Abandoning Linearity and Enabling Shuffle Mode: How to Write Out of Sequence
By writing out of sequence, you no longer have to force yourself to write the boring bits. You are always writing the fun chapters. The scenes that remind you why you’re a writer in the first place.
Writing 'The Other'
When does writing about The Other stop being an exercise in understanding and become something exploitative?
Brainstorm Your Next Novel with Fiasco - Part 1
In:
Plot
Having some trouble with your novel WIP? Not sure how to connect the dots or how to fill out that character roster? I’m here to help.
5 Realty Listings That Could Be Your Character’s New Home
In:
Character
Sometimes, a house can read like a main character in itself.
Storyville: Making Relationships Feel Real in Your Fiction
Some tips on how to make your fictional relationship feel real.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Dialogue
In:
Dialogue
Dialogue is, in many ways, the heart of fiction. That's why it pays to get it right—or, at the very least, not wrong.
Stop Laughing at Yourself: A Loud Legacy of Exclamations
In:
Grammar
Exclamation points are like that relative who drinks too much every Thanksgiving. You can handle Uncle Charlie when he’s at the house, but taking him to a black-tie gala might not be the best idea.
Seven Grammar Tools to Love
In:
Grammar
Grammar gets a bad rap, but some grammar rules are actually there to HELP you. Here are seven tools I have learned to love.
Storyville: Love Instead of Death—Writing With Heart
Replace death with love, in your writing, and see what happens.
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Eight
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This column explores the art of editing by providing detailed feedback and edits on reader submitted paragraphs.
Storyville: Ten Places to Send Your Fiction in 2015
In:
Research
Ten ideas for where to send your fiction in 2015.
Hide Your Mistletoe: The Bizarre Tradition of Holiday Romance
In:
Cliche
Since it’s the season of generosity, I figured I would give the internet a present: Puritan sex.
8 Ways to Make Your Characters More Relatable
In:
Character
Relatability in your characters will help your work strike a chord with readers. This article explores ways that you can make your heroes, villains, and other characters more relatable.
Finding the Big in the Very Small with Tanka Poetry
In:
Poetry
Tanka poets have a unique way of perfectly freezing a moment in time, of turning a short impression into a story of five lines.
Storyville: Advance Your Writing Career—NOW!
In:
Research
Advance your writing career right now! Hop to it—some tips and tricks.
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Seven
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This column explores the art of revision by giving detailed edits of reader-submitted paragraphs.
Ursula K. Le Guin, Master of Realism
In:
Character
Ursula K. Le Guin is best known for her sci-fi and fantasy, but part of what makes her work so remarkable is the deeply realistic way it handles the nuanced intersections of character and culture.
The Gift of Gab: Mastering the Maximal
In:
Word Play
Hemingway, famously, kept it short and sweet. But if you've got the gift of gab, like Nabokov and Marquez, you can stretch out with sentences that gallop, guffaw, and bulge with overstuffed wit.
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Six
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This column explores the art of editing by giving detailed edits to reader-submitted excerpts.
Storyville: Avoiding Tropes in Horror
What are horror tropes, and how can you avoid them?
NaNoWriMo vs. The Three-Day Novel Contest: Pros and Cons
In:
Abstracts
Are you a tortoise or a hare? NaNoWriMo isn't the only writing marathon, and participating in different challenges can help you discover more about your own habits.
8 Ways to Outline a Novel
In:
Plot
I go into several methods for outlining longer pieces, including free-write summary, skeletal summaries, "snowflake" summaries, visual outlines, and more.
Edit My Paragraph! Episode Five
By Gayle Towell
In:
Rewriting
This column explores the art of editing by providing detailed edits of reader-submitted paragraphs.
How to React When Someone Says They Don’t Read
In:
Vocabulary
A 2013 poll showed that 28 percent of adults asked had not read a book in the past year. What are some of the reasons behind a continuing aversion to reading, and what can readers do to help?
