Character in fiction and memoir is built on the convoluted pathways of false belief. As readers, we witness the journey along these pathw...

I remember pitching one of my novels to agents at a writing conference.  They'd read a few chapters ahead of time, a nice perk at that ...

Your writing exercise this week is a simple but powerful one that I teach in my storyboarding classes.  Ask yourself this:  What's th...

One reason I take classes or go to writing conferences or join a writing group is to set artificial deadlines for myself. I know, after y...

Maggie, one of my past students, sent me a fun email this week.  She has been using a great technique for getting deeper into her charact...

This weekend, I'm traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to join fifteen emerging (and already published) book writers for my week-long r...

I've been struggling with my antagonist. That might sound like a normal situation--antagonists create conflict--but my challenge is l...

Thanks to Rita who sent  the link  for this week's writing exercise.  Scan these best endings and pick your favorite.  Why do you love ...

Writing a book--writing anything--is by necessity a solitary practice.  We are by ourselves with our words at first, generating them in a...

Here's a great definition of interior monologue:  "a conversation a character is having with themselves, internally."  Read...