One author's tips on writing from multiple points of view

Posted on 01/16/2020 at 09:29 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Sometimes it’s screamingly obvious — your story can only be told from one character’s point of view. Other times, you...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

One author's best practices for researching with primary resources

Posted on 01/15/2020 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You may not be in school any more, but chances are good you’re still being called upon to do research....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Joanna Penn, Writing advice

Jane Friedman: Steer clear of these five story openers

Posted on 01/10/2020 at 01:28 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Jane Friedman isn’t trying to ban the use of five specific story openers. She does want to point out, though,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: First lines and first chapters, Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Agree or disagree? Editor says to stick with "said" and "asked"

Posted on 01/06/2020 at 10:23 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

During the creative-writing portion of eighth-grade English class, the teacher gave us a handout of one hundred ways to say...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Language, Writing advice

Here's how you can tell the reader what your character is feeling

Posted on 12/28/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

C.S. Lakin isn’t going to demand that you show and not tell the emotions your character is feeling. In fact,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

How a writing instructor chooses her novel's point of view

Posted on 12/27/2019 at 01:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Over the holiday, we listened to a collection of short stories that included a few tales told in the second-person...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

The top writing tips from the Alliance of Independent Authors

Posted on 12/26/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

No matter the topic, you’ve likely found a new blog to love and been both excited and exhausted by the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors), Diversity, Plot / narrative, Time management, Writing advice

Writing lessons to take away from "A Christmas Carol"

Posted on 12/24/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

This time of year, we feel like a broken record — can we possibly go a few posts without mentioning...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Classic literature, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

Surprise your reader with emotional impact, not just plot twists

Posted on 12/23/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Readers don’t want to be able to predict every single page of your story. But many still reread books, while...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Alternate proactive and reactive scenes to keep your story moving

Posted on 12/18/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

“Formulaic” is often tossed around as an insult. We’re not suggesting that you make your novel as predictable as can...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writing advice