advice

Of all the elements that go into a story, pacing is among the most misunderstood. Most writers think they know what makes a book feel fast-paced. A majority of them are wrong. Stringing short, clipped sentences into wall-of-text paragraphs within rapid-fire chapters doesn't always give readers a sense of speed.…

When I first started out writing and submitting short stories, I spent a lot of time and effort learning how to format my manuscripts. Here are all of the short story formatting guidelines I use, collected in one place for your convenience. Cover Page The margins should be one inch…

"What if my characters want to do things  that  sabotage my plot?" That question will baffle outliners. "Your characters are just extensions of your own will," they'll say. "How can they 'want' anything that you don't want?" This misunderstanding stems from the technical differences between authors who construct meticulous outlines…

Working as a professional writer and editor these past years has not only taught me a lot about writing; it's shown me much that I didn't even suspect I didn't know. Since I always try to have one hand reaching down the ladder to help folks below me up while…

Writers come in two broad types: architects who draw up thorough plot outlines before they start writing, and gardeners, or discovery writers, who just dive in and play it by ear. Some writers are natural outliners. Others are natural gardeners. A common complaint of the latter is that they lose…

"I've got this great idea for a book. You write it, and we'll split the profits 50/50." Writers get that pitch a lot. And when we do, it's hard not to bust out laughing. Because it immediately gives away that the guy making the pitch has never made art for…