A Novel Is Not A Sum Total of Its Parts
This is our last post wrapping up the year’s course on The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction. I hope…
The Long Journey to the Perfect Short Story
Today’s guest post is by Jen Scott, associate editor at Firewords Quarterly: One of the most rewarding parts of my job…
Let’s Be in Agreement
I think we can all agree that subjects and verbs need to agree with one another. A singular subject takes…
Building Your Novel with a Holistic Approach
We’ve spent a whole year looking at the twelve pillars of novel construction, and I hope you’ve gained a lot…
Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Writers Need Editors
Today’s guest post is from editor and author Blake Atwood: What’s the first thing you do after writing the final…
Clear and Present Antecedents
Pronouns take the place of nouns. When you use a pronoun, you must be sure that its antecedent (what it…
Layering Motifs in Your Novel for Powerful Effect
When our beach house fell off a cliff due to El Nino years ago, we felt a horrible sense of…
Inside Tips on How Authors Can Get Their Novels Made into Films
Today’s guest post is from Mike Monaco, of Author’s Marketing Pro: Blockbuster movies based on books, such as The Hunger…
A Simple, Fun Lesson about Participial Phrases
Now, don’t get all hot and bothered by the expression “participial phrase.” Something that is participial has to do with…