Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to have Steven James on the show! Steve is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of sixteen novels. Best known for his psychological thrillers, he has received more than a dozen honors and awards for his books, including 3 Christy Awards and being nominated as a finalist… Read more »
“Aim high” is probably advice you’ve heard before. I sure have: my elementary school’s motto was aim high, be respectful, care for others, all admirable things to do. But not everyone will tell you to do so when it comes to your writing. There are the skeptics, those writers who want you to think that… Read more »
In the last Be Well, Write Well post, I wrote about the perspective of having abundant time. Today, I’m going to show you that time is not only abundant in the macro sense, it can also feel abundant on the micro level—in the weeks, days and hours that make up the building blocks of our… Read more »
Creating an immersive setting is an important element of any story, but it’s especially important for historical fiction writers. Readers come to this genre because they want to feel they’re stepping out of their world and into the world of your story, whether it takes place in Gilded Age New York, Renaissance Florence or Imperial… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to have Rebecca Behrens on the show! Rebecca is not only a fabulous middle grade author but also a dear friend. In fact, we live directly across the street from each other here in New York City, and we were part of the same “Write Nite… Read more »
Let’s be real: crime fiction conferences are expensive and time consuming. But there are other ways to be part of the crime fiction community and you can do it from your own backyard. Join A Crime Fiction Organization Several genre groups support the crime fiction community. International Thriller Writers represents professional thriller writers from around… Read more »
We often write stories because we have something we want to say to our readers. How we convey those ideas–essentially, our literary themes –can be tricky. For example, let’s say you’ve written a YA novel about a girl who’s determined to take control of her life. You’re proud of this story and passionate about its… Read more »
We writers should take every opportunity to experience the world of our characters. The more we immerse ourselves in a particular culture or setting the deeper we can understand it, and the more realistically we can describe it in our writing. Unfortunately, cost, distance, or other practicalities (like the lack of space travel or a… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Adam Cayton-Holland on the show! Adam is an author and national touring comic who has appeared on shows including Conan, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, and Happy Endings just to name a few. He has also been named one of Esquire’s “25 Comics… Read more »
Writing for kids, of any age, is a big responsibility. Kids across age groups range in experience and the ability to think critically about what they read. Very young children are especially prone to thinking that a book, any book, must be an authority. After all, books are like, official, right? Even teens and adults… Read more »
