Writing Relationships Between Characters
Populating your world with interesting people can make readers care about your story, and writing relationships between characters can inspire them to ship, daydream, and root for your characters. Here’s how to help them come alive on the page as real, believable people.
Finding Critique Partners
You’ve typed ‘The End’ on your manuscript, and now you’re ready to get published. Not yet! First, finding critique partners will help you polish your work for submission.
Episode 41: Jarrett J. Krosoczka, NYT Bestselling Author/Illustrator
NYT bestselling author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka shares the challenges and gratifications of reaching across different age categories and the importance of illustrations in storytelling. Listen to hear his tips on writing within established franchises (like Star Wars), how to pivot a picture book idea into a graphic novel series, and memoir writing.
How to Describe Emotion
We want our readers to connect emotionally to our characters and to feel their pains and struggles—but it can be tricky to know how to describe emotion to create that connection. Here are some effective ways to describe emotion.
Strategies to Incorporate Agent/Editor Feedback
Once the manuscript has been completed, submitted, and accepted, writers can feel like the bulk of their work is done. It would seem only small corrections should need to be made. Until the agent/editor feedback comes. Use these strategies to incorporate it for stronger work.
Five Questions to Ask During Chapter One Revision
Once you’ve finished the first draft of your story, it’s time to tackle chapter one revision. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether your first impression energizes the reader to demand the full story.
What’s After NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an intense time for writers who participate. I hope it was everything you were looking for. But the end is near. What’s next?
There’s Always a Choice: Revision Techniques to Make Your Writing Stronger
If you've received vague revision instructions like “go deeper," we have some specific revision techniques that'll help you take your work to the next level.
The Difference Between Editing and Revising
There’s an important difference between editing and revising, although writers tend to use “editing” and “revising” as interchangeable terms to mean anything other than drafting. You’ll need to do both, so it’s helpful to understand the difference.
Writing Good Sentences
Writing good sentences is at the heart of telling a good story. However, it’s not the first issue to tackle in revisions. First, finish your draft. Second, step away from your manuscript. Third, edit macro issues such as plot holes, character development, and story arc. Don’t fret about sentence craft until the bones of the story are in place and working well.
Premise Vs Plot
The concept of premise vs. plot is a common stumbling block for many writers. They’ll think they have a killer idea for a manuscript lined up, but when they sit down to write, the energy fizzles out partway through. Why isn’t a great idea enough?
3 Helpful Tips for How to Rewrite a Novel
Rewriting a book doesn’t mean your idea or your writing are bad. It means there’s a better way to show readers the essence of what you’re trying to tell them. Here are 3 helpful tips to get you started!
Episode 36: Rob Kent, The Middle Grade Ninja
Rob Kent, author and host of the Middle Grade Ninja podcast, joins Mary Kole to talk about his illustrious publishing career and provides valuable insights and inspiration for aspiring writers. He discusses the importance of managing expectations for success in your writing career, as well as writing for your own personal happiness.
Why Rewriting A Book Isn’t A Bad Thing
Rewriting a book may seem like a daunting task, but it’s worth it. Not only will rewriting develop your narrative, but it’ll make you a better writer. Here’s how.
How to Be a Writing Buddy
How is a writing buddy different from a critique partner or writing partner? The terms are often used interchangeably, but I happen to think that a “writing buddy” is friendlier. So here’s how to be a good one, and boost your own critique and writing skills at the same time.
I Need a Hero: Writing an Active Protagonist
An active protagonist drives the story. Meaning? Your main character should want specific outcomes and fight for them. That’s where the conflict in the story comes from: everything that fights back. For tips on activating the hero of your story, read on.
Episode 18: Patricia Faithfull and Rick Williams, Aspiring Writers
A conversation about "The Emotion Thesaurus" as well as writing tools in general and whether human input can ever be replaced by tools.
Episode 23: Jonathan Auxier, Writer of Strange Stories for Strange Kids
NYT Bestselling young adult and middle-grade author Jonathan Auxier joins Mary Kole to discuss visual writing, worldbuilding, and how different media use dialogue to create action.
Raising the Stakes
Raising the stakes is a great way to sew tension in your story, and fear of failure is something everyone can relate to. The constant battle between running toward the goal while running away from the alternative will keep readers engaged and invested in your characters. Know how to identify your stakes and when to make them bigger.
How to Organize Your Writing
If you’re a beginning writer, you may be wondering how to organize your writing. Working on a novel means you’ll have lots of bits and pieces to keep track of: character and setting notes, plot outlines, reference photos, versions of your manuscript, notes to yourself, quotes and inspiration to keep you going when the going gets tough...yikes!