Happy Holiday Writing for Children’s Writers
Holiday time is here! Now is a great time for holiday writing. Today we look at writing and selling holiday stories and articles and the best time to sell them.
8 Ways to Improve Your Nonfiction Articles
Publishers know that young people are hungry for good nonfiction. Let’s look at eight ways you can spruce up your nonfiction article writing.
Riveting Resolutions: 10 Effective Article Endings
Writing an effective nonfiction article ending is one of the most overlooked aspects of writing. Leave your reader satisfied with these riveting resolutions!
Learn from Success: 10 Engaging Article Openings
One of the best ways to learn what makes an engaging article opening is to study published nonfiction pieces and to see what made them successful. Let’s do it!
Writing Nonfiction for Very Young Readers
Writing nonfiction for very young children requires specific things but with a narrow focus, few words, and kid-friendly topics, you can break into this market.
The Big 3 of Nonfiction
The three essentials for any publishable children’s nonfiction are accuracy, clarity, and organization. Let’s look at these tips for success in nonfiction.
Sensing It: Bringing Show Don’t Tell to Your Nonfiction
What does show don’t tell mean when it comes to nonfiction? Jan Fields shares examples of using sensory details to bring true stories to life for the readers.
4 Steps to Improve Readability in Children’s Books
Part of writing children’s books that can be used in a school setting lies in meeting the needs of the reader. Here are 4 steps to improve readability.
Back to School Plans for Writers
Are you feeling the back-to-school itch? Make this season work for you as a writer! Jan Fields shares ways to get reinvigorated in your writing this fall.
Evaluating Writing Programs
How do you evaluate a critique program or a writing program and decide if it’s worth your time and your money? The answer is research. Check out these tips!
Show or Tell: Writing Dialogue Tags and Beats
Speech tags and action tags or beats are essential when writing dialogue. These tiny but mighty words are the difference between reader confusion and enjoyment.
Dive into Writing Dialogue
Dialogue is a favorite for writers AND readers. Dialogue makes your character present and real in a scene. Let’s talk tips and techniques for great dialogue.
Your Voice or Theirs?
Voice, whether your natural writing voice or the voice of a character, comes from an emotional place. Jan Fields gives us exercises to develop these voices.
Discovering Your Author Voice
Voice is something publishers want, but it’s an elusive thing to understand. Today, we discover ways to develop our own voice and the voices of our characters.
Inside/Outside: More Tips on Writing Conflict
When writing conflict, inner and outer conflicts are not two separate things. Outer conflicts offer an opportunity to explore inner ones better. Find out how.
Defining Types of Conflict in Children’s Books
Conflict in children’s books isn’t necessarily fights or arguments, it’s about the roadblocks that keep the character from getting what they want in the story.
Conflict and Your Story Machine
Discover how the conflict the main character of your manuscript faces is the little piece of the story machine with the biggest impact on your reader.
Plot: What’s At Stake?
Plot moves forward as pressure is applied to characters to motivate them to act. Pressure in a story is all about the stakes. Are your stakes high enough?
Worldbuilding and the 3 Stages of Writing
Many writers think worldbuilding is only for fantasy and sci-fi, but it’s important for all stories. Consider worldbuilding in these 3 stages of writing.
4 Tips for Efficient Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is the process of making decisions about setting and systems for a story. Check out these four tips for efficient and effective worldbuilding.
4 Ways Setting Acts with and As Character
Setting can seem like a character all on its own, but only if the writer allows the setting to do its job. And that requires both research and imagination.
Worldbuilding for Everyday Worlds
Worldbuilding is something every fiction writer needs to think about to create believable scenes rooted in a setting in such a way that readers feel it.
Showing, Not Telling, Backstory
Backstory may be necessary to fill readers in on the history of a character. Victoria Sherrow shares how to include it in ways that show and don’t tell.
How to Show Your Characters’ Emotions
To show emotions, we need words and phrases that help readers feel what the characters feel. This post will teach you how to show your characters’ emotions.
Less Filtering = More “Show, Don’t Tell”
When writing fiction, we want to reduce the distance between reader and story. One good way “show, don’t tell” is to eliminate filter words.
5 Tips for Giving Useful Feedback to Writers
Not only does giving feedback help the writer who receives the feedback, it helps you as well. Let’s think about what makes good feedback and how to give it.
Writing Feedback: Casting Off Unhelpful Expectations
Preparing yourself to receive writing feedback is the best way to ensure you’ll improve. Let’s look at ways we sabotage our growth with unhelpful expectations.
Revision: Why Writers Need Objective Feedback
If you want to be published, objective feedback is essential for your revisions. Instructor Sue Ford shares different types of feedback to improve your writing.
Power Up Your Revision with Feedback
It’s easy to underestimate the value of feedback at some point in the revision process. Here’s where to get feedback and how to use it in your next manuscript.
4 Planning Tools to Use for Successful Revisions
Let’s look at some revision tools and techniques you may not have considered including timelines, style sheets, vision boards, and playlists!
Revision: The Importance of a Critique
We type “the end” and are so excited, but the truth is no draft is perfect. Here’s why getting a manuscript critique is crucial to getting your work published.
L.E.A.P. into Writing for Children: Learn, Entertain, And Provoke
When writing for children, take a LEAP—write a story that teaches (LEARN), captivates (ENTERTAINS), AND gets the child to do something (PROVOKES).
Up Close and Personal: Writing Inside Viewpoints
One of the first things a reader looks for in a story is the viewpoint. Here are the benefits and drawbacks of using different points of view in your story.
What Writers Need to Know About Writing Chapters
Does your book need chapters? If so, how long should they be? Jan Fields reveals the ins and outs of using chapters effectively in your story.
Building Solid Relationships for Stronger Writing
Relationships play a key role in most fiction stories. Thinking about relationships of all kinds will make for stronger writing that will engage readers.
Word by Word: Make the Most of Your Writing Choices
Writing involves choices. Word by word we can harness the power and magic of words. Let’s make the most of our writing choices with today’s post.
How to Make Readers Fall in Love with Your Book
Two things will make readers fall in love with your book: premise and character. Jan Fields shows how to have them head over heels for both in your story.
Building Your Reading List as a Writer
Successful writers are also readers. The act of reading builds skills and inspires creativity. Let’s talk about building your reading list as a writer.
3 Resolutions to Make You a Better Writer
There are problems every new writer faces. Let’s look at some of the most common issues and turn them into 3 resolutions to make us all better writers.
Unity in Nonfiction: What, Why, How?
Unity in nonfiction means the writing is cohesive, coherent, and creates a meaningful whole. Let’s explore how unity gives you a better shot at publication.
How 3 Words from Aristotle Can Help Your Story
Aristotle’s RHETORIC gives 3 elements for persuasive communication—Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. These 3 words are also what every book for young readers needs.
Ready, Set, Go! Incorporating the Rule of Three into Your Writing
Rule of Three writing tools, such as a tricolon or hendiatris, make our writing different and possibly more interesting to readers—always a good goal.
Writing a Successful Plot: A Wandering Journey
Plot is complicated and those complications are called conflict. Let’s explore different types of conflict your character must face in a successful plot.
The Magic Number: Three – Recognizing the Rule of Three in Writing
What’s so special about the number 3? Three is magical because it’s the smallest number that creates a pattern. Here’s how to use the rule of three in writing.
Introduction to the Rule of Three
We find the rule of three in all sorts of places, but especially in writing. How can you make this magic number work for you? Read on to find out!
11 Reasons Why You Can’t Write the End of the Story
Writers often complain about not being able to finish what they start. Are you in that spot? Here are 11 reasons why you just can’t write the end of the story.
Speed Bumps to Avoid in Your Story
You don’t want speed bumps in your story to slow down your readers. Today we discuss the types of story speed bumps that bring your reader to a full stop.
Don’t Get Bogged Down with Backstory
Let’s talk about various ways to NOT include backstory. Avoid boring your reader to death with info dumping, unnatural dialogue, and irrelevant details.
Nitty-Gritty of Dialogue Format
Dialogue format is complicated. Quotation marks. Commas. To use said or not to use said, that’s just one question. Join us today as we set the record straight.
Writing a Book: Voice vs. Dialogue
Voice is a vital element of dialogue. Dialogue is essential to express a character’s voice. How do these intertwined writer tools work together? Let’s find out!
Dialogue: Keeping It Real
If we want characters to seem real, their dialogue must sound real—both the words they say aloud and the words they say to themselves through inner dialogue.
The Purpose of Dialogue in Writing a Book
Dialogue brings so much to a story’s character, pacing, and plot. You might even say it’s essential for writing a book. Let’s talk about why.
Dialogue: The Key to Effective Storytelling
Dialogue is one of the most effective ways to show rather than tell information readers need to connect with your protagonist and your plot. Grab these 6 tips!
Writing a Book: What Happens After the Writing is Done?
After writing a book, there are still steps to take to ensure a polished finished project for submission. Here are four things to do after your book is written.
Writing Romance Tropes That Sizzle
Writing romance tropes that sizzle is a surefire way to grab an audience whether you’re specifically for the romance genre or any other genre. Get tips now!
Writing a Book: Pen to Paper
After prewriting comes the part of writing a book that most people imagine: putting the words on paper. This is the time to let your imagination run wild.
Prewriting: Essential Writing Groundwork
The first step in writing is not writing. It begins in your head with the spark of an idea. What happens between the spark and writing the book is prewriting.
Six Romance Tropes You Can’t Ignore
Romance is such a popular genre, so it’s essential to understand trending romance tropes. Check out the first three Six Romance Tropes You Can’t Ignore Part 1.
Breaking Down the Writing Process
Let’s take a broad overview of the writing process and the pieces of the puzzle that go into pre-writing, writing, and post-writing in this post from Jan Fields.
Looking Through Your Characters’ Eyes
Your challenge is to get your characters to reflect your style of writing, the genre, and the setting plus emerge as unique and interesting personalities.
The Ghosts of Writing Past, Present, and To Come
Imagining a personal Scrooge-like journey can help us make choices for a brighter future in the new writing year. So, what are the Ghosts trying to tell you?
3 Writing Tricks to Get Out of a Rut
One problem many writers fall into is writing ruts. We do the same thing the same way. Here are 3 writing tricks to consider as you expand your writing options.
3 Reasons Why Your Story Needs Sensory Detail
Today we dive into sensory detail. What kind of details should you include? What details can you leave out? Time to get the most out of the senses.
Your Writing Year in Review
As you review your writing year, the only way to know where you are and where you’re going is to focus on what you did accomplish, not what you didn’t.
Rediscover Your Writing Passion
Whenever we take a break from writing, it can be difficult to get back in the groove. Will we ever get it back? Let’s talk about ways to rediscover your writing passion.
Boldly Facing Your Writing Fears
Writing fears can keep us from success. Whether it’s fear of failure or fear of letting other people down, it’s time to get past those fears and move forward.
10 Points to Ponder Before You Submit Your Writing
Create a checklist of these 10 tips and review it before you submit your writing. Your submission will be stronger and, more likely successful, as a result.
You Can Learn How to Write a Book
You can learn how to write a book! Learning how to write a book begins here and your next step is a novel writing course at Institute of Children’s Literature.
Try New Writing Techniques
How often do we, as writers, try new things with our writing? Fall is the time to take advantage of new opportunities to learn new writing techniques.
Your Back-to-School Plan for Writing Success | IFW
Writers need a plan to improve and succeed. Apply the following tips and techniques to your writing back-to-school program and be ready for writing success!
7 Ways to Go Back to School for Writers
Although most writers no longer attend school full-time, we can create our own learning experiences. Here are ways to go back to school for writers.
Using POV in Writing to Build Emotion
Using POV in writing gets us deep inside a character’s thoughts and feelings. Jackie Diamond Hyman reveals how to connect with your reader using point of view.
The Role of Pace in Writing Fiction
Turn the page already! IFW Instructor Kris Franklin shares the important role of pace in writing fiction and reveals the traps where pacing can easily get stuck.
Dialogue: Putting Words in Your Character’s Mouth | IFW
Dialogue isn’t the only tool fiction writers have, but it’s the best one to reveal character, advance the plot, and inform readers. Find out why!
So You Want to Be a Children’s Poet
You want to be a children’s poet? Great! Let’s explore how poetry and publishing connect so you can realize your dream of becoming a published children’s poet.
Detail: Yep, That’s Where the Devil Is
Lynne Smith shares how to use familiar, relatable, and evocative details to convince readers that the people and places in your stories are as real as they are.
Become a Better Writer: Study an Author’s Work | IFW
Want to become a better writer? Studying published writers help you see how they hook a reader, create interesting characters, and structure their stories.
A Summer School Project: Work to Improve Your Writing | IFW
Summer is the perfect time to improve your writing. Susan Ludwig helps you identify problem writing areas and offers actionable tips to solve those issues.
The Value of Feedback for Writers
Feedback for writers is one of the most important tools needed to get from first draft to polished, submission-ready manuscript.
Series Books: The Trouble with Character Transformation
How do you handle character transformation in series books where readers fall in love with characters and expect to meet those same people, sometimes exactly the same people, book after book?
Series Books: 3 Popular Ways to Orient Your Reader | IFW
Each book in a series must somehow orient the reader to what is going on in the series overall and the specific book in hand. Today, we look at three ways to orient your reader.
Trade Publishing: Single Book or Series?
Trade publishing recognizes a simple truth: when selling a series to individual readers, the first book gets the most readers. Jan Fields shares tips for increasing your series odds.
Planning a Book Series: The Premise
All series books have a basic premise, something that links the books through time. Today we talk about how a good premise is interesting but also has repeatability.
Planning a Book Series: Characters Who Can Go the Distance
When planning a book series, it’s important to create characters that can sustain a story and still be likable throughout many books. Let’s talk about characters that can go the distance.
Writing Great Middle Grade Dialogue
Because dialogue is an essential element of any book, it’s worthwhile to take a specific look at writing great middle grade dialogue.
Middle Grade Characters: Beyond Likability | IFW
Let’s look at the complex middle grade characters who aren’t really likable, and how they can play a part in grabbing the reader and holding on.
Writing for Middle Grade: An Essential Primer | IFW
Middle grade books are seeing an awakening in the publishing world. What you need to know when writing for middle grade.
Contests Are More Than Winning
Beyond the possibility of winning, there are so many benefits for writers entering contests. Jan Fields shares what contests can do for you.
Connecting to Learn
Discover how connecting to learn with others can make a huge difference in your writing skills.
The Best Christmas on Mars
What can you hope to gain by entering a writing contest? IFW Instructor and contest judge Lynn Smith shares why entering a contest can improve your work.
Keep Learning, Never Stop
Don’t be a stagnant writer. No matter where you are at in the journey, you still have places to go and things to learn.
Making the Most of Writing Classes
Writing classes have considerable value for a writer, but there are things you can do to help the writing class do the most for you. Let’s look at four ways to make the most of writing classes.
Lights! Camera! Action! Creating Dramatic Action Scenes
IFW Instructor Kris Franklin illustrates how to build more tension in your story by showing and not telling.
With Writing, the Learning Never Stops
Whatever your writing journey entails, it always includes learning. To write is to learn. And every piece of writing you do will teach you something if you let it.
Getting the Most Out of a Writer’s Conference Part 2 | IFW
Karen Hammond offers tips and tricks for getting back in the swing of attending writing conferences.
Angela Ripley
2nd Place: EVE UNKNOWN
Brinton Culp
5th Place: SKINNY BONES AND CATRINA
Sharri Sandnes
3rd Place: THE VALENTINE’S BULLY
Colleen McAllister
2nd Place: NAUGHTY
Kitty Griffin
1st Place: LITTLE MOUSE
Rebecca Knopsider
3rd Place: HELP WANTED
Getting the Most Out of a Writer’s Conference Part 1| IFW
Karen Hammond is getting us in tip-top shape for a return to in-person writing conferences.
Writing About Painful Subjects
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Pandemic. Who hasn’t heard that word by now? Since early 2020, news about the global spread of the deadly virus known as COVID-19 has dominated the news. We’ve heard about millions of deaths and watched grieving people share…
From a Nonfiction Idea to a Magazine Sale
Writing nonfiction for magazines offers publication opportunities and develops skills in research, organization, and submission in writers. Let’s find out how!
Six Tips for Writing Tantalizing Titles
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When you think about all of the writing elements that need to come together to make a successful magazine story or article, it might seem as if the title is the least of your worries. After all, it’s…
Focus and Slant: Key Elements for Nonfiction Success
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It was early spring, and I was thinking about articles for January. As freelancers know, most publications plan issues months ahead, so we need to submit our queries and articles with that in mind. I decided to write…
Writing Nonfiction: Plans Are Essential
Writing by the seat of your pants may work for fiction, but one of the key needs of nonfiction is clear organization. Here’s how to get organize nonfiction.
What Should You Write? Choosing Your Best Nonfiction Ideas
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Nonfiction ideas truly are everywhere, and writers who focus on nonfiction need never say, “There’s nothing to write about.” We can delve into biography, history, science, sports, astronomy, autobiography, memoir, geography, technology, travel, pop culture, religion, health and…
Narrative Nonfiction: Finding the Lesser Known Story | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many new writers whose greatest goal is writing fiction shy away from writing nonfiction. They recall texts read as children without pleasure and don’t want to create material like that. But nonfiction…
Magazine Sleuth: What to Study Before You Write | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When people think of writing, they might picture themselves with their hands eagerly curled over the keyboard waiting for inspiration to strike. Then, once the frenzy of inspiration has passed, they hit the save button, and wonder what…
Sci-Fi Characters Help Your Readers Stay Afloat | IFW
If readers believe in your human sci-fi characters, they’ll believe every other aspect of your story, no matter how weird or alien or out of this world. Readers will follow you anywhere, even to the ends of the universe.
Creating Science Fiction Characters: Don’t Let the Genre Upstage Them
Our goal in creating science fiction characters is to write characters that are deeper and more engaging than the fantastical world around them.
Conventional Structures for Unconventional stories | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Conventional Structures for Unconventional stories What is it that you love about science fiction? The out-of-this-world settings? The nifty gadgets? The weird aliens? As unconventional as science fiction can get, it almost always follows a conventional structure. Take…
The Agent of V.O.I.C.E: Work Undercover for the Best Writing
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When we think about voice, the goal really is to create effective and memorable writing. Voice is not some false face a writer puts on simply to get attention. When writers do…
233: Active and Passive Voices
233: Active and Passive Voices
February 19, 2021
Word Choice and Voice
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Anyone who has read my past essays much will know that I’m often anti-rules and pro-purpose. In other words, I believe that nearly any writing choice can be made as long as it is done with thought and…
6 Tips to Prime, Pump, and Polish Your Writing Voice
Your writer’s voice is a skill that can be developed. Here are six tips that will help you pump, prime & polish your writing voice. Let’s get to work!
More Than One Sound: Creating Voice in Characters
Character voice grows from the character’s feelings, ventures, and qualities. Get better at character voice through practice. Get started today!
Speaking of Voice
Your voice is about HOW you write. So, how do you make the way you write the content as nearly as interesting as the content itself? Check out these tips.
Raise Your Voice: Only You Can Tell Your Story Your Way
Voice in writing can be elusive. How do you develop your writing voice while also writing characters with their own voices? Lori Mortensen is here to help.
One Good Goal For All
When you work on improving your craft, you increase your chance for success with all of your other goals. Grab these tips to identify how to be a better writer.
NaNoWriMo: The Home Stretch
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Hello NaNoWriMo-ers! You are word writing warriors. The end is in sight. Don’t slow down now. It’s almost over. By the end of today, you should have 40,008 words done on your novel. That’s fewer than 10,000 words…
NaNoWriMo: Synopsis and the Sagging Middle | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Hello NaNoWriMo-ers! You are on the way. You’ve past the halfway mark of the month of November and are heading down the home stretch. How’s that for scary? (Or exciting!) By the end of today, you should have…
NaNoWriMo: Plotting on the Fly
Before you get stuck in the narrative and hit a wall, let’s think about plot. With these tips, you’ll spend more time writing your novel than planning it.
NaNoWriMo: Out of the Gate, Getting Into the Zone | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > For NaNoWriMo participants, November 3rd is the day their novel hits 5,001 words. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it’s when thousands (millions?) of people all over the world pledge to write 50,000 words of their…
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Ideas can come from many different directions, so we’re going to look as some of the ways ideas spring up so that you can try them for your own writing.
Something Wicked, Weird, and Spooky This Way Comes | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Examples for Building a Supernatural Mystery or Paranormal Mystery Saying a mystery is about something unknown takes on a new meaning when it comes to supernatural and paranormal mysteries. Supernatural means anything beyond our natural world, beyond our…
Mystery Sidekicks
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The sidekick, a character who supports the main character, is almost as much a part of a good mystery as the detective. The sidekick gives the detective someone to discuss the case…
Things Are Not What They Seem
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In last week’s post, I told you about Catherine Aird’s article “Planning and Plotting the Detective Story.” Here are the points that were lightbulbs for me, and why I think you should pay mind to them. Lightbulb #1…
Mystery Detectives
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Any fan of mysteries would be happy to tell you that mystery detectives come in all shapes and forms. Some are detectives because they want to be like Sherlock Holmes, Encyclopedia Brown,…
All Is Revealed
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In last week’s post, I gave you two clues. With only one accredited class in genre writing under my belt, and a dozen creative writing classes that came nowhere near 221b Baker Street, how did I write five…
Follow That Clue!
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Clue-Theory-Test Method of Plotting Mysteries For many writers trying mystery writing for the first time, one of the things that feel the hardest is leaving clues for the reader. So let’s…
Riddle Me This
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Every story ever written contains some element of mystery. We’ll talk about that and a lot of other things over this four-week series. In a mystery novel—a whodunit, a police procedural, a cozy—the mystery is the story. Who…
220: Planning Your Novel
220: Planning Your Novel
October 2, 2020
Mystery For Young Children
Young readers love the interactive nature of solving a puzzle at the heart of a mystery. Study these mentor texts for tips on writing mysteries for kids.
Writing a Holiday Romance
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you decide to write a holiday-themed romance, the first thing you need to do is decide if you want to self-publish it or if you want to go the traditional route. Traditional publishers (the big five: Penguin/Random…
Love Scenes: Spicy or Sweet?
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 issues with writing romance in young adult novels lies in the question of how far to push the love scenes. Do you stop at the kiss and fade to…
Happily Ever After or Happy For Now
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The key element that makes a novel a romance is the ending. How to conclude your book so it’s satisfying to the genre readers who have set expectations? By ending with the happily ever after (HEA) or the…
Conflict Is So Romantic
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Like any strong story, romance needs conflict. Without conflict, romantic stories can be dully predictable. After all, the vast majority of romances end with the characters together. Readers are confident that will happen. So, it’s the journey to…
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
Facebook 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 (and much of it focused on…
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
Facebook 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 element is nearly a requirement. YA…
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
A short story is a story of not many words that’s why structure in writing short stories is so important. Lynne Smith reveals what you need to know.
213: Comma Long with Me
213: Comma Long with Me
August 14, 2020
Traditional Plot Structure for Very Short Stories
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
One simple structure is to think of your book as having a beginning, middle, and end. Each serves the reader in different ways. Grab these tips for success!
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…
True Stories or Funny Stories? You Choose | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Get together with family and old friends and there usually comes a time when someone will tell a tale about a shared experience. The anticipation builds until the crowd is in hysterics—often before the story is even finished.…
You Write Funny
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As a left-handed person, I’ve been told I write funny a number of times in my life. That comment is an interesting take on the word “funny.” We think of humor as…
Plotting Complexity: Adding Depth and Resonance
Writing tips for creating layers of meaning and emotional resonance in your writing from romantic romps to fast-paced adventures and everything in between.
The Value of Short
Short story writing allows you to experiment with new plot types, genres, or voices without the commitment of a novel.Check out these tips for writing short.
Plotting Against Your Characters
“What’s the worst thing I can do to this character?” It seems like a terrible question to ask, but it might be the one that takes your story to the next level.
205: Voice
205: Voice
June 19, 2020
Do I Have To Have a Plot?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers hesitate to talk about plot because they believe it equates to preplanning their stories. For the organic or seat-of-the-pants writer, pre-planning simply doesn’t work for the way story unfolds in…
Plot Structure: Formulaic or Freeing?
You have to know the rules about structure to make informed choices when writing your story. Use this outline from Kristin Wolden Nitz as a starting point.
From Zero To Sixty
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 hardest parts of creating a strong plot that grabs the reader is knowing where to start. If you start too soon, you risk boring the reader with a lot…
Plotting and Planning: The Premise
Before you plunge into writing the first chapter or outlining the plot, consider taking some time to put your basic premise through a stress test.
206: Pacing 101
206: Pacing 101
June 26, 2020
The Dance of Plot and Theme
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many writers struggle early in their writing journal when they try to sort out the difference between plot and theme. In fact, the two work in tandem to create a story but…
Worldbuilding When You Can’t Go Out in the World | IFW
Research is key to creating believable worlds for the characters. Here’s how to research when you can’t travel to the places you are writing about. Let’s go!
Worldbuilding Bible
What is a Worldbuilding Bible? Do you need one? Find out all the answers in part 4 of our Worldbuilding writing series from Kristin J. Dawson.
9 Worldbuilding Mistakes to Avoid
In part 3 of our Worldbuilding series, discover 9 mistakes to avoid as you build and populate the world of your novel. Don’t miss these valuable tips!
Worldbuilding: Dressing the Set
As writers, the worldbuilding process includes adding elements that make each setting stir the senses of the reader while helping to move the plot forward.
Digging Deeper Into Your Worldbuilding
Welcome to part 2 of our Worldbuilding series where dig even deeper into your new world and what it should include and what you can leave out.
Introduction to Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding isn’t just for fantasy writers. Every character lives somewhere and travels through the world. Let’s make that world real for your readers.
Worldbuilding Checklist
Worldbuilding is usually associated with speculative fiction writers, but even historical, memoir, and romance authors must create a world for their characters.
Hands
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > My hands are cracking from washing them so often these days. Yours too? How about, in addition to tending to your hands with soap and water, writing a poem to and for and about them, those prehensile and…
My Body, Myself
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The architect Suchi Reddy said, “We build our lives from our bodies. Then we build the next layer and the next layer—our home, our towns, our cities, our villages, our world.” Do you see your body that way,…
Why Poetry?
Poetry has an intense flavor that prose generally doesn’t manage, and that intensity can make poetry valuable for a number of reasons in your writing.
List Poems
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > List poems have an off-hand quality, as though they’re not even poems but casual jottings like a grocery or birthday list. That makes them particularly accessible and welcoming for readers to enter, and their unassuming quality keeps them…
5 Poetry Practice Playtime Activities
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Poetry, like any art form, is improved with practice. The more you do it, the better you’ll become at it. But there is something very special about poetry: the more you practice…
What Sits Beyond the Reach of Language
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It’s National Poetry Month, and with the chaos of coronavirus that’s unsettled us and our need to stay as close to home as possible, now, more than ever, is the perfect time to delve into poetry for the…
Imagery in Narrative Nonfiction
Narrative nonfiction writers need to describe people, places, objects, and events in imaginative but also accurate ways. Enter imagery. Follow these 3 tips.
Top Three Narrative Nonfiction Missteps
Narrative nonfiction is popular with kids, teachers, and publishers. Here are the top three missteps to avoid when writing narrative nonfiction.
The Writer’s Voice and Narrative Nonfiction
The content of your piece is the what of your writing. How you say it is the voice. Time to talk about how to develop your author voice in your work.
Using Creative Nonfiction Techniques in a Memoir | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” Those familiar opening lines from Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield are…
Using Quotes in Narrative Nonfiction
IFW Instructor Victoria Sherrow shares how to effectively use quotes from historical figures and experts when writing narrative nonfiction novels and articles.
Narrative Nonfiction
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Melissa Stewart, writer and nonfiction evangelist, fills her Twitter feed with books and bits to help writers and buyers better understand nonfiction. She’s made nonfiction her life. And she explains that nonfiction is basically broken into two broad…
The Appeal of Narrative Nonfiction
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Just the facts, ma’am.” These oft-repeated words are associated with Sergeant Joe Friday, a character in the 1950s TV police drama “Dragnet.” Friday’s actual words were “All we want are the facts,” but the point remains: Investigators need…
The Perils of Picture Books
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing a publishable picture book is hard. It simply is. The competition is incredible. And your book must do so many things well. It needs to sing. It needs to speak to every reader, whether child or adult.…
Verb-Perfect: 7 Tips to Fuel Your Writing
Verbs play a key role in building effective sentences, so pay close attention to them as you revise and polish. These 7 writing tips will make your story shine!
188: Misunderstood Verbs
188: Misunderstood Verbs
February 21, 2020
How Do I Tell Where I Fail?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > According to Dr. David Dunning, a psychology professor at Cornell, we are not good judges of our own competency. In other words, we aren’t very skilled at telling if we’re good at…
The “Feel” of Your Writing
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Everything is in the tone.”—Sherwood Anderson For a well-polished manuscript, make sure you use tone and mood effectively. Tone in fiction refers to an author’s attitude toward the characters and events in the story. The tone helps to…
Picking the Right Word
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Polishing a manuscript involves both big picture corrections, such as plot issues or motivation issues for your characters, and incredibly small, picky bits where you’re really bringing out the shine in each…
Polishing the Point of View
Today we focus on ways to intensify a third-person point of view to achieve a close third person viewpoint drawing readers deeply inside a character’s POV.
Dialogue and Plot
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Dialogue serves a number of purposes in a book or story. It brings immediacy since dialogue takes place at a specific moment in time, thus bringing the reader into the story. It…
Dos and Don’ts of Dialogue
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What to do (and not do) in your characters’ conversations As a final check through your dialogue, a good idea is to give a scene to two friends and have them read a different character as if they…
Dialogue: Don’t Forget the World!
Setting and dialogue must influence each other. Let’s look at one conversation in three different places to see how setting influences the dialogue.
4 Tips for Snappy Dialogue
Dialogue is a great way to get readers to care about your characters and eager to find out what happens next. Here are 4 tips for snappy dialogue.
Dialogue Bits and Bobs
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Let’s talk about the mechanics of dialogue, the nuts and bolts of putting it on the page. In order to write good dialogue that communicates clearly with the reader, it’s helpful if…
Avoiding the “As You Know Bob…”s
Dialogue can be an effective way to share backstory with your readers. Here’s what to do and what not to do when using dialogue to convey a character’s past.
Dialogue and Humor
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Much of the humor in the books I write, both the children’s books and the adult mysteries, involve the dialogue. Because dialogue reveals character, it’s a perfect opportunity for the characters to…
122: Get Tense: The Plot Thickens
122: Get Tense: The Plot Thickens
October 26, 2018
Steps on the Research Road Part 1
Quality research is vital whether you focus on books, articles, short stories, or novels. Enjoy these research tips from Joan Broerman and Marie-Therese Miller.
Needful Things: Revision Begins on Page 1
In a first draft, it’s common to explain a lot as you begin to understand the story, but that has to go in the revision. So what does belong at the beginning?
Revising: A Time to Fine-Tune Your Style
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Making your writing more distinctive. As experienced writers know, revising involves more than changing word counts, fixing punctuation, or checking for accuracy. Revision is also the time —think “opportunity”—to make our writing more vibrant, meaningful, and distinctive. Fine-tuning…
Misunderstood Verbs
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Verbs are the powerhouse of the sentence. Because of that, understanding how verbs work will help you tremendously in the revision process. It’s only by knowing what verbs are all about that…
Revising for a Strong Start
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A checklist for hooking your reader. As the saying goes, we have one chance to make a first impression, and it’s the same with writing. Editors, agents, and readers tend to cast aside stories with weak beginnings. It’s…
Is This Real Writing?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writers tend to have trouble holding onto a positive self-image. We toil alone, usually with little or no cheering section. In fact, our writing can be seen as being a resented competitor…
Crafting the Perfect Pitch
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Tips for getting closer to yes! Editors are busy, often juggling multiple duties. That means it’s important to grab them with a quick, precise query letter. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Learn how to query even if…
Write Your Fiction Tight But Right
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One absolute need a fiction writer must have to create material for magazines is the ability to write to extremely short word counts. As this is also true of picture book writers,…
Research You Need to Do Before Querying
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Targeted submissions can lead to success. Before you even start to query a publication or an agent, it’s important to do research on what they’ve already written, their style and the person you need to sell your work…
Listening To the Voices
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I recently asked a group of published writers for examples of advice they would give their unpublished selves, looking for insight into the things that might speed up our writing journey. As…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Inspired by People You Know or Have Met
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Writers, do not wait for inspiration. You need to arm yourself and track inspiration down and mount its head over your fireplace.” – Erin Bow This quote makes me laugh. It’s a reminder to open my eyes and…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Your Emotions and Beliefs
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “For sale: baby shoes, never used.”* That gets an immediate reaction from me. It implies sadness, loss, grief in only six words. We want our readers to react emotionally to our writing as well. But where do we…
Specific Requirements of a Publishable Real-Life Account
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Sometimes the real world inspires us to write. When that happens, we often take real life and twist it, turn it, plump it up, pare it down, and patch it with fiction…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Others’ Experiences Along With Your Own
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Ever read a story that felt unrealistic? I sure have. And I’ve seen it too many times to count in TV shows and movies. For example, the unconscious patient with the hospital bed rails down. Right. I’m sure…
How to Use What You Remember
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In real life you can find constant fuel for your writer’s imagination. I’ve written articles, essays, and books triggered by things I’ve seen on television or read in magazines. I’ve used my…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Where You’ve Lived
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The old adage “write what you know” definitely has value, especially when you use places you’ve experienced. Lived in a dry climate? You know the feel of grit blown into your eye and the scent of freshly rain-dampened…
Setting the Stage for Nonfiction Success
Nonfiction is a deep market, popular with readers, and well worth considering. Today we chat about what it takes to be successful in nonfiction for kids.
Hooking the Reader
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > With all the competition from Kindle Unlimited, self-published books, and traditional publishing’s blitz of new releases and re-releases, getting and keeping a reader’s attention has gotten difficult. You need to entice the reader from the very first line,…
Setting as a Character
Write a setting so integral you can enhance your characters’ experiences, drive home your theme and mirror the characters’ journey through the novel.
Choosing a Point of View
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > All stories are told by someone. Sometimes it’s a chorus of voices as the writer dips into the consciousness of more than one character, revealing their thoughts. More often it’s told by…
Editing Descriptions to Move Your Story Forward | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Is your pacing too slow? Need to pull out your writer tools to increase story pacing? This is Part II of my “editing description to move the story forward” article. Part I focused specifically on scene imagery. This…
Elements of Setting
Lengthy descriptions of setting can feel slow and gratuitous, but we mustn’t throw away this essential, tool. Let’s talk about how to do setting well.
Editing Scene Imagery to Move Your Story Forward | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you’re looking to increase the tension and keep readers turning the pages, become a master of story imagery. We’re told to have sensory details, and imagery descriptions to create a well developed setting. But imagery runs the…
Setting the Stage: Scenes
Scenes are the building blocks of the story. A scene is simply the action and dialogue that takes place at a specific location in a specific time in the story.
Top 3 Source of Writer’s Block (& How to Jump Over Them Now)
Here are the top 3 sources of writer’s block and how to bust right past them from guest blogger Kristin J. Dawson. Read on for tools to help you right now!
Let’s Talk About Plot
Many writers struggle with plot. Plot has to mix and blend characters, theme, premise, and more. So, let’s break down the essentials of plot.
How to Avoid Writer’s Block
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > We spend months, even years, weaving characters and conflicts into a story. We cut, tweak, and rearrange. Yet if someone asks what our story is about, we might be dumbstruck. “It’s about a woman who inherits a cosmetic…
Yeah, It’s Work
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing is work. Now, I’m not one of those who think writing is suffering or agony. Honestly, if it were agony, I’d do something else with my time to make money for my family. But it is work.…
Live Long and Prosper with Verisimilitude and Suspension of Disbelief
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > We’re all Captain James T. Kirk when we sit down to write. We boldly go where no man or woman has gone before—and we take readers with us. The idea is not to drag them kicking and screaming.…
Falling in Love
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers create playlists for their books. Some do elaborate interviews with their characters. Some just can’t get started until they come up with names: name of the book, name of the…
Character Arc and Conflict: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
For your main character to have a satisfying character arc, there has to be conflict. Without it, how does your character grow and change? Get these tips today!
Dialogue Attribution: Small Thing, Big Effect | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Dialogue is the favorite part of story writing for many authors. In dialogue writing, the author is able to give voice to the people the author created. Also dialogue is a favorite…
The Forge for Your Characters
The literary term for life experience is backstory. This is your character’s origin story. Discover tips for backstory from IFW instructor Lynne Smith.
All Done, or Not?
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 satisfying things about writing is finishing a book or story. That last line typed, that last period placed almost always brings a rush of accomplishment. If you’re like…
People Aren’t Perfect – Your Characters Shouldn’t Be Either
While characters are often created from similar molds or archetypes, it is their imperfections that draw us in. Tips for crafting engagingly flawed characters.
The Value of Road Maps
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I do love having a GPS to guide us whenever we’re making a road trip. Still, to be honest, I miss the days when I navigated using a combination of internet map…
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part Three | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be. A…
When I Really Want To Get Better, I Teach
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When I was in high school, I discovered something interesting: teaching something made me learn it more. I spent a lot of time helping other people through a variety of subjects and…
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part Two | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be. The…
Adding Humor for Increased Sales
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you flip through your market guide or read writer’s guidelines online, there’s one word you’ll see over and over: humor. Kids love humor, so publishers do too. But for many writers,…
Developing Your Story with a Plot Board: Part One | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In this three-part series, we will go over how to set up a plot board to develop your story from an idea into a tailor-made synopsis that is as detailed or sparse as you want it to be.…
Beware Bears: Problems to Avoid
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Having been writing professionally for a lot of years, I have sometimes been asked how do you build a career that has legs, one that will last. This is a valid question…
Success Ahead in Creating Characters
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Success Ahead in Creating Characters As we look at a successful year ahead, we must overcome the problems that have held our writing back. One of the frequent problems new authors encounter…
Planning Your Story
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Things you should know before you start your novel Before you can make the most of your writing time, you need to know where you’re going. Planning what you’re going to write can be as easy as saying,…
Triple Up for an Electrifying Year Ahead
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Now that 2019 has arrived, we want to get going on the best writing year ever. With many things outside our control (like publisher or agent reaction to our work), it’s good…
5 Ways to Get Over Writer’s Burnout
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What to do when your creativity ebbs. Being a writer for a living is a funny thing. Unlike a lot of other jobs, writing comes down solely to you, and to your own mind. If you’re broken in…
Picture Books: 3 Sides to Great Picture Book Characters
Picture books are a character-driven art form. A large part of their success lies in truly memorable picture book characters. So what makes us love your character?
Picture Books: Sound Off
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 defining characteristics of picture books is that they are designed to be read aloud. They are a way for parents to share art with children through story and illustration.…
125: Magnetize Your Books
125: Magnetize Your Books
November 16, 2018
Picture Books: First Lines
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Every picture book must begin somewhere and those opening lines are surprisingly important. For one thing, buyers on Amazon who use the “Look Inside” feature to browse the book often only see…
Picture Book Autopsy
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many children’s writers have tried writing picture books. Some have gone on to tremendous success. Some have simply moved on to writing that suits their skill sets better. But the reality is…
The Unique Challenge of Picture Books
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As with many art forms and literary genre, the picture book has changed over time. Picture books are a fairly young art form. The beginning of true picture books can probably be…
Down and Dirty Plotting
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Techniques for pulling it all together. With National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) right around the corner, or if you’re about to write a new book, it’s helpful to have a plot outline in front of you when you’re…
The Process of Novel Writing: Transitions
In novel writing, transitions jump readers ahead in time or place quickly. Here’s how to leave the reality of a scene and skim ahead via a transition.
The Process of Novel Writing: Jumping In
Few things are scarier in novel writing than a blank page. Since your rough draft is almost certain to change, the important thing is to begin.
Five Things to Change in Your Novel
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Don’t miss these in your manuscript Once you finish your novel, you should put it away for a few weeks so that you are fresh when you come back to edit it. Having that distance will allow you…
120: Novel Writing FAQs
120: Novel Writing FAQs
October 12, 2018
The Process of Novel Writing: Planning
Before plotting, comes planning the premise. The premise is the idea that will make this particular novel different and is the kernel from which the plot grows.
Beyond Show Don’t Tell
You want readers to laugh, cry, and get angry alongside the protagonist. Readers who are invested in the characters keep turning pages. Enter show, don’t tell.
Novel Writing FAQ
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > For many children’s writers, the concept of attempting a novel is daunting at best and filled with questions. So for the sake of those looking toward this exciting writing option, let’s answer…
Achieving Deep POV
The goal of deep POV is to give the reader a chance to be inside your character’s head. Discover ways to achieve deep point of view in your next story.
Break Free from Pretending
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Fake it ’til you make it. How many of us have heard that advice? Sometimes it’s a good thought. It doesn’t hurt to step out boldly sometimes, even when you’re not 100%…
Strunk & White: The Elements of Style
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog Virtually everyone calls it a “classic”—and with good reason Ask anyone for recommendations about books on writing and invariably someone will pipe up with, “Strunk & White—The Elements of Style!” Having somehow managed to arrive squarely in the middle…
Stephen King: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft | IFW
Stephen King’s ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT isn’t just a book about writing; it’s also a memoir, making it a must-read for all writers. Let’s find out why!
Reconnecting with a Work in Progress
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 problems with writing is that it’s fairly difficult to complete a project in one sitting. It can sometimes be a bit easier with a picture book where the rough…
Carroll Dale Short: A Writers Tool Kit-Institute for Writers
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A concise book of tips to improve your writing. What more do you need? Many years ago, in a city far, far away (okay, it was Hartford, Connecticut, if you insist on destroying the magic), I had the…
Query Writing 101
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When you’re ready to submit your novel to an editor or an agent, you start off by sending a one-page letter called a query. The purpose of the query is to make the editor or the agent request…
Show Up To Learn
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In-Person Learning For most writers, conferences and in-person workshops are gifts we give ourselves. Often these options aren’t cheap, but they let us get out of our homes and mix with other…
Finding a Writing Course That’s Right For You | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When you’re looking for further instruction on writing, you can take college classes, but that gets expensive and they’re held at specific hours that may be inconvenient. You can also learn a lot by going to a conference…
Reading: Osmosis Education
Love of story isn’t the only reason successful writers are readers. Reading is one of the best writing teachers because it teaches us without us even noticing.
10 Things That Make Editors Cringe
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Everybody knows to use spellcheck or Grammarly when going over their writing. However, the following mistakes aren’t generally caught by these two programs. And if you want to stop an editor’s eyes from rolling to the back of…
Behind the Curtain
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Whenever you get a chance to watch a really good magician, it’s easy to get caught up in the wonder of what they’re doing. But if you’re an adult, and driven by…
Okay, I’ve Finished My Revision. Now What ? | IFW
Once you’ve finished your last big revision, what do you do now? You bask in the glow of a job well done. Then you get back to work. Your next steps are here.
Revision: Revising By the Bones
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers love outlines. They outline everything they write and feel it gives the story order and direction. Some hate outlines and feel that an outline makes a story rigid and lifeless.…
Writer Reason Vs. Story Reason
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Generally the things we put into our work have strong writer reasons for being there. The main character has a sidekick to give him someone to talk to so the scenes have…
Who’s Ready to Do Some Literary Gardening ? | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Taking the Pruning Shears to Your Manuscript to Lose the Verbiage* Sometimes, in the process of revising, you realize your manuscript is just too darn long. That’s when you have to get creative about trimming it. Really creative.…
Revising Your Picture Book for Clear Structure | IFW
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 major problems editors encounter when reading picture book submissions is the lack of plot, or even purposeful organization. Many picture books basically start with the character waking up, then…
Revision: An Overwhelming Project
The way to go about eating an elephant is one bite at a time and so it is for revising your writing. Break down your revision into small steps and get it done.
Distance: The Key to Revision
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As most writers know, it’s much easier to find the flaws in someone else’s work than to find the flaws in your own. Part of the reason for this is distance. When…
4 Ways a Fiction Writer Can Learn to Love Nonfiction | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many fiction writers shy away from nonfiction. They are afraid it takes skills they don’t have, or that they’ll be bored in writing it. But good fiction writers already have the skills…
How To Get Started as a Travel Writer
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Tips for turning the dream into a reality Getting paid to travel is the ultimate dream of any writer, right? Lounging on white, sandy beaches with the crystal-clear blue sparkling water just beckoning you for a day of…
Active Nonfiction
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Nonfiction does many things for readers. Sometimes it tells them a story. Sometimes it informs. But sometimes the whole point of the nonfiction piece is to help and encourage the reader to…
The Importance of Nonfiction
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many writers view nonfiction as less: less creative than fiction, less fun than fiction, less interesting to kids than fiction, and definitely something they want to do less often. Some will accept…
How To Turn Your Experiences Into Stories
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Making stories about your life engaging for readers Do you ever feel like every story that could possibly be written has been done already? Well, I am here to tell you that your feelings are correct —everything that…
Character Development: The Road to Greatness
What makes a character great and what do writers need to do to write great characters? Take a look at three sides of character development. Jump in now!
Character Development: A Few Final Thoughts | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Haven’t I warned you not to get me started? I haven’t? Hmm … well, that does pose rather a difficulty, doesn’t it? Well, I suppose it’s a little late to caution you about that now, so you’ll just…
Developing Characters: What Are Their Extremes? | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing a compelling character is often about extremes. The best characters are believable but pressured. The whole point of a plot, in fact, is to apply pressure to a character to make…
Everyone’s Got a Story to Tell. What’s Yours ? | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > So you’ve decided to write your memoir. Good for you! It’s great that you’re up for the challenge. Before you start amassing stories, beginning from your most traumatic potty-training memory right up through the jerk in the maroon…
Character Development: A Rose By Any Other Name | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some of us struggle with finding names for characters. As I write (on average) 6 to 10 books a year, I have to come up with a lot of names. And if…
Writing a Character Who Has Cancer
When you write a character with cancer (or other disease), things can get touchy. Here’s how to ensure your character isn’t solely defined by their illness.
Tough Characters to Sell
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As important as solid writing and well-crafted plot is to a successful book (and they’re really important), there is something that could arguably be considered even more important: characters. Your characters are the life…
Character Development, Part Deux
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Creating a Well-rounded Character Just Got More Fun! Last week, we took a broad, overall view of character development. Today, we’ll quit staring at our overalls, zero in on creating that protagonist you’re bringing to life, and add…
Character Development: Every Character is a Casserole | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Character creation can be approached in many different ways, but overall, most great characters come about as a mixture. Like a particularly tasty casserole, a writer grabs a pinch of this and…
Three Keys to Believable Three-Dimensional Characters | IFW
When you sit down to write a new story, think about your characters. Giving characters heart, soul, and real faults—yes, faults—is vital to creating memorable characters.
Why A Contest? Here are 7 Lucky Reasons
A writing contest doesn’t seem to be part of that straight line of publication. So why would you enter one? Well, here are seven lucky reasons.
Tighten Up the Weakest Link for a Contest Win | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Judging a contest is an interesting activity because it happens in layers. The first layer is simply removing from consideration all the entries that are not appropriate at all (prose memoirs sent to a poetry contest for young…
Launching a Story From a Title
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It’s hard to develop a story when you can’t get started. Though there are many ways into story creation, one that isn’t considered as often is the title. Titles are often tacked…
Story Development: What’s At Stake?
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 important questions to consider when developing a story is “what is going to be at stake for my main character?” By this, we mean, “What is the cost…
Playing Fair with Plot
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Good stories have lots of moving parts, and it can be challenging to get all the parts to come together in a way that works. Many writers understand that a good plot…
To Outline or Not to Outline: That is the Question | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > To Outline or Not to Outline: That is the Question 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 exaggeration, but I’ve…
Piece by Piece
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Many times, the compelling urge to write, to create, to make something that reflects our skills and creativity, brings us to the blank page (or blank computer screen) with the intention of…
Write Science Fiction that Will Survive My Scoff-O-Meter
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Can You Write Science Fiction that Will Survive My Scoff-O-Meter? I won’t mince words here. I always hated sci-fi. There. I’ve said it. I realize those are gasps of disbelief (and yes, even horror) emanating from all over…
What’s the Rush?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When it comes to writing and submissions, there is such a thing as too soon. In fact, the number one mistake writers make in the area of submitting their work is moving…
Memoir vs. Autobiography: What’s the Difference, Anyway
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > How do I go about writing a memoir? As an editor, I often get asked, “What’s the difference between an autobiography and a memoir?” In framing my answer, I sometimes reply, “All baseballs are round, but not all…
(Brow)beaten Into Submission?
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Submit only when your work is ready, not when your family or friends think you should. Sometimes, the most well-meaning folks can do the greatest harm to an aspiring writer. If Great Aunt Harriet insists your writing is…
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: Try Nonfiction | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: Try Nonfiction For most people considering children’s writing for a career (or even for a hobby), the type of writing that comes to mind is fiction. For many of us, the picture…
Idea Starters: Map Your Ideas
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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. Those of us who write for publication have all…
A Raven and A Writing Desk
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “How is a raven like a writing desk?” When Lewis Carroll first wrote the riddle about the raven and the writing desk, he didn’t have an answer. It was simply a riddle…
Idea Starters Mining Your Stash
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 great but as I started writing,…
Using an Object for Inspiration
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Over the holidays, as I was putting out the holiday decorations, my daughter and I took time to talk about some the ornaments and other well-loved decorations. Some decorations brought back memories…
Where to Find Great Ideas
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 you find them. Sometimes the best ideas show up when…
Organizing Your Ideas
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 the next story, novel or essay in mind. But…
Not All Children’s Books Are Picture Books
Children’s literature covers a vast area. There are picture books, chapter books, novels, graphic novels, and more. Find out which one is a good fit for you!
How to Achieve Success in 2018
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The new year will be upon us soon, and it’s a good time to make plans to increase our chances of publication success in 2018. Now, it helps to know what you…
How to Title Your Book
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalg > Coming up with a title for your work in progress can be easy or really hard. Sometimes the title comes to you early, and you just always know what you want to…
Method To My Madness Part 2
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 English class. Today I’ll unpack more of my writing process. When I write,…
How and Why I Do What I Do
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Method to My Madness—Sort Of I often get asked about my process. How do you write your novels? Where do you begin? How do you keep going? And what do you do once you’re finished? Great series…
Want Some Exercise?
Writing exercises can be fun. They can also help you exercise your writing muscles and break through a block you might be having. Try these exercises today!
Compare and Despair or Mentor Texts? – Institute for Writers
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Competition Some book publishers are now specifically asking writers to look at competing books when sending in manuscript submissions, partial submissions, queries, or book proposals. And this request can seem overwhelming…
When the Ideas Won’t Come
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 questions writers tend to be asked a lot is “where do you get your ideas?” Of course, two other questions are “can you read something for me?” and “can…
Putting It All Together
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 in nonfiction as you do in your fiction writing? It is…
Writing Samples, Part Deux: Nonfiction
Good nonfiction writing samples have things in common with fiction ones, but they also have specific requirements, so let’s check out the difference.
Six Ways to Gear Up for NaNoWriMo Now!
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It’s coming! Are you ready? You’re probably asking, “What’s coming?” Why, National Novel Writing Month, of course. It rolls around every November, that magical month when writers all across this great land of ours shut out every other…
Whose Story is it Anyway? Thoughts On Viewpoint
Zeroing in on the viewpoint and finding the right way into the story is difficult. Check out these tips to consider when choosing the POV of your story.
Keeping Separate Writing Separate
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers write only one sort of book: picture books, mysteries, science fiction, humor, racy romance, etc. But many writers jump around in their careers and tackle whatever project bubbles up in…
Finding the Right Tone for Your Story
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 publication, no matter what the genre, and you strike a tone that is too…
Creating Quality Dialogue
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A while ago on the Institute’s Facebook page, someone was asking about dialogue, which made me think again about this important writing tool. Readers love dialogue because it makes a scene and a…
Training Your Writer’s Voice to Come Out to Play
A writer’s voice is his or her fingerprint on a piece of work. It’s like DNA when it’s authentic. How do you define and develop your writer’s voice? Read on!
How to Choose Your Educational Writing Sample | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Secrets to Samples Many of us who write for educational publishers are very familiar with samples. These are the bits of writing publishers use to judge whether you’re a writer who…
How Does It All End?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Talking about how to end a book or story is a bit harder than talking about how to begin one. The first paragraph of a book doesn’t really count as a spoiler…
Comma Long With Me and Celebrate Punctuation Day | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > It’s like they created a day just for folks like me, people who are (admittedly or not) obsessed with punctuation… proper punctuation and not-so-proper punctuation. As a professional proofreader and editor, Punctuation Day is especially dear to my…
How to Write Craft Articles Magazines Will Buy | IFW
068: How to Write Craft Articles Magazines Will Buy
September 15, 2017
When It All Starts to Sag
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Momentum is a delicate thing in writing. Sometimes you start out revving along in a novel, falling in love with your main character, fascinated by the situation you’re creating and cranking out…
067: Get Engaged (No Ring Required!)
067: Get Engaged (No Ring Required!)
September 8, 2017
Writers Make the Best Friends
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing can be a lonely art form. Unlike performance artists, you don’t have audience reaction to rev you up. And sometimes family and friends aren’t incredibly supportive, especially during the early years…
066: Dangerous Writing Tools
066: Dangerous Writing Tools
September 1, 2017
Once Upon a Time
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Every story has a beginning. The best beginnings grab our attention and make us eager to read on. The best beginnings give a sense of sort of story we’re going to get…
Do All Novels Need to Be About Young People ? | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A look at 7 recent successful novels where the main protagonists were Middle-Aged In writing courses you’ll hear professors say things like, “It doesn’t matter the age of a character as long as they are well drawn and…
The Love of Genre
Do you love a good genre novel? Then you might be the perfect person to write one! Jan Fields shares what you need to know about writing genre novels for kids.
Your Brain on Writing
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > For me, being a writer is more than something I do. It’s something I am. A writer is always a writer, whether sitting before a computer or picking up a pen and…
Weaving Pop Culture Into Your Writing
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Weaving Pop Culture Into Your Writing Pop culture – Why it’s so important in fiction today and how to weave it into your writing (without dating your work) As a journalist I’m sent a lot of novels and…
Villainy
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Almost any strong plot is basically a story of someone’s struggle against something. That something is the villain of your story. Now sometimes you have a real human villain. If your story…
Opening Lines: The Most Important Part of Your Story | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 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 read the second sentence, which then…
Holly Niner
No More Noisy NightsJuly 29, 2017
Behold the Spider
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I was recently at the Highlights Foundation and had the opportunity to read the guest book journal in my cabin. A couple of the guests talked about a large spider they cohabitated…
The Plot Arc
A successful plot generally follows an arc. What’s that arc look like and how can it help you unlock your story’s potential? Jan Fields explains all.
Tips for Creating Compelling Conflict- Institute for Writers
057: 7 Tips for Creating Compelling Conflict
June 23, 2017
Revise Your View of Revision
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers love revision. In fact, for many, the rough draft is something to be rushed through to get to the real “fun,” the revision. I’m not one of those writers. I…
Tips and Tricks for Planning a Series
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As of today, I have created three original series and written for several others where I had a fairly free hand in shaping the series beyond the original concept. I’ve worked on…
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Synopsis | Institute for Writers
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > For most writers, there are few things more reviled than writing a synopsis of a book manuscript or short story. What do you put in? What do you leave out? Why is…
Debbie Brown
Amethyst Eyes , RebirthJune 3, 2017
What Writers Should (and Should NOT) Spend Money on
What’s worth spending your money on as a writer and where should you NOT spend it? Jan Fields shares what to look out for when investing in your writing career.
052: Sounds Good to Me
052: Sounds Good to Me
May 19, 2017
Can I Say This ? Copyright, Trademark, & Writers | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writers often look at trademarked products or song lyrics or bits of poetry and ask, “Can I put this in my book?” The answer to that question can be complicated and rests…
R. Victoria Patterson
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle where we celebrate the success of our ICL students. Today we are celebrating published author R. Victoria Patterson! Dive in now
051: Get Crafty
051: Get Crafty
May 12, 2017
Exit Stage Left
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As playwrights know, a script is made up of both dialogue and directions for movements on the stage. Good playwrights tend to trust the actors and directors to determine most of the…
Tonya Coffey
Harvest MoonMay 6, 2017
The Structure of Adventure
Does the plot of an adventure or action story differ from other genres? It’s important to know the rules when writing a new type of story. Let’s dig in!
Within Reason
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Within Reason People write stories for all kinds of reasons. Some do it to pass on experiences in their own life and family. Some do it to impart life lessons to help a…
Gladys Swedak
The Wild OnesApril 22, 2017
Finding Your Way to “The End”
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In a way, every story is a story of transformation. Circumstances change. Characters experience revelations. Challenges are met and overcome. The longer the work you’re writing, the more transformations are likely to…
How to Make Your Good Muse Show Up
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Along with writing, I also draw a bit and work with polymer clay. On some days, it seems I can draw or sculpt anything. My little clay creatures end up with charming…
Dorothy B. Murray
The Home You Left BehindApril 8, 2017
Sometimes, Ya Just Gotta Rhyme
There are a lot of rhyming picture books published every year, but writing a rhyming picture book is not as easy as it looks. Get tips for writing in rhyme now!
Michael Shay
A Flash in TimeMarch 25, 2017
Learning to Write Short
Whether you’ve tried writing a picture book, poem, or short story, you know that writing short is difficult. Use these tips to learn how to write short.
Prewriting: Preparing for Success
Prewriting can help you avoid writing blocks when you’re in the middle of writing your story. Here are three different ways to prewrite before you begin.
Lyndon Murray
Get inspired & improve your writing skills with Lyndon Murray, a renowned author. Explore his writing techniques, tips, and resources at Institute for Writers.
Five Common Character Motivations of Value to Writers
What motivates young characters to do what they do in our stories? Author Jan Fields shares the top five character motivations for children’s stories.
Change, The One Constant
How do artists make strides in their projects? Jan Fields shares what she’s observed about artists in other mediums and how we can apply it to writing.
Help! I’m Stuck!
All authors, whether pre-published or professional, get stuck sometimes. Here are five tips for pulling yourself out of the rut when you have writer’s block.
Four Tips for Building a Successful Mystery
Are you looking to understand how to write a successful mystery story? Then, dive in to learn about the Four Tips for Building a Successful Mystery.
Begin As You Hope to Continue
Revising your beginning is always one of the steps in turning your story from a rough draft into a finished piece. Here are 3 things a strong opening will have.
Rick Starkey
Luminaries: A Children’s Book AnthologyJanuary 7, 2017
Picture Books: Sound, Story, and Emotion
Being good at writing picture books means doing three things well: sound, story, and emotion. Here’s why these are essential in your next picture book draft.
028: Cook Up a Good Story
028: Cook Up a Good Story
December 2, 2016
Cynthia Collins
The Unicorn TreeNovember 26, 2016
Debra Manzella
Dragon’s BreathNovember 19, 2016
026: Q&A Hall of Fame
026: Q&A Hall of Fame
November 18, 2016
025: Houston, We Need a Problem
025: Houston, We Need a Problem
November 11, 2016
Don’t Promote Prose Bloat Part 2 – Institute for Writers
016: Don’t Promote Prose Bloat Part 2
September 9, 2016
Don’t Promote Prose Bloat Part 1 – Institute for Writers
015: Don’t Promote Prose Bloat Part 1
September 2, 2016
012: Is This a Picture Book?
012: Is This a Picture Book?
August 12, 2016
The “Write What You Know” Loophole – Institute for Writers
007: The “Write What You Know” Loophole
July 8, 2016
3 Keys to Good Kid Nonfiction
Good kid nonfiction comes down to three key elements: focus, vitality, and appeal. Learn how you can incorporate them into your next article or manuscript.
Being Open to Surprises (Don’t Slam the Door on Possibility)
Many of us begin our writing journey with a firm vision of exactly what we want to write but don’t close yourself to surprises along your writing journey!
Personal Inventory Quiz: What Kind of Writing Do You Like ?
The writing world offers so many options. Finding the exact right spot can come from self-analysis and exploration. Answer these questions to see where you fit!
What’s Your Motivation?
To understand how best to plan for your writing adventure and keep going during the tough times, look inward and ask yourself: What’s my motivation?
Two-Layered Writing
Children’s writing has a dual nature—an objective story. what happens, and a subjective story, the emotion of the story. Today, we discuss how to include both!
Dangerous Writing Tools
The truth is that every tool in the writing toolkit has value. Let’s evaluate the more dangerous writing tools and see how we can make them work for us.
Creating Characters for Young Children
When writing for kids, your main character must be someone a child can relate to and care about. Check out these tips for writing believable characters.
Holidays: Time to Try Out Some Crafts
Can submitting craft tutorials help you get published by a children’s magazine? Yes! Crafts make magazine content interactive! Use these tips to get started.
