Lessons Learned

Learning to Break the Rules of Word Count

Word count is a fickle thing. Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer weighs in at a hefty 460,000 words. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is barely 30,000. There are stories across all genres that span from a few hundred to several hundred-thousand words.

Read More

Finding Perspective

It’s important for writers to remember that their audience experiences the story from the narrator’s perspective. Failing to maintain a consistent perspective is a literary form of whiplash, leaving readers confused and questioning.

Read More

The Plague of Backstory

“If it’s critical to the character, it’s critical to the reader, and then it’s not backstory.” – Jeff Kleinman

Read More

“The Talk”

As an author, there comes a moment when you must choose if you want to monetize your art.

Read More

A Whole New World

Creating believable worlds in fantasy or dystopian or what-have-you writing can help sell the reader on an otherwise unbelievable premise.

Read More

Write Terribly

The lesson I most needed to learn was this: just write. It doesn’t matter how bad it is. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense the first time around. There’s a reason editing is a thing, and a reason it’s called a first draft.

Read More

Writer’s Retreat: Story Structure

What makes a good story? Is it the descriptions? Is it the characters? Or is it the plot? All of these things contribute to making a good story, but it will fall flat if it’s not structured like a story. There are several different ways you can lay out your plot, from the Pixar model…

Read More

Writer’s Retreat: Marketing a Book

What happens after you write your book? A whole lot, if you want to get your book into the hands of readers outside your personal circle. It’s more than a good story, it’s how you go about marketing the book. If you go the traditionally published route, the process is much easier. Those companies handle…

Read More

Writer’s Retreat: Editing

It’s a trend we’ve seen too often in self-published works. A trend that’s hurting the outlook on the industry as a whole. Too many new authors are neglecting the editing process. Editing is an essential part of eventually becoming published, even if you choose to self-publish. Too often, new authors let their fear of critique…

Read More