michael...
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5 Tips for Writing About Fictional Technology
Author Julie Hyzy uses examples from popular books and films that incorporate fictional technology to understand what makes for appealing, believable tech-dependent stories. Have you ever walked...
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How to Write Scientific Fiction: Analyzing Carl Sagan’s ‘Contact’
Dustin Grinnell explains how to—and how not to—write more scientific fiction by analyzing Carl Sagan’s ‘Contact’ and the ways it incorporates believeable elements that are understandable to laypeople....
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What Binge-Watching ‘Stranger Things’ Taught Me About Storytelling
As fans eagerly await Season 3 of Netflix hit series Stranger Things, author Scott Hildreth offers three storytelling lessons and editing goals writers can glean from the show. Sunday night at about...
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