by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan I've heard it said, "Psychologists are analysts; writers are psychological engineers. They use psychology to engineer story characters." Characterization is complex. Among other things, writers need to know how to engineer characters, design character arcs, weave sympathy and empathy, set up character conflict, show and reveal…

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn Creatives are not generally known for their organizational skills. But authors who want to be in the publishing game for the long-term know how important it is to find a method that works for them and keeps all the aspects of their writing life organized. Why…

By A.C. Williams by @acw_author  I love complicated stories, don’t you? Stories that reach to far-flung imaginary worlds are my cup of tea, and I love bold heroes who’ve survived tragic backstories that come back to haunt them in unexpected ways. And no matter what story or series I read,…

By Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales In his book How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them, Sol Stein says, “In our not-yet acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet written stories.” When I recently read this quote, the…

by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales Preparing for a conference can be confusing and overwhelming. Especially when it comes to selecting which classes to take. There are so many fabulous options, and we become afraid we’re going to miss out on helpful information if we take one class instead of another.…

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28 My heart was happy, and I wondered what was next. After twelve years of difficult spiritual battles, I pondered an exquisite sliver of peace that I felt in my heart. It had eluded me for a while—this level of peace. The next day, an old battle…