Here are some tips for using simple mechanics to help readers keep the speaker straight.

Every writer has heard this advice: Show, don't tell. It's all over the online writing communities and is often presented as some sort of...

When writing dialogue, it can feel like you are writing an endless stream of names, pronouns, and dialogue tags. It can be a delicate...

A conversation which doesn’t effect the story, no matter how dynamic, realistic, and well-written, will feel like an unnecessary aside.

One common mistake that writers make is to describe the character sensing or thinking about things, rather than to describe them directly.

The main character is the thread that pulls the the plot forward. They are the point of view that readers are getting the story from.

The inciting incident is where you make the promises to your readers about what is going to happen in the climax.

A good story needs more than a beginning and an ending. The connecting moments make up most of your plot.

The climax is the most important part of every plot. It should be the moment that everything builds up to from the very first page.

It can be terrifying to share your work. Getting feedback can be frustrating and embarrassing, or it can be really helpful and reassuring.

When you read through your first draft, worry only about the plot.

Books are fun because they can get inside other people’s heads. You can experience another life through another person.

Whoever you’re trying to impress (an agent, a publisher, or even a reader), the beginning of your book is your one and only chance.

If you don’t see the topic you’re looking for on my blog yet, I have made a list of some of my favorite writing advice.