Many authors don’t believe that there is such a thing as “Writer’s Block.” They will gleefully point out that plumbers…

“When do I begin approaching agents?” I get that question at least once a week, and my answer is always…

New writers are often told, “Show, don’t tell.” Normally this piece of advice is given when a writer gives a…

Recently, I was reading a thriller by a bestselling author I’ve long been a fan of and I found a…

I used to coach my daughter Danielle in acting. She’d get a casting call for a movie or television role,…

Each quarter as I go through the stories for the Writers of the Future Contest, I search for patterns to…

Let’s say I have a young woman. Her name is Kate, and she must get to Tabith. What kinds of…

It’s fairly common for editors to want to change titles. Sometimes a title might be too much like that of…

On Thursday, I had two young writers thank me for advice I’d given on short stories, which they had just…

There are all kinds of fantasy novels.  If you’re a genre writer, the first one that you might think of…

When you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages,…

For the last few weeks I’ve been scurrying to finish up judging on a large contest.  I’ve had to “reject”…

Years ago, I had a reporter call and ask, “If you could have any job in the world, what would…

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, a New York Times #1 Bestseller, was scheduled to do a…

There is a saying among writers, “The first page of your book, sells your novel. The last page of your…

Frequently I see new writers make mistakes in their writing by choosing the wrong writing tools for the job. Now,…

Many writers never have a problem with writer’s block, and so we sometimes say, “There’s no such thing.” But that’s…

Most writers kill their own writing careers.  Several people asked me to write about some of the ways they do…

You may not know it, but you’re a racehorse. If you look at writers from a publisher’s point of view,…

Read until the end for updates on upcoming writing courses and a special preview of my Serpent Catch series Book…

When I fell in love with the idea of writing, it was after reading my favorite novel of all time.…

This morning, I read an article which claimed that “Avengers: End Game” has now become the all-time best-selling movie. In…

When you create a relationship with an agent, editor, or publisher, very often you’re going into a long-term relationship. Some…

Most authors don’t think about “choosing” a publisher. Most authors send out manuscripts, sometimes rather blindly, in the hopes that…

I mentioned last time that even an Indie writer might find himself in need of a good agent. A great…

If you’re an Indie writer, you might be thinking, “Well, I sell all of my books online myself. I don’t…

Imagine this: you pick up a story and begin reading only to discover that the story seems to be about…

As a judge for one of the world’s largest writing contests, I’m often asked, “What are you looking for?” The…

In everyday life, a crucible is a container used to hold metal or liquid as it boils.  For example, to…

Is your opening powerful? If not, why not? I’ve been judging a huge writing contest this week, and had literally…

I’m going to talk a bit about audience analysis. It’s always good before you begin to write to really understand…

I often look for similarities in great stories to see what works. One “conflict” that I see very often is…

It’s hard starting a story cold, as many of you have found when you try to write a novel. You…

My dream of writing came to life when I was in my teens. I had read Lord of the Rings…

Today, I want to talk about the ending of your novel or short story. Most new writers don’t have a problem…

Writers love to gossip about editors, agents, and publishers. Most of the time, that gossip is pretty harmless, but sometimes…

Every year when the Hugo and Nebula Awards are announced, I see a pattern: A young writing student of mine…