by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author When I write a story, I like it to mean something more than the words that are on the page. I guess you could say I am a “message first” sort of storyteller. If I haven’t got a point I’m trying to communicate, I struggle to…

By Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales Many of us have a way with words. After all, we’re writers and speakers, are we not? But do we pay attention to everything we say or write every time we open our mouth, stand in front of a microphone, pick up a pen, or sit…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky I value strong openings, not only as a writer, but as an editor. When writing first pages, it will serve you well to remember that your openings (especially the first page) serve one primary purpose, and that is to establish your authorial authority. Essentially, you’re announcing…

by Julie Zine Coleman @JulieZColeman And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2 NASB In the fall I was student…

By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites What do you envision when you read the term,  “Kill Fee.” I imagine a dark alley, two men in trench coats, hidden guns, and  whispers of murder for money. How about the term, “Nut Graf”? These are magazine article writing terms. Knowing these terms will enable…

By Darlene L. Turner @darlenelturner What are the trademarks of a villain? Do they have dark, piercing eyes, a snarly grin, crooked-yellowed teeth, knobby fingers, an evil laugh? Or is there more to it than that? The antagonist can be the hardest character to write but also the most fun. How…