Writing is like any other skill in that you have to do a lot of it to get better. There isn’t any way around that, but you can identify mistakes common to new writers and learn to stop making them before they become habit.

Remember when you were a brand new writer? Remember the stars in your eyes and the dollar signs floating through your imaginations? I do. If you’re a new writer, look in the mirror and what do you see? If you’re wearing rose colored glasses or your eyes are shining like laser beams from the enthusiasm [...]

It’s been said that you should “write about what you know”. It’s also been said that doing that condemns you to a life of boredom as you’ll never grow beyond your current limitations. Not very helpful, is it?

Imagine that you’re being interviewed right before you give your Pulitzer acceptance speech (the National Book Award ceremony is next week). The reporter asks, “Oh Fabulous One, what kind of writer are you?” You think: dreamy, inquisitive, creative, esoteric, ephemeral… but it becomes painfully clear that you misunderstood the question.
The reporter wants to know about [...]

Is your work-in-progress feeling blah? Tired? Dishwater dull? Read on to discover practical tips for injecting your work with excitement and electricity — the antidote to manuscript malaise.
5 pick-me-ups for a so-so manuscript:
Boost the pacing.
Delete all the boring parts (which includes anything that’s not absolutely necessary).
If you don’t have a deadline nipping at your heels, [...]

We’re writers and prefer to spend a lot more time putting pen to paper than anything else. Any resource that makes the additional projects that accompany the job simpler merits a gold star in my book. I think this online tool constitutes just about the best thing since sliced bread. The bonus is it’s free [...]

What can an outstanding book proposal do for your book manuscript that the manuscript itself cannot do? If you prepare an outstanding book proposal for your manuscript, you put your work head and shoulders above writers that fail to do this important step.