Tension and conflict are both key in storytelling. After all, with no conflict or problem–even a small one–is there much of a story? Where conflict is some kind of problem your characters are trying to resolve, tension is what keeps readers turning the page. If your conflict is the big battle, the tension is the…
If you’re an author who uses social media, you might see other writers talking about alpha readers, betas, and CPs (critique partners). These are all different roles and come into play at different parts of the writing process. Here’s what you need to know. Alpha Readers Alpha readers are one of the earliest readers of…
Hey, writers! Hannah here. This week, author and therapist Samantha Heuwagen is here to talk about how pain kills creativity. We’ve both seen more talk lately about how writers must suffer for their art. While pain and the human condition can influence the stories we write, neither of us thinks that “suffer for your art”…
There’s a lot of great writing advice, both free and paid, online these days. Whether you like to hang around the writing community on Instagram, surf Pinterest for new writing tips, browse your local bookstore for writing craft books, or find blogs (like mine!), there’s endless information available. And while a lot of this advice…
Your story’s setting–the geography, city/town, culture, beliefs, traditions, etc.–is important. It grounds the story in a world readers can imagine and one your characters can interact with. The setting can further your story by helping or hurting your characters on their journey. So what does it mean to make setting its own character? How do…
In my work as an editor, one question I get asked often is whether the author’s book is young adult (YA) or new adult (NA). I also get asked if NA is even a viable category in publishing. There’s actually a lot of crossover between these two categories of audience, and NA, though a newer…
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