by Edie Melson @EdieMelson There are certain things that writers learn as they gain more experience in the industry. These lessons serve us well when the going gets tough. One of the reasons is that we learn them by attending the school of hard knocks. But I’m a big believer…

by Bethany Jett, @betjett So far in this series on How to Get an Editor to Say Yes, we’ve covered Part One: Self-Editing Tips and Part Two: Avoiding Tattle-Tale Mode. Our goal is to cover some tips that seem to pop up again and again in submissions...errors that make an editor's eyes…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Do you feel your characters lack the vitality of bestselling writers? Are you willing to work hard to ensure your story is a success?  Learn how to create characters that will live in your readers' hearts and minds long after the last page of  your story.…

by Bethany Jett, @betjett The two best ways to learn self-editing is to (1) have a great editor pour red ink all over your own work and (2) edit other people's. I. First Readers and Editors My first reader is not my editor. Neither is my second. Their purpose is…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills While writing my latest novel, a shocking realization punched me hard in the stomach. My manuscript was littered with worn out and overused words. Originality had been replaced with a nasty disease called redundancy. Creativity slumped into a corner and buried her head. My disease had…

For those who’ve known me for any length of time are aware that organization isn’t my strong suit—at least not in the conventional meaning. My desk is covered in stacks of paper and the walls of my office are papered with rainbow hued sticky notes. It’s a system that works…