Don't feel like writing? Try these tips

Posted on November 15, 2022 at 10:38 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

No matter how much you love it, there are times when actually sitting down to write (or standing up, for...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Strategies for bringing your novel's setting to life

Posted on November 8, 2022 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

C.S. Lakin feels very strongly about the value of bringing a setting to life in fiction. And on her Live...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Setting, Writing advice

Weather can play an effective and interesting role in your fiction

Posted on October 17, 2022 at 8:54 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

One of my closest friends teaches a conversation course for English language learners in a suburb of Des Moines. The...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Tips on gradually raising the stakes in your story

Posted on October 4, 2022 at 10:03 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

On one hand, as we enjoy beautiful autumn weather in the Midwest, the sight of the word "snowball" makes us...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Writing about hard things? Here are 5 tips to help you

Posted on October 2, 2022 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Truth can be stranger than fiction — and it can be scarier, too. Most likely, if you're considering writing a...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Memoir, Writing advice

Tips for choosing what your character notices in a scene

Posted on September 28, 2022 at 9:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You know not to create a laundry list of what's in a given space in your novel. But on the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Setting, Writing advice

How to overcome the challenges of fantasy world-building

Posted on September 20, 2022 at 9:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We hadn't intended to share a post on fantasy writing on George R.R. Martin's birthday; that's just how it happened....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Fantasy, Writing advice

Why writers should know what their character wants and needs

Posted on September 6, 2022 at 3:42 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Knowing and expressing your wants and needs is a useful real-life skill. If you've mastered it, congratulations — you're also...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Characters, Writing advice

What writer C.S. Lakin wishes she could tell her younger self

Posted on August 30, 2022 at 3:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

The world of publishing has changed dramatically since C.S. Lakin started out. And with hindsight 20/20, she has plenty of...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Publishing, Writing advice

Feel stuck? Ask yourself what your novel's theme is

Posted on August 25, 2022 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Your story doesn't need to be pushing a particular message. But, says C.S. Lakin, it should be about something that...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice