Craft Essays

The Problems of the Disassembled Narrative

Just because it's popular for writers to create stories with non-linear narratives, it doesn't mean it's always a good idea. More often than not, in fact, it's a recipe for disaster.

App-tacular: Writing on Phones, Smart Phones, and Tablets

We're moving on from the land of computers to writing on tablets and smart phones. Here are a few ways that writing is happening with these new implements.

Sentence, INTERRUPTED! - Five Ways to Interrupt Yourself (Grammatically)

Commas, parentheses, and dashes are just a few ways to interrupt a perfectly good sentence.

Writing Powerful Descriptions

Why the best descriptions are the ones that are easily understood, yet leave a lasting impression on readers’ minds.

False Starts, Dead Ends and Bad Beginnings: A Guide to Successful Storytelling Patterns

Why failing to establish clear narrative patterns or ignoring a story’s natural capacity to surprise can render an otherwise compelling work into an instant dud.

Storyville: How to Get An Agent

The brutal truth about trying to land an agent.

The Long & Winding Road: Part 1- Writing The Novel

The 1st in a series chronicling my experiences with my novel, including finding an agent and submitting to publishers. Part 1 details writing my novel and my first partial request from "ideal agent"

Autobiographical Fiction: Using Your Real Life To Craft Great Fiction

When crafting fiction from your real life, tread lightly and follow these tips.

Get Off The Dang Computer: The Benefits Of Hands-On Research

The internet is a great resource--but it's not the best one. To really understand how the world works, you have to get out there and experience it for yourself. That's what produces good writing.

The Myth of Writer’s Block

An understanding of how the human mind operates proves that a temporary lack of creative ideas is not the result of “writer's block,” but the result of something else entirely.

20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

A list of some of the most common grammatical errors that routinely make it into print.

Write What You Don’t Know

Of all the rules that apply to fiction writing, perhaps none is more misleading than the common, banal adage that you should “write what you know.”