@DiAnnMills Symbolism is a tangible items that means something psychologically to the character—and translates to the reader the same emotional response. James Scott Bell states, “From the start, we have a connection . . . .” The character(s) and the reader form an attachment to an object that no longer…

@DiAnnMills Writers often struggle with how to incorporate symbolism into their novels or if it’s even necessary. How does it fit into premise and theme? Does it heighten emotion? Does it encourage the reader to see beyond the obvious? Is it part of the story line? How does a writer…

@LynnHBlackburn When I first started writing, I would hear people talk about brainstorming and I have to tell you . . . it bothered me. A lot. I was intrigued by the idea of getting together with a group of friends and throwing ideas around, but I was afraid it…

@EdieMelson I read somewhere once that good dialogue is a conversation with the boring parts taken out. I completely agree. Just record and transcribe a normal conversation and you’ll see that it isn’t all that interesting to read without a lot of judicious editing. But even armed with that knowledge,…

@ADGansky Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages. –Kurt Vonnegut Aside from keeping…

@DiAnnMills A new writer started an online platform. She established a website, a presence on facebook and twitter, wrote a weekly blog post that showed her expertise and passion, and asked open-ended questions. She followed the experts and generally prioritized readers by focusing on transparency while practicing professionalism. She believed…