Open or Closed Door Sex Scenes
When writing a romance novel, how do you should you handle sex scenes? Tips for writing open and closed-door sex scenes from Jamie K. Schmidt.
Characters Make the Romance
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > With romance such an important element of YA novels, it can be easy to focus all the attention on creating the main character, only to give the second romantic lead less attention…
Working the Romance Tropes
Romance readers have expectations for a novel depending on the sub-genre. Writing a successful novel hinges on following the romance tropes.
For Love of Romance
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Romance novel is an example of the kind of evergreen genre that simply never stops selling and selling well. Not only that, but in young adult (YA) novels, some strong romantic…
Romance Writing is Serious Business
Avid romance novel readers have made the romance genre a billion-dollar industry, but romance has come a long way in the 21st century. Read our primer here!
Walking Through a Developing Story Structure | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It all begins in your head Those of us who tend to plan our stories extensively before we write don’t pull that plan from our heads in a complete, coherent form. Just…
Structure 104: The Arc of the Covenant
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The covenant is the pact writers make with readers, the promise to deliver a riveting story with unforgettable characters and an ingeniously clever plot. The author also promises to tell the story in a smooth, logical, and easy…
Structure in Narrative Nonfiction Articles
Blending fiction structure with nonfiction facts makes narrative nonfiction a favorite of kids and educators. Discover how to successfully write this genre.
Structure 103: Short Stories
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A short story is exactly what it sounds like, a story of not very many words. Editors determine how many, and they decide based on how much space they have available in their publications. Even online magazines ask…
Traditional Plot Structure for Very Short Stories | IFW
Short stories for young children are often under 500 words. That’s why writing picture books and stories for kids looks easy but is actually quite a challenge.
Structure 102: Nonfiction
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some paranormal enthusiasts believe that a pyramid, simply by virtue of its shape, can preserve food, and enhance meditation and psychic talents. Others believe the Giza pyramids are a giant celestial generator that could power the world if…
Beginning, Middle, and End
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What Do We Need from Each? Although the structure of both fiction and nonfiction can be broken down and described in different ways, one simple method is simply to think of your…
Writing Structure 101: It’s All About the Reader | IFW
Writing structure is the way the article or story is organized, the way the author puts the pieces together. Readers usually don’t notice writing structure. As a writer, that’s the way you want to keep it.
Does Popularity Matter?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the most common pieces of writing advice is “write the story that is in you” with the companion advice of “trends don’t matter.” So is that actually correct? If you…
This Will Only Hurt a Bit
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Wit ought to be a glorious treat, like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade.” — Noel Coward, English actor, playwright and composer Bringing humor into your writing is more than inserting a series of jokes. Here are…
Feeling Spoofy?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the most antic ways to write humor is the spoof. A spoof is a story that pokes fun of a specific form or genre. It’s written as a caricature of…
Funny Cat Videos And You!
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I know. There are days we want to throw our television or computer or phone out the window. Days where getting dressed up is putting on a clean pair of sweatpants. Where breakfast can just as easily be…
Five Steps To Finding Your Funny
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Humor is a personal thing. There are things about humor that tend to be universal, but for each person, the specific things that will trigger amusement are different. And the level of…
Stuck in the Mud Doesn’t Need to be Stick in the Mud | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > You’ve been on a roll with your project—the funny bits are amusing you to no end and your first reader thinks you’re hilarious. You’re a comedic genius. Nothing can go wrong now—not when things are flowing like this.…
Humor For Older Readers
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Humor For Older Readers Although teens may crack fewer knock-knock jokes or giggle less often over puns, humor is a popular ingredient in young adult books and stories. Humor can be both…