What’s the one goal every writer has for their novel? To hook the reader. Sure, there may be other goals. To entertain. To inspire. Some might…
There’s nothing better than a book where the chemistry between the characters simmers until it reaches a hot, sizzling boiling point. That build-up of tension is…
In writing – and in life – we are often faced with countless choices. As an author, one of the biggest choices is whether or not…
Think about your favorite books for a moment. No doubt you can gush about the exciting story you couldn’t put down. But would it be possible…
Of all the famous first lines of fiction, there are few that ring as true as Tolstoy’s in Anna Karenina: “Happy families are all alike; every…
Is there anything more exhilarating as a reader than a book that keeps you turning pages long into the night? One more chapter turns into another…
For writers of historical fiction, few things are as enthralling as the prospect of thousands of years of history to draw upon for writing inspiration. While…
We all get angry sometimes, but what makes us angry — and what we do about it — varies widely from person to person. The same…
The best stories don’t just show us a sequence of events. They follow their characters on a meaningful personal journey that happens to include those events.…
Writing character emotions requires a delicate balance of showing and telling, action and exposition. Excessive emotional description will make a character seem too wrapped up in…