Plot first or characters first? Neither and both

Posted on 04/15/2021 at 12:53 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Author Sharon Oard Warner has frequently been asked, often by graduate students, whether a story's plot or character should be...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative

What exactly is a hybrid publisher?

Posted on 04/07/2021 at 01:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You may have some preconceptions — and misconceptions — about hybrid publishing. Author Barbara Linn Probst readily admits she did,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Publishing

Why author newsletters have stuck (and will keep sticking) around

Posted on 04/06/2021 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Today’s marketing must-do can turn into tomorrow’s old news. For instance, a few years ago, Catherine Baab-Muguira noticed that creatives...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Email newsletter, Jane Friedman, Marketing

How and why to work guest blog posts into your marketing plan

Posted on 03/30/2021 at 02:47 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Book marketing coach Belinda K. Griffin wanted to add a third option to Jane Friedman’s recent post about whether authors...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Social media and websites

Write what you know, but keep it interesting to readers

Posted on 03/25/2021 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It seems more than natural for authors to include tidbits from their lives (or the lives of those they know)...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Unsure of your book's ending? Just keep writing!

Posted on 03/24/2021 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You might begin your novel with no idea where it’ll go, or you might discover that the characters have something...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Why this writer avoids chapter-by-chapter critiques

Posted on 03/23/2021 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

A feedback method that works for one author may not serve another writer well. For Lisa Cooper Ellison — a...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Reframe your envy of other authors' success

Posted on 03/17/2021 at 11:07 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We love how a new guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog ties in all the themes of today. Author Nancy...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Motivational

6 techniques for improving your deep third-person POV

Posted on 03/16/2021 at 09:20 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Understanding the concept of deep third-person point-of-view usually isn’t as difficult as executing on it. And one way to work...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Writing advice

Prepare yourself to receive feedback on your writing

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

Our heads and hearts often have very different goals. Rationally, we know that valuable feedback can be critical; emotionally, we...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Motivational