The NYT's recipe for romance (in fiction)

Posted on 02/14/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It’s Valentine’s Day, so we’re legally required to share a post about writing romance. But we’ll go easy on writers,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Romance, The New York Times, Writing advice

Try these tips (plus some patience) to market your poetry

Posted on 02/13/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Perhaps you’re in a sentimental mood and would like to dabble in poetry — or the upcoming holiday has you...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Marketing, Penny Sansevieri, Poetry

A remedy for jealousy: Send blessings to the other authors

Posted on 02/12/2021 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It’s perfectly natural to look at someone else’s success and wish that it were yours instead of theirs. But just...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Motivational

The right way to depict conflict in a love story

Posted on 02/12/2021 at 11:05 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Love stories certainly contain conflict — but, warns David Corbett, don’t mistake it for the kind you might find in,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Romance, Writer Unboxed

Why you must know your book's genre

Posted on 02/11/2021 at 03:05 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We’re sure that what an expert would say is the biggest mistake an author can make would depend on what...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Marketing, Penny Sansevieri

How to open your novel with the appropriate bang

Posted on 02/11/2021 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Scene analysis seems to be the topic du jour among the writing blogs we follow. This contribution to the trend...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: First lines and first chapters, Writing advice

One author's firsthand advice on writing about controversial topics

Posted on 02/10/2021 at 02:50 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

As an author, you certainly want your fiction to evoke feelings – maybe even strong ones — in your readers....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Motivational, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

Are your scenes the right shapes?

Posted on 02/10/2021 at 10:51 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

If you found a recent post about story shapes to be helpful or interesting, we have another variation on that...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative

13 ways to prepare for your book's launch day

Posted on 02/09/2021 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You know how you’re never truly done marketing a book? Penny Sansevieri is never quite done finding ways that you...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Marketing, Penny Sansevieri

Quick tip: Toward versus towards

Posted on 02/09/2021 at 11:26 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

As former journalists, we have no problem remembering that Associated Press style prefers “toward” versus “towards.” (On the flip side,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Language, Writer's Digest