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Retelling Shakespeare
Writing Techniques

Writing Tips for Retelling Shakespeare: From Atwood's Hag-Seed to Updike's Gertrude and Claudius

Novelist Pat McKee shares 5 writing tips he learned while retelling Shakespeare's play Tempest as the novel Ariel's Island.

  • By Pat McKee
    Mar 10, 2020
Bard's Writing Tips
Writing Techniques

Will's Way: Four Timely Craft Tips from the Immortal Bard

Debut novelist Karin Abarbanel shares four writing tips for contemporary novelists she discovered from studying the plays of the Bard for 365+ nights.

  • By Karin Abarbanel
    Feb 13, 2020
writing voice
The Writer's Life

Electric, Neon, Salsa-Dancing Energy, or Finding Your Writing Voice

In this humorous essay, composition and rhetoric professor Adam Brandner shares his take on finding your writing voice and a few exercises that helped him discover his own.

  • By Adam Brandner
    Jan 30, 2020
writing multiple points of view
Character

Writing Multiple Points of View

Wendy Heard, author of The Kill Club, offers 5 tips for making writing in multiple points of view easier for you and more satisfying for your readers.

  • By Wendy Heard
    Jan 16, 2020
romance story ideas
Romance

Forced Proximity: 50 Reasons for Your Characters to Be Stuck Together

Add believability to your romance story ideas with 50 legitimate reasons for them to be stuck together from Hallmark Publishing editor Bryn Donovan.

  • By Bryn Donovan
    Dec 18, 2019
Anthology Writing Tips
Writing Techniques

5 Goals for Making Your Anthology the Best That It Can Be

Marika Lindholm, co-editor of the new book We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor offers 5 tips to creating a more appealing and successful anthology.

  • By Marika Lindholm
    Dec 11, 2019
writing process
Writing Techniques

Lost in Iceland: Searching for a Better Writing Process

Nick Petrie, author of The Drifter, part of his Peter Ash series, shares his struggle with coming to terms with the writing process that works for him.

  • By Nick Petrie
    Dec 2, 2019
Writing Habits
Writing Habits and Practices

Healthy Writing Habits: All in the Wrist

Healthy writing habits may seem like a problem for tomorrow when the words are flowing freely. Your body will thank you for considering these 4 tips today.

  • By E. L. Tenenbaum
    Nov 22, 2019
writer's social responsibility
Vintage WD

Vintage WD: What Is the Writer's Social Responsibility?

In this Vintage WD article from January 1970, Norman Cousins gives his take on the writer's social responsibility, and we think it stands the test of time.

  • By Amy Jones
    Nov 5, 2019
how to be a better storyteller with D&D
Writing Habits and Practices

Rolling the Dice: 5 Ways D&D and “Critical Role” Made Me a Better Storyteller

Fantasy writer and blogger Angela D. Mitchell offers 5 ways that Dungeons and Dragons helped her improve her writing and how to be a better storyteller.

  • By Angela Mitchell
    Sep 27, 2019
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The Writer's Life

Writing a Novel? Here are Seven Friends You Need

From the veteran writer to the friend who doesn't read, author Karen Dukess presents the seven friends you need to keep on track while writing and publishing your novel.

  • By Karen Dukess
    Jun 14, 2019
Fred Waitzkin Deep Water Blues
Memoir

Nothing Is Fiction

Former journalist and award-winning author Fred Waitzkin made the leap from nonfiction to fiction by accepting that nothing is fiction—everything is inspired by his real-life experience.

  • By Fred Waitzkin
    Jun 7, 2019
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Historical

Blurred Lines: Writing Historical Fiction From Fact

Melanie Benjamin—author of six historical novels about real people and events—offers four lessons she's learned about writing fiction from fact, and when to deviate from the truth.

  • By Melanie Benjamin
    May 24, 2019
Writing Sucks
The Writer's Life

It's Great to Suck at Writing

Author Karen Rinaldi sucks at surfing, but she continues to dedicate hours to it anyway, and she explains why we should also be okay with failure in many forms—even our writing.

  • By Karen Rinaldi
    May 10, 2019
writer with a day job | aine greaney
The Writer's Life

8 Traits I Wish Employers Knew About Writers

Writers work hard. Now, if only employers would. E.L. Tenenbaum shares eight skills writers have that make them great candidates for that necessary-for-most day job.

  • By E. L. Tenenbaum
    May 1, 2019
 Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Tools of a Powerful Narrative
Writing Techniques

Tips for Writing About Controversial Topics in Fiction

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling novelist Bryan Gruley offers his best tips for writing about controversial topics—social, political and otherwise—in your fiction.

  • By Guest Column
    Jan 15, 2019
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Marketing

How to Keep Your Book Relevant After Its Release

Most writers aspire to publish a book that will remain popular among future generations of readers. Gary McPherson offers five things to consider if you want your book to remain relevant for years after its release.

  • By Guest Column
    Jan 12, 2019
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The Writer's Life

How to Become a Successful Writer: To Dream or Not to Dream?

Greta Heinemann, writer-producer on NCIS New Orleans, shares how she achieved her goal of moving from Germany to Los Angeles to become a successful writer. It all starts with a pen and paper.

  • By Greta Heinemann
    Dec 27, 2018
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Publishing Insights

Agent Myth Busters: 5 Common Misconceptions About Literary Agents

A mother-daughter pair of agents debunks five pervasive misconceptions about literary agents and the way they do their work.

  • By Guest Column
    Sep 16, 2018
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Publishing Insights

Researching Agents: 4 Steps for Identifying & Connecting with the Right Literary Agents

Researching literary agents feels daunting, but so is writing a book! And you’ve already done that. You definitely can create a list of agents who should be a good fit for your work. Here's  how.

  • By Guest Column
    Aug 17, 2018
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Preparing Your Manuscript

Funny You Should Ask: Why don't literary agents invest in long-term talent instead of manuscripts they love?

Funny You Should Ask is a humorous and handy column by literary agent Barbara Poelle. In this edition, she answers a reader's question about the struggle of finding an agent who falls head-over-heels for your manuscript, and why literary agents don't approach their profession more like Hollywood agents do.

  • By Barbara Poelle
    Jul 9, 2018
 Guide to Literary Agents 2018
Writing Articles

How I Got My Agent: Falguni Kothari

Falguni Kothari is a New York-based South Asian writer who was already published in India when she began seriously querying literary agents in the United States, eventually signing with Andrea Somberg of the Harvey Klinger Agency.

  • By Guest Column
    Jan 26, 2018
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Publishing Insights

A Writer's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory developed by psychologist Abraham Maslow. The hierarchy, comprising a five-tier pyramid, explains the connection between basic human needs and motivation. Bryan E. Robinson has adapted this scale to consider what needs writers must satisfy to move their dreams of writing success up the charts.

  • By Guest Column
    Dec 29, 2017
fearless writing
Publishing Insights

Conquer Procrastination: How to Appreciate Your Writing Time

  • By Guest Column
    Nov 28, 2017
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