Storyville: Sympathy for the Devil
In order for your bad guys to truly resonate, we need to care about them, and feel strong emotions. Even if that emotion is hate.
Storyville: What is Head-Hopping and Why Should You Avoid It?
Tips for avoiding head-hopping in your fiction.
Improve Your Stories By Eliminating Agendas
By Joshua Isard
The agendas with which you approach your story might be holding the narrative back.
Dirty Little Secrets, Part Two: Why Your Beta Readers Never Finished Your Novel
You worked hard on that book, and your beta readers never even finished the damn thing. Why?
Dirty Little Secrets Part One: Why No One Cares About Your Protagonist
Many an agent has rejected a novel with the phrase, “I’m just not in love with this protagonist.”
10 Must-Know Tips For Outlining Your Novel
If you're struggling to get your novel off of the ground, an outline can potentially rescue you from all of your toils.
Narrative Detour: Rediscover Your Novel
By BH Shepherd
A fun exercise to help you push forward when writing your novel becomes a slog.
Dialogue: The Number One Mistake Newbie Writers Make
There's no lack of online advice about how to write dialogue in fiction. But there’s one issue I see over and over in the dialogue of newbie writers, and I have yet to find one post that tackles it.
Why You Shouldn't Ignore Religion in Your Fiction
Religion is a huge part of life. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't ignore it in your fiction.
Three Exercises for Improved Character Development
If you want your characters to be as deep and nuanced as your narrative, here are three things you can do.
Engage Your Readers By Putting Them To Work
By Joshua Isard
As writers, then, we want to ask our readers to do the right kind of work, the kind that helps them engage with our stories as much as possible.
7 Ways to Prepare for NaNoWriMo Right Now
Want to write a novel but don't know where to start? NaNoWriMo 2018 might be the perfect opportunity — here's 7 ways you can prepare for it now.
Folding Real-Life Detail into a Fictional Narrative
Is there an ethical line when it comes to incorporating real-life details into fiction? And if so, where does that line exist?
5 Essential Character Traits For Ourselves, Not Our Creations
By Joshua Isard
It’s important to develop the kind of personal character that’ll help us get through everything the writing life throws our way.
Taking the Stage: How Storytellers Saved My Ambition to Write
The story of how I fell into a hole with my writing career, and the strategy I developed to climb back out.
When To Utilize An Ensemble Cast and How To Do It Well
By Joshua Isard
Would your story benefit from multiple POVs? And does it have the scope to sustain them?
Bearskin: A Fast Read 20 Years in the Making
The story of a fifty-four year old’s debut novel. Twenty-plus years of writing, revising, letting it sit, then rewriting and re-revising some more.
Storyville: Creating Tension in Your Fiction
How do you create tension in your fiction? Here are some tips.
Make Your Characters More Interesting With Lies
By Peter Derk
Ask yourself: When's the last time I had one of my characters tell a real whopper?
The Two Lukes: Comparing and Contrasting 'Dark Empire' and 'The Last Jedi'
By Bart Bishop
A look back at the portrayal of Luke Skywalker in 'Dark Empire' as compared to 'The Last Jedi.'
Write Who You Don’t Know?
By Kat Hausler
'Retrograde' author Kat Hausler ponders the question: Should you base your characters on people you know? Well, yes and no...
The Birth of Jace Salome
Barker sets his protagonist down in a world peppered predominantly with men; men who bulge with maleness and refuse to stop spraying their eau de testosterone everywhere.
Storyville: Horror Story vs. Horror Novel
How do you know if your horror project is a story, novella, or novel? Some quick tips.
Populating the Nightmare: Creating Characters
By Jeff Noon
Part 6 of Jeff's 10 part series on the writing of his new novel, "A Man of Shadows."
