By Janice Hardy Your novel's conflict—and the antagonist—can come from any number of places.  Conflict is vital to any story, but ...

By Janice Hardy Finding ways to describe your first-person point of view narrator isn't easy — and a few things not to do. Firs...

By Janice Hardy Tension is a valuable tool for getting readers to turn the page — no matter what genre you write in.  Conflict and ...

By Janice Hardy Theme is an often overlooked tool in a writer's toolbox. Here's another look at finding the greater meaning in ...

By Janice Hardy A mental shift in how we think about our writing and process can change our perspective, and thus, help us see the thin...

By Janice Hardy If your first pages don’t grab readers, your problem might not be the writing—it might be where you started. Openings ...

By Janice Hardy It doesn't matter how you hook your reader, as long as you hook them. "You need a strong hook" is advi...

By Janice Hardy Novels don't always have a happy hero at the core — but that doesn't make the character any less "likable....

By Janice Hardy At the heart of every story is a person with a problem, and the more compelling that person is, the better the story will be...

By Janice Hardy The guiding force at the center of a character.  When we’re developing characters, there’s a lot to think about. We need...