Putting on My Research Hat
© 2017 Cara Putman Several years ago when my writing bud Nicole O’Dell asked me if I wanted to be part of a novella collection with her, my initial reaction…
Plumbing the Depths
© 2016 Beth White Occasionally I get stuck. I realize nobody else has this problem. But on the off-chance that one or two of my fellow writers find themselves saddled…
Stay Current: Keep Italics Out of Your Fiction
© 2016 Angela Hunt Kathy watched as Tom entered the room and circled the punch bowl. He hasn’t changed a bit...and that’s why my heart is pounding! Kathy watched as…
Picture Books and the Protagonist
© 2016 Alice Faye Duncan I write pictures books. It is the genre that has chosen me. My first book was published in 1995 when I was a young adult…
The Long Road
© 2016 Ane Mulligan If I had known it would take almost twelve years to reach my goal of being published, I’m not sure I would have started. Except I…
Raise Your Book Above the Crowd
© 2015 Sharyn Kopf You’re probably better off if you just don’t think about how many people you compete against when it comes to marketing your novel. We live in…
Captivating Fiction for Tweens
© 2015 Karen Whiting Books that engage kids can spread like wildfire and get other kids reading. I recall when my son was in grades 3 and 4. He discovered…
Write to Children, Not Down to Them
© 2015 Jesse Florea Whenever I speak at a writers’ conference, I tell those in attendance, “If you have a child, were a child, or have ever seen a child,…
The Value of Foreshadow
© 2014 Gary Fearon The action-packed opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark shows Indiana Jones performing a number of death-defying feats while he acquires a historic artifact. Circumventing…
Like Going Home
© 2014 Ann H. Gabhart You’ve all heard the advice to write what you know—but wait a minute. What about fiction? Isn’t that all made up stuff? Not something that…