Writing for Adults

A weekly look at ways to improve your craft and further your writing education while writing for adult genres such as romance, mystery, thriller, horror, and adventure. To have these articles, hot markets accepting submissions, and cool writer resources delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our weekly newsletter HERE.

10 Things That Make Editors Cringe
August 14, 2018
10 Things That Make Editors Cringe by Jamie K. Schmidt
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Filed under: Writing for Adults Blog, craft, revision, writing for adults
Getting the Most Out of a Writer's Conference
August 7, 2018
Getting the Most Out of a Writer's Conference by Jamie K. Schmidt
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Filed under: Writing for Adults Blog, writing for adults
Okay, I’ve Finished My Revision. Now What?
July 31, 2018
Okay, I’ve Finished My Revision. Now What? by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, revision, writing for adults
We All Have a Story About a Trip That Didn’t Go As Planned
July 24, 2018
We All Have a Story About a Trip That Didn’t Go As Planned Submit yours … perhaps you’ll win! by Rita Reali
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Filed under: contests, writing for adults
Who’s Ready to Do Some Literary Gardening?
July 17, 2018
Who’s Ready to Do Some Literary Gardening? Taking the Pruning Shears to Your Manuscript to Lose the Verbiage* by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, revision, writing for adults
Revision: An Overwhelming Project
July 10, 2018
Revision: An Overwhelming Project "How Do I Even Know Where to Start?!" by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Revision: Your First Step to Fantastic Writing
July 3, 2018
Revision: Your First Step to Fantastic Writing Do you know where to start? by Rita Reali
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Filed under: writing for adults
What You Should Consider Before Writing About Your Life Online
June 26, 2018
What You Should Consider Before Writing About Your Life Online Questions to ask yourself before you put your stories out there. by Chaunie Brusie
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Filed under: writing for adults
How to Get Started as a Travel Writer
June 19, 2018
How to Get Started as a Travel Writer Tips for turning the dream into a reality by Chaunie Brusie
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults, writing for magazines
8 Tips for Sourcing Your Articles
June 12, 2018
8 Tips for Sourcing Your Articles Strategies for good research by Chaunie Brusie
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Filed under: writing for adults
How to Turn Your Experiences into Stories
June 5, 2018
How to Turn Your Experiences into Stories Making stories about your life engaging for readers by Chaunie Brusie
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Character Development: A Few Final Thoughts
May 29, 2018
Character Development A Few Final Thoughts by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Everyone’s Got a Story to Tell. What’s Yours?
May 22, 2018
Everyone’s Got a Story to Tell. What’s Yours? by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Writing a Character Who Has Cancer
May 15, 2018
Writing a Character Who Has Cancer This is NOT what we mean by "Kill Your Darlings" by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Character Development, Part Deux
May 8, 2018
Character Development, Part Deux Creating a Well-rounded Character Just Got More Fun! by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Three Keys to Believable Three-dimensional Characters
May 1, 2018
Three Keys to Believable Three-dimensional Characters Know their names, their motivations, and their fears by Rita Reali
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Anatomy of a Score Sheet
April 24, 2018
Anatomy of a Score Sheet What are judges looking for? by Jamie K. Schimdt
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Filed under: contests, writing for adults
Predatory Contests
April 17, 2018
Predatory Contests 5 Ways to Spot a Fake by Jamie K. Schimdt
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Filed under: contests, writing for adults
095: Why Entering a Contest Helps YOU
April 13, 2018
Why Entering a Contest Helps YOU An Interview with ICL Contest Judge Nancy Coffelt
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Filed under: Podcast, writing for adults
Tweet Your Way to Representation
April 10, 2018
Tweet Your Way to Representation No, seriously. by Jamie K. Schimdt
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Filed under: Submissions, writing for adults
Want Professional Feedback on Your Writing? Enter a Contest.
April 3, 2018
Want Professional Feedback on Your Writing? Enter a Contest. by Jamie K. Schimdt
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Filed under: writing for adults
How to Take Your Own Writer’s Retreat
March 27, 2018
How to Take Your Own Writer’s Retreat by Chaunie Brusie As a writer who works from home with four young children, there is one fantasy that constantly makes its way into my mind—and it has...
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Filed under: time management, writing for adults
7 Ways to Connect More with People as a Writer
March 20, 2018
7 Ways to Connect More with People as a Writer by Chaunie Brusie As a writer, do you ever feel a little, well, disconnected from the world? Are there ever entire days that pass before you...
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Filed under: writing for adults
Tips for Using Scrivener for Story Development
March 13, 2018
Tips for Using Scrivener for Story Development by Chaunie Brusie Like many writers, I am aspiring to write the next great American novel. Well, actually, that might be a slight exaggeration. ...
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Filed under: writing for adults
To Outline or Not to Outline: That is The Question
March 6, 2018
To Outline or Not to Outline: That is The Question by Chaunie Brusie There are two types of writers in this world: the kind who outline and the kind who don’t. OK, so that may be a slight...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Can You Write Science Fiction That Will Survive My Scoff-o-Meter?
February 27, 2018
Can You Write Science Fiction That Will Survive My Scoff-o-Meter? by Rita Reali I won’t mince words here. I always hated sci-fi. There. I’ve said it. I realize those are gasps of disbelief...
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Memoir vs. Autobiography: What’s the Difference, Anyway?
February 20, 2018
How do I go about writing a memoir? by Rita Reali As an editor, I often get asked, “What’s the difference between an autobiography and a memoir?” In framing my answer, I sometimes reply, ...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
(Brow)beaten Into Submission?
February 13, 2018
(Brow)beaten Into Submission? Submit only when your work is ready, not when your family or friends think you should. by Rita Reali Sometimes, the most well-meaning folks can do the greatest...
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Filed under: craft, Submissions, writing for adults
The First Step to Getting Published … Submissions
February 6, 2018
The First Step to Getting Published … Submissions by Rita Reali Writing is a noble proposition, in and of itself. Published writing is something else entirely. And paid published...
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Filed under: writing for adults
Idea Starters: Lo-Jack and High Tech
January 30, 2018
Idea Starters—Lo-Jack and High Tech By Andrea King Collier We’ve talked about many ways to use idea starters. Most of the time they don’t need to be based on fancy systems with lots of features. ...
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Filed under: writing for adults
Idea Starters: Map Your Ideas
January 23, 2018
Idea Starters: Map Your Ideas by Andrea Collier An offshoot of mining for stories is mapping ideas. For me, it started as a way to think about and control how much money I make on my stories. ...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Idea Starters: Mining Your Stash
January 16, 2018
Idea Starters: Mining Your Stash by Andrea Collier If you are like me, writing can be a series of stops and starts. It is all a part of the process. I have a ton of ideas that may have been...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Where to Find Great Ideas
January 9, 2018
Where to Find Great Ideas by Andrea Collier The Hunt for Good Ideas Last week, we talked about having a system in place to keep your ideas organized, now it’s time to dig deep into where...
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Filed under: craft, writing for adults
Organizing Your Ideas
January 2, 2018
Organizing Your Ideas by Guest Blogger Andrea Collier As we start a new year, we also often face the big scary thing—a blank page of a new project. If you’re lucky, you already have an idea for...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Five Steps to Reprinting Song Lyrics Without Getting Sued
December 26, 2017
Five Steps to Reprinting Song Lyrics Without Getting Sued by Rita Reali Some years ago, an aspiring novelist told me his main character had a penchant for speaking in song lyrics. I found...
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Filed under: writing for adults
A Self-Publishing Primer
December 19, 2017
A Self-Publishing Primer by Rita Reali You’ve done your outline, carefully completed extensive research, and fleshed out your protagonist, antagonist, and assorted minor characters. You’ve...
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Filed under: book marketing, marketing, writing for adults
Method to My Madness Part 2
December 12, 2017
Method to My Madness, Part 2 by Rita Reali Last week I touched on how I began writing fiction—and how my first two characters (Gary and Michaela) dropped in on me, unannounced, in freshman...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
How—and Why—I Do What I Do
December 5, 2017
The Method to My Madness—Sort Of  (Or How—and Why—I Do What I Do) by Rita Reali I often get asked about my process. How do you write your novels? Where do you begin? How do you keep going? And...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Profile of a Successful Freelance Writer
November 28, 2017
Profile of a Successful Freelance Writer by Chaunie Brusie Today our guest blogger, Chaunie Brusie, is profiling successful freelance writer and mother of three, Mary Sauer. Mary has been...
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Filed under: time management, writing for adults
How to Break into Freelance Writing
November 21, 2017
How to Break into Freelance Writing by Chaunie Brusie Not too long ago, I was burning with jealousy whenever I would come across a writer’s byline. “Why her?” I would think, “how did she...
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Filed under: marketing, time management, writing for adults
Creating a Writing Schedule That Works
November 14, 2017
Creating a Writing Schedule That Works by Chaunie Brusie You sit down to your computer, the entire world literally at your fingertips, your hot cup of coffee next to you, determined to crank...
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Filed under: time management, writing for adults
How to write from home with kids
November 7, 2017
How to write from home with kids By Chaunie Brusie I’m about to tell you something that may shock you, titillate you, maybe even horrify you, but it is my truth and I am willing to speak...
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Filed under: time management, writing for adults
Putting It All Together
October 31, 2017
Putting It All Together by Andrea Collier We’ve talked about voice, tone, and humor. We’ve also discussed viewpoint. But how do we make it all work seamlessly? And can you use the same tools...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Whose Story is it Anyway? Thoughts on Viewpoint
October 24, 2017
Whose Story is it Anyway… Viewpoint  by Andrea Collier When I start a story, I visualize myself in a room full of people. I pace the room. I look at the people and I try to guess the best...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Interjecting Humor in Your Work
October 17, 2017
Interjecting Humor in Your Work by Andrea Collier Out of all the style tools we describe in this series on tone and voice, interjecting humor is probably the most difficult to pull off well. ...
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Filed under: writing craft, writing for adults
Finding the Right Tone for Your Story
October 10, 2017
Finding the Right Tone for Your Story by Andrea Collier We’ve talked about “voice” now it is time to meet its twin sister, “tone.” If you are writing for publication, or for a specific...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults, writing for magazines
Training Your Writer’s Voice to Come Out to Play
October 3, 2017
Training Your Writer’s Voice to Come Out to Play by Andrea Collier When I first started writing in earnest I would mimic the authors that I admired. I studied how they put words on the page. ...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Six Ways to Gear Up for NaNoWriMo Now!
September 26, 2017
Why Wait? Six Ways to Gear Up for NaNoWriMo Now! by Rita Reali It’s coming! Are you ready? You’re probably asking, “What’s coming?” Why, National Novel Writing Month, of course. It rolls...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Comma Long With Me and Celebrate Punctuation Day
September 19, 2017
Comma Long With Me and Celebrate Punctuation Day by Rita Reali It’s like they created a day just for folks like me, people who are (admittedly or not) obsessed with punctuation… proper...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Author's Day and Stress Awareness Day
September 12, 2017
Two Celebrations That Go Hand in Hand: Authors Day and Stress Awareness Day by Rita Reali If you’re a writer, chances are you know a thing or three about stress. And that’s a good thing. No, ...
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Filed under: writing for adults
September’s a Month for Literary Celebrations
September 5, 2017
September’s a Month for Literary Celebrations by Rita Reali This month we celebrate a hat trick of days of particular note: September 6th is Read A Book Day. September 7th is Buy A Book Day. ...
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Filed under: writing craft, writing for adults
Do All Novels Need To Be About Young People?
August 29, 2017
Do All Novels Need To Be About Young People? by Jeff Vasishta A look at 7 recent successful novels where the main protagonists were Middle-Aged In writing courses you’ll hear professors...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults
Weaving Pop Culture Into Your Writing
August 15, 2017
Pop culture - Why it's so important in fiction today and how to weave it into your writing (without dating your work) by Jeff Vasishta As a journalist I’m sent a lot of novels and choosing...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults, writing for children and teens
7 Ways to "Cheat" Writing Inspiration
August 8, 2017
by Jeff Vasishta Waiting for inspiration to strike could take a lifetime. Here are 7 ways to jumpstart your writing without having to wait around. Songwriters are known for using personal...
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Filed under: writing for adults
Opening Lines: The Most Important Part of Your Story
August 1, 2017
by Jeff Vasishta A newspaper headline serves one purpose–to make you want to read the article beneath it. The opening sentence in a novel tries to do something similar. It should make you want to...
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Filed under: writing craft, craft, writing for adults

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