Six Reasons You’re Not as Creative as You Could Be Years ago, I attended a writers’ conference. After my speech was over, I sat in on a talk given by a writing professor, and what she said has stayed with me ever since. A woman in the audience lamented that she wanted to write, […]
Category Archives: Writing Tips
Creating Compelling Plots
Your Mission: Creating Compelling Plots Sheesh! Give me a more difficult question, please! I’ve been writing novels for over 30 years, and I can tell you how to be a soccer referee or fly an ILS approach to minimums, but explaining and taking apart plot requires some thought. But as all of us authors should […]
The Perverse Life of a Novelist
The Perverse Life of a Novelist The first time you get to experience something is so sweet. You feel exalted the first time you see a movie you love, like Groundhog Day, you see a play you love, like Hamilton, you see a show you love, like Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas, you read […]
Seven Rules for Writing Science-Based Fiction
Seven Rules for Writing Science-Based Fiction Fiction with a scientific angle has seen a major renaissance in recent years, from The Martian to The Circle to apocalyptic novels like Wool. Movies such as Interstellar, Life, Avatar, and Arrival have captured the public’s imagination with their science-heavy themes. What’s going on here? Isn’t this the age […]
TEN TIPS FOR WRITING CRIME FICTION
TEN TIPS FOR WRITING CRIME FICTION (SOME MORE SERIOUS THAN OTHERS) 1. READ! I know this sounds blindingly obvious, but I’m constantly amazed by the number of people I meet who tell me they are writing something, then stare at me blankly when I ask them what kind of stuff they enjoy reading. Every […]
The Key to Creating Great Characters
The Key to Creating Great Characters Among the great strokes of good fortune — and there were many junctures where I could have gone awry — was the decision to write about, via fiction, my small marina family at Tarpon Bay, Sanibel Island, Florida, where I was a fishing guide from 1974 to 1987. This […]
Top Ten Tips On How NOT To Become a Mystery Writer…
Top Ten Tips On How NOT To Become a Mystery Writer… Are you a mystery lover with a yen to write your own novel but unsure how or where to start? Do you have a great character or winning plot in mind but just can’t get past an opening chapter or two? Rest easy: banishing […]
10 Tips from the Paris Review’s “Art of Fiction”
10 Tips from the Paris Review’s “Art of Fiction” When I was in my early twenties, I had the privilege of watching one of the greatest writers of our time, Ron Rash, do what he did best: work. Ron was always methodical, everything set just so. A glass of tea here, maybe a photograph there, […]
The Rules of Being a Professional Writer
There are only two real rules to being a professional writer, and the rest of what I can offer are tips: things that work for me and may work for you. The real rules are simple. First, you must read. Second, you must write. Everyone who knows the alphabet thinks they can write, but reading […]
Top 6 Reasons to Beware of Top 10 Writing Tips
Top 6 Reasons to Beware of Top 10 Writing Tips Write Like Me. Idealism generates a lot of writing advice, self-promotion even more. The idealist sincerely believes that she has discovered some (or all!) of the secrets of good writing and wants to impart these to others, to save them time and frustration and […]
Emelie Schepp’s Recipe to Write The Perfect Thriller…
Emelie Schepp’s Recipe to Write The Perfect Thriller… (Swedish author Emelie Schepp took some time out of her busy schedule to give speak to us about writing, rejection, and most importantly the key ingredients to pen a successful thriller. And speaking of thrillers, Marked for Revenge will be released this month by Mira Books.) TSM: […]
The VERY Fine Line Between Fiction and Reality…
The VERY Fine Line Between Fiction and Reality… I’ve been obsessed with true-crime books since I read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi as a twelve-year-old. (For the one person out there who doesn’t know, the book is about the 1969 Charles Manson murders.) I grew up in the suburbs of Denver and it was […]