by Edie Melson @EdieMelson Many of us came to the world of writing in a roundabout way. A lot of us don’t have degrees that qualify us. Because of that, we often struggle with insecurity. We strive for validation through publication. But no matter how many awards we win, things we…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills This year is a milestone for me in the publishing world: 25 years of publishing. I’d like to say I was just a mere child when I began, and although I write fiction, that’s not the case. Not much can beat the rewards of seeing my…

By Dr. Chrissy Whiting-Madison @joyfulgurly Have you ever sent a text to someone who totally misunderstood what you were trying to say?  Perhaps you were being sarcastic, and the recipient read it as rude. Maybe you were being sincere, and the recipient read it as mocking. We have all been…

by: Shannon Redmon @shannon_redmon That’s a question all authors must answer at some point in their careers. There are many different reasons—some toll away for days on end hoping for big payoffs, while others want the fame and fortune of bestsellers like Nicolas Sparks or James Patterson. Not all writers…

By A.C. Williams by @acw_author  I love stories. Ever since I was a kid, I’d set up my armies of My Little Ponies and my brother’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we would stage epic adventures that spanned time and space. I believe the Barbies were even involved at one…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan I've heard it said, "Psychologists are analysts; writers are psychological engineers. They use psychology to engineer story characters." Characterization is complex. Among other things, writers need to know how to engineer characters, design character arcs, weave sympathy and empathy, set up character conflict, show and reveal…