Spiritual Writing

At some point in writing your novel, you have to start thinking about “chaptering,” the process of deciding exactly when and where your chapter breaks will go. Here are three simple, essential techniques that can help you make effective chapter pauses.

Award-winning and best-selling mystery and thriller author Harlan Coben shares his twist ending tips and more in this interview with Jessica Strawser.

To make characters seem real, you need to tap into what drives them. Use this foolproof method to bring the emotion of your story to life and craft compelling characters.

Learn how to tell a story worth hearing with author Steven James' three secrets to great storytelling (more than just creating believable characters and throwing together a plot). Here’s the real stuff the best stories are made of.

Most of the time, we want to balance our scenes using dialogue, action, and narrative to engage readers at an emotional level and keep them hooked. Here's how to do that.

To help you successfully complete your book in 30 days, here are nine worksheets to help you keep track of plot, scenes, characters and revisions. All of these worksheets originally appeared in Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt and were also featured in the special issue Write Your Novel in 30 Days.

Structural problems can sink a novel. Elizabeth Sims looks at 10 common plot problems and how to quickly fix them.

Don’t be afraid to make things hard on your characters. You should always come up with several different problems to choose from. Here are 3 ways to do that. by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Here’s editor Anica Mrose Rissi’s list of what you can do to increase your book’s chances of making it out of the slush pile and into the spotlight. by Anica Mrose Rissi

Understanding gender differences can improve your writing in any genre. Here’s how. by Leigh Anne Jasheway

Here are 4 quick exercises to make sure your characters speak to readers (and agents).

All stories contain four elements that can determine structure: milieu, idea, character, and event. Orson Scott Card takes a look at each one and explains how each will affect your novel.

According to bestselling authors JT Ellison, Alex Kava and Erica Spindler, there are 5 key ways to make your heroine shine. Here they are. by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)

In his session “The Psychology of Character Motivation,” Edgar-nominated author D.P. Lyle, MD, shared this invaluable exercise for developing your characters’ motivations as your story unfolds. by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)

What you call your characters could influence your readers’ perceptions of them. Here are some factors to consider in finding the perfect match. by Devyani Borade

Nothing is more exciting than the promise of a story in your head, but in order to get it on the page you need to figure out exactly what you need to do to make it work. Here are 4 steps to help you build the framework of your story. by N.M. Kelby

You need stamina to transform that out-of-shape first draft into a story with staying power. Use these 4 revision strategies to make your novel go the distance. by Lin Enger