People-Watching: It’s Not Just For Peeping Toms Anymore
The next time you’re in a public place — a coffeehouse, a park, a store — observe the people around you. Pick a person, a couple, or a group, and…[...]
Name That… Character!
Do you know the meaning of your name, and why your parents chose it? Do you think it suits you? What about your children’s names? And what about your characters?…[...]
#13WeekNovel Writing Challenge: Week Eleven – Surrender
Week Eleven. We're getting close now. Can you taste it? This week, your hero surrenders. Why? Because she has no choice. It's only through surrendering that your hero redefines her…[...]
Nine Sources of Unforgettable Characters
Fiction is about people, and a novel's key element is characterization. But how do you do it? How do you spawn characters? From whence do they hail? Does a doctor…[...]
NaNoWriMo: Thanksgiving Update – How Do I Write My Ending?
I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. — Henry David Thoreau I'll be honest, 2016 has been a mixed bag. On the one hand,…[...]
Four Tips for Writing across Genders
Can I write a young, smart, resourceful female character that does justice to a whole suite of gender concerns that aren't "natural" to me by birth and upbringing? The "golden…[...]
Twenty Ways to Build Character
Do your homework. Writing is a hell of a tough racket, and if you're lazy about it, it will defeat you so fast it'll make your head spin. So before…[...]
#RoE: In the Garden of the Lady Rathtyen
Note: this is an adapted excerpt from The Romance of Eowain, a forthcoming full-length fantasy adventure novel. Come check out this and all the great books in the Matter of…[...]
The Challenges of Writing a Series
My youngest daughter recently celebrated her twelfth birthday. Aside from being an enormous Potterhead, she also enjoys young adult dystopian fiction (Insurgent, The Hunger Games, etc.). Tonight, after dinner, she…[...]
Love is Complicated
If you decide to write about love, you're at the slight disadvantage of being in a line that's five-thousand years long. Thousands of writers have written about love, and now…[...]