How I Develop an Idea
In which I explain (in detail) how I turn a spark of an idea into a story I’m ready to write.
How to Find Ideas
Four tips for learning how to find ideas for your stories. Ideas are everywhere, you just have to train your brain to see them.
Writer’s Bucket List
A list of all the things a creative writer might want to try over the course of their career.
10 Ways to Write More Words
When it comes to NaNoWriMo, getting more words done in a day is essential. Here are 10 tips, tricks, and techniques to try to get…
6 Tricks to Try When You’re Stuck in a Revision
Writing a first draft is hard. Sometimes revising is harder. If you’ve found yourself stuck in a tough revision, try some (or all) of these…
Setting Up Airtable for Your Novel
Writing a novel is like creating an entire universe from scratch. Keeping track of all the people, places, and plots involved is hard. Learn how…
Types of Voice
The second in a multi-part series about the essential element of writer’s voice looks at the different types of voice used in writing a story.
Voice: What Is It?
The first of a multi-part series about writer’s voice looks into what voice is and why it’s so hard to define.
Word Sprints: The Writer’s Secret Weapon
Writing is hard work and sometimes writers have to trick themselves into getting the words on the page. Word Sprints is the trick I use…
7 Things You Should Know About Your Characters
Creating characters is hard. Using the character tree is easy!
How to Turn an Idea Into a Story
Every story ever written began with the same thing: an idea. The kernel. The seed. The spark. The inspiration. Whatever you call it, it all…
Nancy Pearl’s Four Doors to Reading
Nancy Pearl is known in bookish circles as the Super Librarian (she even has an actual, real-life action figure). Besides being an all around awesome librarian, she…
The Magic Stopwatch Method
As I’ve mentioned on Twitter (over and over and over) I’m under deadline. I mean really under deadline. Between moving to the next state up,…