By Sara Beth Williams @WilliamsSaraB What makes a great story? A well-developed plot. What helps drive the plot forward, besides a character’s strong, identifiable goal? Misunderstandings. Misunderstandings come in many forms. They can be accidental. A simple misunderstanding can throw a wrench in the character’s plans and hamper their goal.…

By Leilani Squires It’s always entertaining for me while speaking at writers conferences to notice at which points or stories the attendees most get excited, take notes, or even pull out their phones to take a photo of my PowerPoint slide. During this class, what caused the majority of attendees…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We’ve all read posts about how to improve our writing skills in hopes something will trigger our creativity into a position on the bestseller’s list. Admit it, we want that coveted spot. I can’t promise you my tips will be extraordinary or career-changing, but I can…

by Rachael Colby  @RachaelColby7  Natural diamonds take years to form. Carbon encapsulated deep within the mantle of the earth is subjected to intense pressure, heat, and cold, to create something of greater value than its original state. It takes much time and process to form excellent character too. Likewise, a…

by: Shannon Redmon @shannon_redmon As a former healthcare professional for over twenty years, I often focus on the medical scenes in many books, television shows and movies. When hospital visits or emergency room drama is included in manuscripts, authors sometimes write these scenes incorrectly. I’ve rolled my eyes on more…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan Experiencing Fiction We’ve all read novels that held us tightly engaged from page one to “The End.” Then we’ve read others that while good, we could read a chapter and put it down. There can be various reasons, but I believe when we can experience the…