A lot of people write for fun. Some of them discover that they have real talent and also begin writing…
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A lot of people write for fun. Some of them discover that they have real talent and also begin writing…
Continue reading →Short Announcement: Writer’s Peak is coming up fast and the time to register is running out. The seminar is this…
Continue reading →When you send a novel proposal to a publisher or a movie proposal to a studio, you’ll often be asked…
Continue reading →Writing is fun, so fun, that some people think that it’s addictive. Like exercise or alcohol, you can come to…
Continue reading →As the Christmas Season approaches, I’m reminded of how many times new writers underestimate the power of Santa. I first…
Continue reading →Saturday night I dreamt that I was taking a literature class, and an elderly professor was telling me about a…
Continue reading →This past week, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese both agreed that Marvel movies are dumb. Scorsese said, “That’s not…
Continue reading →When you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages,…
Continue reading →Once in a great while, I run across a writer who thinks that they know it all. They’re professionals, maybe…
Continue reading →Today we’re doing things a little bit differently. Twice a week, I like to send out writing tips that will…
Continue reading →Many authors don’t believe that there is such a thing as “Writer’s Block.” They will gleefully point out that plumbers…
Continue reading →“When do I begin approaching agents?” I get that question at least once a week, and my answer is always…
Continue reading →New writers are often told, “Show, don’t tell.” Normally this piece of advice is given when a writer gives a…
Continue reading →Recently, I was reading a thriller by a bestselling author I’ve long been a fan of and I found a…
Continue reading →I used to coach my daughter Danielle in acting. She’d get a casting call for a movie or television role,…
Continue reading →Each quarter as I go through the stories for the Writers of the Future Contest, I search for patterns to…
Continue reading →Let’s say I have a young woman. Her name is Kate, and she must get to Tabith. What kinds of…
Continue reading →It’s fairly common for editors to want to change titles. Sometimes a title might be too much like that of…
Continue reading →On Thursday, I had two young writers thank me for advice I’d given on short stories, which they had just…
Continue reading →There are all kinds of fantasy novels. If you’re a genre writer, the first one that you might think of…
Continue reading →When you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages,…
Continue reading →For the last few weeks I’ve been scurrying to finish up judging on a large contest. I’ve had to “reject”…
Continue reading →Years ago, I had a reporter call and ask, “If you could have any job in the world, what would…
Continue reading →A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, a New York Times #1 Bestseller, was scheduled to do a…
Continue reading →There is a saying among writers, “The first page of your book, sells your novel. The last page of your…
Continue reading →Frequently I see new writers make mistakes in their writing by choosing the wrong writing tools for the job. Now,…
Continue reading →Many writers never have a problem with writer’s block, and so we sometimes say, “There’s no such thing.” But that’s…
Continue reading →Most writers kill their own writing careers. Several people asked me to write about some of the ways they do…
Continue reading →You may not know it, but you’re a racehorse. If you look at writers from a publisher’s point of view,…
Continue reading →Read until the end for updates on upcoming writing courses and a special preview of my Serpent Catch series Book…
Continue reading →When I fell in love with the idea of writing, it was after reading my favorite novel of all time.…
Continue reading →This morning, I read an article which claimed that “Avengers: End Game” has now become the all-time best-selling movie. In…
Continue reading →When you create a relationship with an agent, editor, or publisher, very often you’re going into a long-term relationship. Some…
Continue reading →Most authors don’t think about “choosing” a publisher. Most authors send out manuscripts, sometimes rather blindly, in the hopes that…
Continue reading →I mentioned last time that even an Indie writer might find himself in need of a good agent. A great…
Continue reading →If you’re an Indie writer, you might be thinking, “Well, I sell all of my books online myself. I don’t…
Continue reading →Imagine this: you pick up a story and begin reading only to discover that the story seems to be about…
Continue reading →As a judge for one of the world’s largest writing contests, I’m often asked, “What are you looking for?” The…
Continue reading →In everyday life, a crucible is a container used to hold metal or liquid as it boils. For example, to…
Continue reading →Is your opening powerful? If not, why not? I’ve been judging a huge writing contest this week, and had literally…
Continue reading →I’m going to talk a bit about audience analysis. It’s always good before you begin to write to really understand…
Continue reading →I often look for similarities in great stories to see what works. One “conflict” that I see very often is…
Continue reading →It’s hard starting a story cold, as many of you have found when you try to write a novel. You…
Continue reading →My dream of writing came to life when I was in my teens. I had read Lord of the Rings…
Continue reading →As you know, one of my goals with this website is to provide you with new, better and more efficient ways…
Continue reading →Today, I want to talk about the ending of your novel or short story. Most new writers don’t have a problem…
Continue reading →Writers love to gossip about editors, agents, and publishers. Most of the time, that gossip is pretty harmless, but sometimes…
Continue reading →Every year when the Hugo and Nebula Awards are announced, I see a pattern: A young writing student of mine…
Continue reading →What stories affect you profoundly? Which ones are your favorites? If you had to make a list of the three…
Continue reading →This past week, I had to perform an unusual exercise. I have a couple of studios who are looking at…
Continue reading →Very often I meet writers who can’t discuss even the most basic points of their publishing contracts. They’re afraid to…
Continue reading →A few days ago I made an ill-considered remark that might have offended some of you, and I need to…
Continue reading →There’s a lot of bad advice floating around out there. Some of it is bad for everyone, but some of…
Continue reading →Starting a writing career is tough. Generally speaking, you will have to write your first book—or two or three—on the…
Continue reading →When you are starting out, many authors hope that they will get a big advance right out the gate. That’s…
Continue reading →I read an article the other day by a writer who, out of one side of his mouth, suggested that…
Continue reading →There seems to be a disconnect between authors and readers right now. Many publishers are having a hard time finding…
Continue reading →I was asked to read a screenplay a while ago. It opened with two minutes during which it explained what…
Continue reading →When you write a story, you often have to ask yourself, “Is this tale good enough to send to editors…
Continue reading →Years ago, there was a powerful writer that I liked. His stories were energetic, lyrical, evocative and imaginative, so I…
Continue reading →A few weeks ago I was speaking to a fine screenwriter in Hollywood who voiced the opinion, “Writing workshops are…
Continue reading →There are many ways to hook a reader who opens your book–a great cover, a catchy title, luscious descriptions on…
Continue reading →In brainstorming a work, you will often find that you want your characters to behave in certain ways. And as…
Continue reading →Some stories gain power by tapping into the emotions that we felt at a particular age, or during a certain…
Continue reading →Of all the topics on how to write, I suspect more books have been written on how to create solid…
Continue reading →On Sale Now!David Farland has helped dozens of authors hit the New York Times bestseller list, contributing to the careers…
Continue reading →A plot doesn’t have to be brilliant for a story to work. It just needs to have some basic components:…
Continue reading →I’ve been a bit sick for the past few months. In fact, back in September I got sepsis and had…
Continue reading →I’d like to talk a bit about how to deal with criticism that you disagree with. There are a lot…
Continue reading →I heard it again last week, the theory that “villains and heroes are both the same, they see themselves as…
Continue reading →Recently I saw a news story where an elderly basketball fan for the Utah Jazz was given gifts by some…
Continue reading →Many new writers when they start a tale will concern themselves with the “narrative thread” of the story, or the…
Continue reading →Many new writers don’t know when to stop polishing a manuscript and move on to the next. Part of the…
Continue reading →There’s great value in taking a dispassionate look at your recent draft of a novel and assigning a description. When…
Continue reading →Right now I’m editing a novel that is about 200,000 words long but her agent wants the book to be…
Continue reading →In my Writing Enchanting Prose workshops I teach my students to open a story in such a way that it…
Continue reading →Tuesday I explained a little bit about how the term “resonance” is used in literature. In music we use it…
Continue reading →For the past few days I’ve been talking about how you can try to maximize the size of your audience…
Continue reading →As a new writer, you might not have given a great deal of thought to audience analysis. I’ve known good…
Continue reading →When you write a novel, the chances are good that the publisher will hire editors to massage your text. There…
Continue reading →One time I taught a writing workshop in Salt Lake City and spent some time reading stories. In the past,…
Continue reading →Many writers will recommend that as you edit your tale, you do a final read-through so that you can see…
Continue reading →The first thing that I seek in a great story is originality. You may not realize it, but the most…
Continue reading →Have you ever watched a butterfly in flight and tried to figure out where it will go next? The butterfly…
Continue reading →You may not know it, but you’re a racehorse. If you look at writers from a publisher’s point of view,…
Continue reading →A writer once came to me saying that his critique group often tells him, “You’re almost there, but you need…
Continue reading →I once received the following question in the mail from one of our readers, “I am hoping to take one…
Continue reading →Sometimes as writers, when we give writing advice, we often give advice by telling “How I write” instead of “How…
Continue reading →In my book Million Dollar Outlines I discuss some of the markers that can help me discover if a book…
Continue reading →Many new writers don’t know when to stop polishing a manuscript and move on to the next. Part of the…
Continue reading →In Hollywood, it is said that “There are only two ways to make a likeable character.” Here are those two…
Continue reading →If you are producing anything—toy dolls, bread, vacuum cleaners, or novels—there are some variables that you have to work with.…
Continue reading →Sometimes you’re not in the mood to write, but you know that you should. Maybe you’ve set a goal and…
Continue reading →One form of writer’s block comes from being stressed. This is almost always a temporary condition, and there are ways…
Continue reading →In everyday life, a crucible is a container used to hold metal or liquid as it boils. For example, to…
Continue reading →One Sunday my wife suggested that we go for a hike, and we convinced my son Forrest to come with…
Continue reading →A writer who had just begun brainstorming a novel wrote to me several years ago. He had an idea for…
Continue reading →Remember when you were young and your mother or father read a favorite story to you over and over? Or…
Continue reading →Many wannabe writers are pretty sedentary. We tend to watch too much television, read too much, play video games too…
Continue reading →As the lead judge for one of the world’s largest writing contests, I read a lot of stories. Very seldom…
Continue reading →Many writers never have a problem with writer’s block, and so we sometimes say, “There’s no such thing.” But that’s…
Continue reading →When you’re writing a long novel, sometimes as a writer you feel that you are getting stuck in a rut,…
Continue reading →Several years ago I visited the Salt Lake Comic Con. In one panel, I was asked, “Who inspired you to…
Continue reading →Several years ago I visited the Salt Lake Comic Con. In one panel, I was asked, “Who inspired you to…
Continue reading →On the door at my gym, someone hung a sign that says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit keeps…
Continue reading →Silk Road Takedown has been a project of Curtis Green, myself, and Diann Thornley Read for the past several months,…
Continue reading →As a writer, are you willing to take the steps that you need to, in order to succeed? During a…
Continue reading →As a teacher and contest judge, I see a lot of stories from beginning writers. Very often the new author…
Continue reading →When you’re creating a well-rounded character, one of the great secrets behind understanding the character comes from understanding the character’s…
Continue reading →When you write a story, you often have to ask yourself, “Is this tale good enough to send to editors…
Continue reading →I went to Midland, Texas over the weekend. On a taxi ride from the airport, the driver asked what I…
Continue reading →Damaged Characters One time I caught the season finale to a show that finds needy families and then rebuilds or…
Continue reading →Today, I want to talk about the ending of your novel or short story. Most new writers don’t have a problem…
Continue reading →For many authors, writing itself is a mystical act. They don’t understand what impulses drive them to write, they can’t…
Continue reading →Here are some ideas to help you increase your ability to write and to brainstorm. 1) Learn your own biorhythms.…
Continue reading →A lot of writers wonder whether they should plot a book or not. The truth is that the vast majority…
Continue reading →Have you ever thought about the fact that when you submit your lovingly written novel to a major publisher, you…
Continue reading →Last week I got sepsis, a serious infection that is carried through the body by the blood, and landed in…
Continue reading →Every new writer, and quite a few old ones, is familiar with that sinking feeling that happens when you start…
Continue reading →When I fell in love with the idea of writing, it was after reading my favorite novel of all time.…
Continue reading →Once I was rewriting a scene, listening closely to the sound and rhythm of the words in a passage, looking…
Continue reading →On the door at my gym, someone hung a sign that says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit keeps…
Continue reading →The most productive writers, I’ve noticed, aren’t necessarily the ones with the most talent or the greatest skills. They may…
Continue reading →As the lead judge for one of the world’s largest writing contests, I read a lot of stories. Very seldom…
Continue reading →Sometimes people ask me questions such as, “If there were just one thing that I needed to know to become a great…
Continue reading →Whenever you express an idea, you can look at the poetry of your language, your use of diction, your originality,…
Continue reading →Wonder literature may be the most popular literature in the world. You probably don’t know that, because the truth is…
Continue reading →Years ago I watched a panel on literary criticism. Just as the panel was concluding, one . . . fellow…
Continue reading →Last week I managed to anger a number of people when I talked about sales in the young adult genre.…
Continue reading →A few days ago, I saw a Facebook post from a woman who complained that she didn’t want to see…
Continue reading →When you’re writing a tale, it almost always turns out better if you get deep into the head of your…
Continue reading →Have you ever found that you’re reading a book and suddenly your eyes glaze over? Have you asked yourself what…
Continue reading →Have you ever heard Churchill’s saying, “Perfection is the enemy to progress”? As a writer, I suspect that you know…
Continue reading →Stories should move forward, not backward. This might seem like a pretty basic idea, but sometimes a writer feels “stalled”…
Continue reading →Twenty years ago, I was writing little Star Wars books for Scholastic when my editor, David Levithan, asked if I…
Continue reading →Over twenty-five years ago I began editing professionally. I began by doing volunteer work as an editor for literary magazines,…
Continue reading →I’m not sure, but I suspect that writers and other artists tend to be emotionally volatile. In part, I believe…
Continue reading →It’s always good before you begin to write to really understand who your audience is and what their needs…
Continue reading →Three weeks ago I was talking to a movie producer in Hollywood that is trying to set up a couple…
Continue reading →One of my Facebook friends today put up a message that said, “Fewer people would take up writing if they…
Continue reading →People are attracted to motion, particularly physical motion. But when describing a setting, some things are pretty resistant to moving.…
Continue reading →Ten years ago, we used to talk about how to take your book viral through social media, but recently I…
Continue reading →Write – Publish – Profit Bundle This week I’m contributing to this bundle of writing courses, which includes my Writing…
Continue reading →If you are producing anything—toy dolls, bread, vacuum cleaners, or novels—there are some variables that you have to work with.…
Continue reading →There are certain books (and cars, and foods, and vacations) that somehow demand to be talked about. You know what…
Continue reading →I have a saying, “There are a ten thousand right ways to write any story, but there are a million…
Continue reading →There are a couple of good reasons to title your chapters. First of all, when you are writing a novel,…
Continue reading →I’m in the midst of judging a large short story writing contest, going through the first pass. Now, this is…
Continue reading →Recently, I discussed how to deal with a sagging middle in a novel. Here are a couple more tips that…
Continue reading →Many authors don’t believe that there is such a thing as “Writer’s Block.” They will gleefully point out that plumbers…
Continue reading →In the past few weeks, the writing community across the nation has been rocked by accusations of sexual harassment and…
Continue reading →Taking Control I know a lot of writers who feel that they don’t have control of their writing lives. After…
Continue reading →I’m helping a friend work on a story right now, and it’s a rather strange one. It’s the story of…
Continue reading →There comes a time when you’ve turned the corner on your story opening, and you feel like you’ve got it…
Continue reading →Very often I see new writers who can write exciting prose on a line-by-line basis, but when I start reading…
Continue reading →In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had several of my writing students report some great success in attracting agents…
Continue reading →My wife once came across a story about a gorgeous writer (as in a writer of gorgeous prose) who complained…
Continue reading →Years ago, I sat down to write and just didn’t feel up to it; I woke up with a backache…
Continue reading →Very often as a reader, I’ll come across a story that is well written in many regards: The characters have…
Continue reading →It’s fairly common for editors to want to change titles. Sometimes a title might be too much like that of…
Continue reading →Most new writers join critique groups, but have you ever wondered if you’re spending too much time in one? Here…
Continue reading →For a few articles, I’ve been talking about how to make your story come alive by appealing to the reader’s…
Continue reading →Today at the Writers of the Future workshop, I assigned a dozen new writers to go finish a short story…
Continue reading →Very often I have new writers ask if I will pass their work along to an agent or editor, sort…
Continue reading →One of the most frequently asked questions that I get is, “As a writer in 2018, should I go Indie,…
Continue reading →Last week I wrote about appealing to the senses and stated that humans have more than just the five sensory…
Continue reading →Most writers don’t know how to write prose that entangles a reader’s imagination. Envision a reader picking up your novel.…
Continue reading →A lot of people “play” at writing. We tend to think of it as a hobby or a pastime. But…
Continue reading →When Fantasy Fails Sometimes I read a story that is well written and it leaves me empty. It’s like feasting…
Continue reading →Dueling Magic Systems In our very first lesson, I pointed out that readers of fantasy crave tales with a strong…
Continue reading →When you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages,…
Continue reading →There are a lot of people who want to write so that they can get rich quickly, and I worry…
Continue reading →The Heart of Your Tale Nearly all stories in science fiction and fantasy deal with new systems of power—whether it…
Continue reading →Organic Magic Some magic systems just don’t make any sense. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be fun, it just…
Continue reading →Get Real Very often I will read stories where the author describes a magic spell like this: “As soon as…
Continue reading →Spellcasting Catastrophes When you create a magic system, you want it to be clean and concise, right? You want it…
Continue reading →The Wellspring of Magic When you create a magic system, you have to consider the source of your magic. Very…
Continue reading →The High Price of Magic Everything in life carries a price. It’s a law so universally understood that we feel…
Continue reading →In the last lesson, I pointed out that most magic systems tend to be rather stale, that they don’t create…
Continue reading →The most popular books and movies of all time all have one thing in common: They transport audiences better than…
Continue reading →“When do I begin approaching agents?” I get that question at least once a week, and my answer is always…
Continue reading →Recently I met Orson Scott Card, and he asked me if I’m still teaching writing classes. I said yes, and…
Continue reading →Here is a recent question from Drew Briney: “I’ve seen conflicting advice as to whether or not it is okay…
Continue reading →I got this question from Jim: “So much advice to writers is about suspense, or scene goals, or characters overcoming…
Continue reading →A reader asked: “I’ve been listening to a lot of trilogies lately (and I’m writing one!), and I’ve noticed that…
Continue reading →A couple of weeks ago, I invited writers to ask a few questions. Here is one: “Thanks for this chance.…
Continue reading →Kevin said, “There’s so much that I don’t know when it comes to writing and publishing, but after three books…
Continue reading →Once I read a couple of stories where it felt as if the author was struggling to come up with…
Continue reading →I hate the word “resolute.” Whenever I think of it, I think of soldiers circa 1800, marching resolutely into battle,…
Continue reading →Over the past two weeks I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook talking about The Last Jedi, the latest…
Continue reading →A few months after teaching my Writing Enchanting Prose workshops last year, I got letters from three of the participants.…
Continue reading →One Sunday my wife suggested that we go for a hike, and we convinced my son Forrest to come with…
Continue reading →Workshop News After January 2nd we will not be taking new registrations for the online workshops for a bit. Dave…
Continue reading →Often, new writers will ask, “How much income do you need in order to start a writing career?” The answers…
Continue reading →Every year during the holiday season, I tend to have people ask to get hardcover books autographed as gifts. Of…
Continue reading →A log line, or logline, is a simple description of a story that is only a sentence long. It boils…
Continue reading →Every few months I normally have a producer or three who will call inquiring about film rights for one of…
Continue reading →In every story there are turning points, moments in time where the characters are forced into a new course of…
Continue reading →Last night I watched the popular television show The Voice—a singing competition that has been running now for thirteen seasons.…
Continue reading →When you’re writing a screenplay or a book, one of the first things that a writer may do is create…
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