What Doesn’t Work? Learning from the Mistakes of Even the (gasp!) Greats

By Bonnie Randall

Part of The How They Do It Series 

JH: Some authors are bestsellers in spite of gaffs in their writing, not because of them. Bonnie Randall share a few things to avoid--even if a Big Name Author does it. 

Stephen King said “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write” and it’s true. Writers collect ribbons of prose, excellent syntax, and well-executed transitions like precious stones in a jar, for once you’re a writer you can never be ‘just’ a reader again. Your eye becomes keenly honed for what works.

It’s also honed for what stinks.

Right now I am reading a novel by someone pretty prolific and very famous, and what I enjoy about their work is the mastery of pacing and plotting.

Cut to the Chase: Tools for Revision

By Rochelle Melander, @WriteNowCoach

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: Starting a revision can be can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Rochelle Melander shares tips on how and where to start your revision.

Rochelle Melander is a speaker, professional certified coach and the author of 11 books for adults, including Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It) and Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Take it away Rochelle…

The Two Best Tips for Writing a Strong Story: Put Characters in Conflict

By Kris Bock, @Kris_Bock

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Great characters with a strong conflict make for strong novels. Kris Bock two great tips for how (and why) to get your characters into conflict. 

Chris Eboch is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers, and Advanced Plotting.

Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs.

Chris Eboch Website | Blog | Goodreads 

Chris also writes for adults as Kris Bock. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest.

Kris Bock Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter 

Take it away Kris...

Five Ways to Kick Your Writing up a Notch

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The path to stronger writing happens a step at a time. 

There's a moment in writing when we know our work is good, but not great, and we're not sure how to get it there. We're doing everything right, our beta readers love the book, but we just can't quite boost the writing high enough to land that agent, get that publishing deal, or sell the amount books we want to.

This is a frustrating place to be.

It can make us doubt our skill, and worry we don't have what it takes to be a writer. It can make us doubt our novels and wonder if the idea is viable. It can make us doubt our dreams.

The good news is, it might only take a few small changes to nudge the writing to the next level.

Here are five ways to give your writing a boost.

Don't Finish: Ways to be a More Productive Writer, Part 3

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Sometimes leaving things unfinished is exactly what you need to boost your productivity. 

Being a productive writer isn't about doing everything right, but about finding the tips and tricks that work for you. Sometimes you need to do something that feels counter-intuitive, but it's that shift in thought that shakes up your process and changes the way you work.

This first article in this series is on finding the right time and place to write. The series continues with more on preparation, not re-reading too much of the previous session, and leaving yourself notes. Today in my "Be a More Productive Writer" series, it's all about priming the pump.

Tip number three on being a more productive writer:

End your writing sessions in the middle of a sentence.

The Spit Shine: Things to Check Before You Submit (or Publish) Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

There's a lot to remember when revising a novel, so here's a list of words to check before you declare that novel "finished." 

I love checklists, especially ones that I can use to easily improve my manuscript. My master editing list is always a favorite, and I like to bring it out at least once a year for the new readers. For long-time readers, I've added a few new words as well.

One of the last things I do with a novel before I call it "done," is to go through a list of words I know I overuse (or misuse), words I shouldn't use many of, words that often spell trouble, and words to avoid. I search for each one and decide if I really need it, or if the sentence would be better without it. It's boring and tedious, but it does force me to focus on those little edits that can really tighten a manuscript.

I call it the spit shine.

This long list has developed over years from various books, posts, conferences, etc. on how to write and edit. I've found it very helpful in cleaning up stragglers and tightening the prose.

Even better, after you've done this a few times, you'll stop using a lot of these words, because you've trained yourself out of it. Your early drafts will be tighter and need less editing.

Oh, That's Subtle: The Little Things Holding Your Novel Back

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Subtlety can mean the difference between a novel that works and one that falls flat. 

The smallest change have a big impact on your writing. One word change, one shift in perspective, and everything's different. Hopefully such changes result in a better story, but when they don't, spotting what's wrong can be frustrating.

Maybe you're struggling with a story right now, or submitting one that's getting good feedback, but just not quite landing anywhere, or having beta readers tell you it's good, but not great, and it's lacking something they can't put their finger on. You know you can fix it if you could just find it.

Take a closer look and see if there's a subtle reason that's holding your novel back. 

What Novelists Can Learn from Studying Picture Books

By Sherry Howard, @SherLHoward

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Writing is writing no matter what the genre or market, and we can learn a lot by studying what other writers--and markets--have done. Sherry Howard shares thoughts on what novelists can learn from studying picture books.

Sherry Howard lives with her children and silly dogs in Middletown, Kentucky. Sherry is the author of the picture book ROCK AND ROLL WOODS, with a starred Kirkus review. Her poems and stories have appeared in multiple journals and anthologies. She also writes for the educational market, with about a dozen books.

Sherry Howard | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Take it away Sherry...

Break out of the Box and Escape the Rut: Tips to Boost Your Creativity

By Shanna Swendson, @ShannaSwendson

Part of The Writer’s Life Series 

JH: You can't keep up with your creative output without receiving creative input. Refilling the well matters. This month, Shanna Swendson shares another batch of tips on boosting your creativity. 

Shanna Swendson earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas but decided it was more fun to make up the people she wrote about and became a novelist. She’s written a number of fantasy novels for teens and adults, including the Enchanted, Inc. series and the Rebel Mechanics series. She devotes her spare time to reading, knitting, and music.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Take it away Shanna…

4 Ways to Write a Better Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Writing a strong novel is about more than technical skills. It’s about storytelling.

I’d gather most writers started writing because they love to tell stories. Characters speak to them, worlds unfold in the their minds, and they see struggles to overcome problems and want to explore those problems. They want to share the amazing things they imagine.

Luckily, this is also why readers pick up a novel. They want to see what adventures we’ve dreamed up and what exciting tales we have to tell. They want to lose themselves in our worlds and characters same as we did.

When those two goals align, a book becomes magic. When they don’t, it sits unread and unappreciated on a shelf, or even a hard drive. And nobody wants that, least of all writers.

6 Tips on Making Similar Scenes Feel Different

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Novels often use similar scenes to tell a story, but writers don't have to make them all read the same. Here's a look back on ways to keep scenes from feeling repetitive. 

Novels—especially genre novels—often have similar scenes making up the plot, because the protagonist has a series of tasks to complete in pursuit of the goal. In a pulse-racing thriller, the protagonist will find himself involved in action sequences or chase scenes. Romance heroes and heroines will navigate their way through a lot of relationship scenes. Sleuths in mysteries will spend a large chunk of the story searching for clues and speaking with suspects. After a while, these similar scenes can feel repetitive and even predictable.

For example, if there are a lot of chase scenes where the protagonist (or antagonist) is never caught, readers might just assume she won't be and stop worrying about it. Lovers who almost kiss over and over? They won't be the only ones frustrated by the repeated near-misses. But these core scenes are central to these novels, and are even expected by their readers.

Get a Clue: We All Need a Little Mystery in Our Novels

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

No matter what genre you write, every story can benefit from a little mystery. 

A good friend of mine writes mysteries, and when she first started reading my fantasies (the novels, not the other kind) she remarked that she’d never be able to make up an entire world like I did. I found it impressive that she could write in the real world and not have the luxury of making stuff up when she needed it.

Two totally different writers approaching their stories from two totally different perspectives, but what we both agreed on, was that all stories need a sense of mystery and wonder. Without mystery, stories just aren’t any fun.

I think as writers, we can get so caught up the plot and characters, showing all the cool things we created, and making sure the technical stuff is working, that we forget readers want more than just "good writing." They want a story they can get lost in. A puzzle to solve. They want to figure out the truth and be surprised.

An Easy Tip for Getting Unstuck in a Scene

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

When you get stuck on a scene, you might just need a little push to get you started again.

Last week, I got stuck with a scene. It wasn’t writers block, and I knew what I wanted to write, I just couldn’t get started. I kept looking at the scene and the words didn’t want to come, even though I could picture it in my head.

After quite a few false starts and a lot of deleted paragraphs, I stepped back and tried something I’d never done before.

I broke my scene summary down into smaller tasks and wrote them one task at a time.

Simple as this sounds, it gave me a clear situation to write and I was able ignore everything else in the scene until I was ready for it.

Send up the (Red) Flag: Telling Words That Often Spell Trouble in Our Writing

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

It's easier to find told prose in your work when you know what red flag words to look for.

Show, don't tell is one of those pieces of advice that nearly every writer hears at some point, and not just when we're just starting out. Even when we know how to fix it (use strong nouns and verbs), we can't always find the problem in our work to fix it.

This frustrated me back in the day, and I set off to figure out how to find told prose. After a lot of study and analyzing, I found a series of "red flag words" often found in told prose. Not every word found meant the prose that contained it was told, but when I received feedback that a section sounded told, one of these red flag words almost always appeared.

Let's look at a quick round-up of the different types of red flag words commonly found in told prose.

The Daily Mindset Practice That Will Help You Achieve Your Writing Goals

By Jennifer Blanchard

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: Sometimes the things standing in the way of our writing dreams is our own doubts and fears. Jennifer Blanchard visits the lecture hall today to share tips on how to get our of our heads and back into our writing.

Jennifer Blanchard is a best-selling author, screenwriter, Developmental Book Editor, and the founder of The Feel-Good Life Center. Grab her FREE Story Secrets audio series here and start writing better stories.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook |

Take it away Jennifer...

Sunday Writing Tip: Fix Any Confusing Names in Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

For 2019, I thought I’d do a new Sunday column—quick writing tips!

Each week, I’ll offer a tip you can take and apply to your WIP to help improve it. They’ll be easy to do and shouldn’t take long, so they shouldn't take up your Sunday. Though I do reserve the right to offer a good tip now and then that will take longer—but only because it would apply to the entire manuscript.

This week, it’s a quick check on the names in your novel.

Although we know our characters and who is who, readers can be confused by names that are too similar. Bob, Bill, and Barb are hard to keep straight, and while Jane, Shane, and Dane, look different to us, they sound a lot alike and could blend together in a reader’s head.

5 Tips for Success from an Indie Author

By Shaz Kahng

Part of the Indie Authors Series

JH: Writers have multiple options for publishing, and going indie is a viable path many authors choose. Please help me welcome Shaz Kahng to the lecture hall today, to share her tips on successfully self publishing. 

Shaz Kahng writes from her own experience, having led teams in a few male-dominated industries. She is a retail/apparel chief executive who has previously worked as a research scientist, a global consulting partner, a builder of e-businesses, and a brand strategist. Shaz was one of a handful of female senior executives at Nike. She was also the chief executive of Lucy Activewear and worked with her team to make the company profitable for the first time in history. She graduated from Cornell University and has an MBA from the Wharton School. Shaz lives in San Francisco with her husband and twin daughters.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter |

Take it away Shaz...

A Goal-Checking Trick for Plotting Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy 

Here's a handy trick to make sure your plots are strong and driving your novel to the end.

I’ve just finished a rough draft of my latest novel, and like all my rough drafts, I have to fill in some holes and fix a few issues before it’s done enough to call it a first draft. This is all part of my usual process, so I don’t worry about things that don’t yet line up or work (I’ll get there). The rough draft is my way of getting the idea down and giving me something to work with to bring my story to life.

One of my first steps is creating a brand-new editorial map. I already have an outline, but it gets messy with notes and old ideas I forgot to edit out, so I like to do a fresh map to make sure my outline matches what I’ve actually written. It’s also a nice way to remind myself of the story flow and spot holes and things I need to fix on round two.

Tips On Becoming a Better Writer

By George A Bernstein, @GeorgeBernstein

Part of The Writer's Life Series

So you’ve written your novel, and edited the heck out of it, but how do you get it good enough to actually get published? I went through that problem for a long time, slowly getting to where I had to be as a quality writer.

Here are some suggestions, now that you’ve written a workable product. How do we turn an everyday Volkswagen into a Lexus?

My first suggestion to every new writer is to find a GOOD writers conference (or 2 or 3!), hopefully somewhere near enough to drive to—unless you’ve got cash to burn. Then I recommend you fly to Maui. That’s the Cadillac of conferences.

A well-run conference is usually operated by local writing groups. The Florida Writers Association, for instance, hosts a 3-day event every October, usually in the Orlando area, and the Mystery Writers of America does the three-day SleuthFest each year in Boca Raton, FL, around the first of March.

6 Questions to Help You Gut Check Your Story Structure

By Swati Teerdhala, @swatiteerdhala

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: I'm a huge proponent of story structure, whether you're a plotter or a pantser. It's an incredibly useful tool to help writers write their novels. To share her tips on checking your story structure, Swati Teerdhala visits the lecture hall today. Please give her a warm welcome.

Swati Teerdhala is the author of the upcoming novel, THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT, the first in a trilogy. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Finance and History, she tumbled into the marketing side of the technology industry. She’s passionate about many things, including how to make a proper cup of chai, the right ratio of curd-to-crust in a lemon tart, and diverse representation in the stories we tell. She currently lives in New York City and can be found wandering the streets with a pen or camera in hand.

Instagram | Website  | Twitter

Take it away Swati...