by DiAnn Mills Recently I read a suspense novel that left me wondering what the story was all about. I couldn’t follow the storyline or figure out character motivation. Although many aspects of the novel were outstanding, I couldn’t find the plot (storyline) and that meant I had no stake in the protagonist’s life. In short, I lost interest. After …
Daring Dialogue
by Jordyn Redwood I have to confess that dialogue is one of my favorite things to write. It also is the easiest for me. Often times when I start a scene, I’ll just lay out the dialogue first. My love of dialogue likely stems from my real life job as a pediatric ER nurse. Communication in the ER is very …
Crafting Effective Scenes
by Winnie Griggs The workhorse of a story is not words, sentences, or paragraphs – it is the scene. Because it is in a scene that we see the key element of any good story – namely relevant change. Today I’d like to discuss eight elements I feel make up an effective scene: 1 Something happens The ‘something’ doesn’t have …
Critique Partners: Full Circle
by Kit Wilkinson Aside from paying a free-lance editor to critique your work, nothing can help your craft like having a great critique partner. Finding the right one, however, can be really tricky. It’s a relationship you have to enter slowly and with caution but, when it’s right, can benefit the both of you immensely. In July 2008, I sat …
Writing Believable Romantic Suspense
By Marta Perry The covers may no longer feature a heroine fleeing a dark mansion in her flowing white nightgown, but contemporary romantic suspense is the direct descendant of the classic gothic novels of such talented authors as Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart. No matter what twists and turns the genre takes, storytellers still promise a combination …
Setting the Pace to Keep your Story Moving
by Myra Johnson The latest fitness research suggests that if you want to increase your calorie burn and build stamina, vary the intensity of your workout by alternating between moderate and brisk exercise. Same with writing. If you want your plot to have momentum and keep the reader engaged, pacing is everything. According to Jack Bickham, “Fiction is movement.” Narrative …
Fired Up
by Mary Connealy My current release, Fired Up is about a doctor in frontier Texas. Because I’m really interested in historical medicine, I recently visited Fort Atkinson, a restored 1820s fort near my home. It had a doctor’s office. Of course it’s historically accurate for 182o and my book is set in the 1860s, but still, I was fascinated to …
Building Your Writing Career While Working Full Time
by Lisa Jordan For the past 15 years, I’ve owned and operated my own state-registered in-home childcare program. My days are very busy and extremely noisy, but I reap many incredible blessings. In 2011 I received my first publishing contract, so for the past two years, I’ve been juggling my day job with my night job. After dinner ends, I …
How to Keep That Conference Feeling All Year Long
by Melissa Tagg The annual ACFW is one of my absolute favorite times of year. It’s like Christmas meets my birthday meets all those fun college classes. (You know, versus the classes you HAD to take…like anything even remotely math related.) But once you return home, it’s easy to feel a little letdown. A little “Oh my goodness, do I …
Top 5 Tools for the Not-Yet-Published Writer
by Laura McClellan As a lifelong student of the writing craft, I’ve heard and read lots of good advice, tons of suggestions for essential tools for those of us who are working toward a career as a writer. I thought I’d offer my suggestions for the top five tools for pre-published writers: 1. A calendar. All the real experts, the …