How to plan out your novel's scenes (and why you should)

Posted on February 1, 2023 at 1:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Passionate planners, this post from C.S. Lakin is for you. The author/book coach is, as regular readers have probably already...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Make sure your characters have distinct voices

Posted on January 17, 2023 at 4:02 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Language matters — you know that, as an author. And so does C.S. Lakin, as an editor, book coach, and...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

Writing experts share the biggest mistake they see in novels

Posted on January 4, 2023 at 3:30 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Editor Ken Brosky and book coach C.S. Lakin — both of whom are also authors themselves — recently shared pieces...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

C.S. Lakin prepares authors to plan well for 2023

Posted on December 28, 2022 at 9:07 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

December is a month full of planning, for many people — holiday travel, gifts, meals, and, now, the year to...

Categories: Behind the scenes

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

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