Craft and process tips for authors: November 4, 2026

The publishing experts we follow have plenty of craft and process advice to offer. 

Here are the ones that we thought were can't-miss for our authors:

• Let your character suffer ... but not cry: Author Kathleen Furin explains why a character's tears pushes a reader away and describes what actually will evoke an authentic reader response (Writer's Digest). 

• Writing emotions versus evoking emotions: Donald Maass believes that a character's emotions, as depicted on the page, are essentially scenery, and their purpose isn't to inspire a particular experience in a reader but rather to serve as a basis for some sort of connection between fiction and the reader's life (Writer Unboxed).

• On incorporating ghosts into fiction: Having a spirit or ghost in your novel doesn't make it a ghost story, inherently, and author Laura Buchwald shares her tips on how to incorporate them into a story of any genre (Writer's Digest).

• Turning life experiences into compelling stories: Author, playwright, and writing coach Jacqx Melilli unpacks the important decisions to make and strategies to use when writing a memoir, versus an autobiography (Alliance of Independent Authors). 

• How to fix your writing process: T.D. Donnelly, author of the book Superdraft: The Art and Science of Better, Faster Writing, discusses how he handles the writerly tendency to let the critic shout over the creator during the draft process, as well as offering advice on how he networks as an introvert (The Creative Penn).