Watching the Clock: Foolproof Methods for Keeping Track of Time in Your Writing
Jenn Lessmann
December 1, 2022
Whether your manuscript is an epic saga or spans the length of an hour, it’s easy to get lost in your own world and lose
Category: Devil in the Details
Broaden Your Book’s Horizons with IAM’s Guide to Convincing Bilingual Characters
Chrishaun Keller-Hanna
November 1, 2022
So you want to include a character in your story that’s part of a culture you’re unfamiliar with or who knows a language you cannot
Food for Thought
Jennifer Mitchell
October 1, 2022
Add Flavor to Your Fiction with These Techniques for Writing about Food Jenn Mitchell Adam and Eve had their fateful apple. Tales of the Old
Travel the World with the World Wide Web: Research Tips for Writing about Real Places
Angie Martin
September 1, 2022
Angie Martin When it comes to choosing a location for a novel, short story, or script, many authors stick with what they know. Stephen King’s
From the Mouths of Babes: How to Write Kids Dialogue
Nicole Schroeder
August 1, 2022
Let’s face it: Kids are a lot of work. No one would argue that point in the real world—no one who’s spent time around them,
Why Texas Might Be the Perfect Setting for Your Next Book
Chelle Honiker
July 1, 2022
Texas: It Really Is Like a Whole Other Country When you think of Texas, a few images might come to mind: cowboys, hot prairies with
Does Your Writing Suffer from the ‘Wandering Body Part’ Problem?
Angie Martin
June 1, 2022
“Your eyes touch me physically.” —“The Warrior,” performed by Scandal, written by Holly Knight and Nick Gilder Oh, the amazing wandering body parts. The absolute
It’s a Cinch: The Fact and Fiction of Corsets
Clare Sager
May 1, 2022
Valerie Steel begins her study The Corset: A Cultural History claiming, “The corset is probably the most controversial garment in the entire history of fashion.”
Need-To-Know Details to Write Criminal Justice By the Books
Greg Fishbone
April 1, 2022
In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys,
Devil in the Details: Emergency Medical Services
Jamie Davis
March 1, 2022
As authors, we put our characters through a variety of dangerous situations and often end up with some injured or ill. When we do this
Medical Mixups: What Common Mistakes Authors Make When Writing Medical Details
Jamie Davis
February 1, 2022
People get sick or injured all the time and seek medical care in a doctor’s office or hospital emergency room setting. When story characters encounter
The Balance of Magic
Sine Mairi MacDougall
January 1, 2022
Using Feng Shui to Frame Your Magic System Sine Mairi MacDougall Magic systems can be one of the most fun parts of world building. Readers
Hold your horses
Nicole Schroeder
November 1, 2021
How and why to put equine misconceptions out to pasture Few things transcend genres quite like horses. Historical novels incorporate them to set scenes or
All Fired Up: Firearm Basics for Fiction Writers
Bre Lockhart
October 1, 2021
Our characters often need weapons to carry out plot lines, but how does an author accurately portray the use or description of a gun when
Maintaining Historical Accuracy Without Slowing the Narrative
Jacqueline Harmon
September 1, 2021
You’ve written a rollicking good story set in eighteenth-century France, and now you want to add some killer details. It’s time to immerse yourself in
Are we there yet?
Greg Fishbone
August 1, 2021
A guide to determining travel time in your stories An old scene ends. A new scene begins. And if the characters now find themselves in
Representation of Disability in Fiction
Nicole Schroeder
July 1, 2021
When a movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches was released in October 2020, viewers weren’t just upset by a change to the story; they
Kill or Cure?
Susan Odev
June 1, 2021
Alfred Hitchcock famously said, “I think everyone enjoys a nice murder, provided he is not the victim.” In reality, there is no such thing as
How to Write Accurate Fight Scenes
Sine Mairi MacDougall
May 1, 2021
You’ve decided that violence is the answer! In your story, that is, but now what? What makes a good fight? There are a lot of
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Three Tips for Fitting Your Writing Time into the Festive Season
It’s that time of year again. Evenings are spent vegging out on the sofa after yet another rich, heavy meal. There are invitations to office
Q&A: Indie Author Experts Reflect on Industry Growth and Where We’re Headed in 2023
For the indie author community, 2022 has undoubtedly been a year for the books. In February, Draft2Digital announced the acquisition of Smashwords, bringing two of
Ten Tips: Choosing Your Perfect Planner
Planners can be an excellent investment of your time and money, helping you create effective goals and build actionable plans. But with so many options
