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…

By A.C. Williams by @acw_author  I love complicated stories, don’t you? Stories that reach to far-flung imaginary worlds are my cup of tea, and I love bold heroes who’ve survived tragic backstories that come back to haunt them in unexpected ways. And no matter what story or series I read,…

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin Over the last 20 years Greg Stielstra, author of Pyromarketing, marketed hundreds of Christian books including The Purpose Driven Life. During that time, he noticed a disturbing trend. Some Christian authors sought fame because they believed only celebrities could influence culture. What’s more, they thought to…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan There are words that are wonderful and words that are—well, not so wonderful. I keep telling myself that, yet I forget when I write and thus inflict a great burden upon my inner editor. Like Alice, I give myself good advice, but I seldom follow it.…

By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites What do you envision when you read the term,  “Kill Fee.” I imagine a dark alley, two men in trench coats, hidden guns, and  whispers of murder for money. How about the term, “Nut Graf”? These are magazine article writing terms. Knowing these terms will enable…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky I value strong openings, not only as a writer, but as an editor. When writing first pages, it will serve you well to remember that your openings (especially the first page) serve one primary purpose, and that is to establish your authorial authority. Essentially, you’re announcing…