Debra Lynn Collins
A Marriage of ConvenienceJuly 1, 2017
Trade Secrets: Which Ones Should We Keep?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Recently I was watching a video where an artist was talking about “trade secrets” in art. He was recounting the times when he was just beginning in art and people would refuse…
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…
Joy Lo-Bamijoko
Mirror of Our LivesJune 17, 2017
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
Time to Write
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I know folks who lament about not having time to write. They’d do it if they just had time. If they could quit work. If they didn’t have so much care-giving they…
What Writers Should (and Should NOT) Spend Money on | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Whenever you have a large group of people with a dream and a desperation to fulfill it, you’re also going to see people quick to take advantage of that. Helpful writers (many…
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…
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
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I don’t do much rhyming work. I’ve written some poetry for magazines and poetry for testing services, but the bulk of what I write is prose. I enjoy adding a little surprise…
Let’s Talk Sources
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As a professional writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about sources. Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, sources are important, because nothing feels worse than having a reader point out…