Back to Basics
Begin from the Middle: How to Start Your Story In Medias Res
By starting a story in the midst of action, writers can hook readers with a literary technique as old as the Greek epics—in medias res. Paul Buchanan explains.
How to Turn Your Writing World Around, Part 1: Setting and Detail
In this series, you'll discover five ways of practicing just that type of turnaround for your existing works-in-progress. This edition focuses on setting and detail.
How to Never Be a Writing “Failure”
Dealing with rejection doesn't have to be a discouraging experience. Here, P.S. Hoffman offers five ways to fail smarter and set yourself up for success, even after you've been rejected by a publisher or an agent.
4 Ways Writing Is Like Running
If you’re one of the millions of individuals who want to write a book “someday,” you may be struggling to turn that someday into today. Similarly, running might be that “impossible” thing and now I consider myself a runner. Here are 4 things writers can learn from running.
Keep it Simple: Keys to Realistic Dialogue (Part II)
In this post, the second in a two-part series, award-winning author Eleanor D. Trupkiewicz follows up on her discussion of realistic dialogue with an impassioned plea on using dialogue tags and attributions, emphasizing the use of "said."
Keep it Simple: Keys to Realistic Dialogue (Part I)
In this post, Short Short Story winner Eleanor D. Trupkiewicz details the importance of creating realistic dialogue and punctuating dialogue properly in order to keep the reader invested. Even the slightest of errors can draw the reader out of the story.
Famous First Lines Reveal How to Start a Novel
Here's an array of famous first lines—and seven strategies to craft a great story starter of your own.
