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…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Stuck Is a Symptom, Not the Cause Whether you write for fun or profit, you likely have had this experience: You feel the adrenalin rush about a story idea. It is so clear in our thoughts that it…
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.…
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!
The literary term for life experience is backstory. This is your character’s origin story. Discover tips for backstory from IFW instructor Lynne Smith.
While characters are often created from similar molds or archetypes, it is their imperfections that draw us in. Tips for crafting engagingly flawed characters.
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Why it’s important to write a marketable book When you first start writing, one of the most common pieces of advice you will hear is, “All you have to do to be successful is write a great book.” …
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…
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…
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.…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of my favorite author stories revolves around Dave Barry and Stephen King. Dave Barry tells this story of when he had writer’s block. He didn’t know what to do so he went over to Stephen King’s place…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When you are setting up for writing success, don’t forget to make a space for yourself to write. J.K. Rowling just got blasted on social media recently because she mentioned she had a writing room. Of course, she…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > 8 ways to use your writing notebook Writer’s love office supplies. In fact, the only thing they love more than a sale at Staples is a deal on journals. I have a collection of leather bound ones, spiral…
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,…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > What happens when your writing fails you? This time exactly one year ago, I was struggling. Coming off some personal losses, a move, and a general upheaval of everything in my life, I was feeling adrift. It felt…
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…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Here’s the short answer and the not-so-short answer. On the way to school the other day, my kids and I were chatting about how much Amazon has changed the world. Strapped safely into the back seats of my…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > There’s no one way to sign on the dotted line. Hi there. My name is Chaunie and I’m a published author. I say that to you, not to sound like a conceited jerk, but to remind myself that…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Confessions from a writer too scared to try the challenge. If you’re a writer reading this, I’ll just go ahead and say it: I know your secret, the one you’re embarrassed to admit out loud, the one you’re…
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…
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© 2025 Direct Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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