By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills   Emulating writers whose careers have soared into bestselling status provides us with amazing role models. We look for a road map with precise steps and no detours to accomplish the same goals. But every writer is different, and the destination isn’t always achieved the same…

By Eddie Jones, @EddieJonesTweet   How do you write a story with multiple points of view without confusing your readers? Which POV places the reader closer to the emotions and action? How do you create three-dimensional and believable characters with different camera angels? Let’s examine the three most widely accepted…

By Aaron Gansky, @adgansky   "Awful Dialogue Tags!" He Gushed Madly No reason to be ashamed here. We’ve all written them. While some of us are greater offenders than others, at some point, we’ve all over-written dialog tags. “Good morning!” he exclaimed wildly. “Good to see you,” he shouted excitedly.…

By Todd Allen,@ToddAllenAuthor   If you ever see me at a writing conference you’ll probably notice a brown writing journal clutched in my hand. If I don’t write down the jewels of wisdom I hear during these talks I’ll never remember them. Often I go back and read my notes…

by Katy Kauffman,@KatyKauffman28    Soft hues of gold, orange, and pink painted the sky as the sun set on that frigid December evening. I clutched my coat collar closer as I left the office. That’s when I saw her. Shivering on the curb, she wore only a tattered hoodie and…

By Deb Haggerty, @DebHaggerty   As an editor, I read—a lot! And I find I get impatient with certain contrivances authors tend to overdo. I realize part of what we do as writers is our voice, but I also realize part is trying to impress or to ensure our readers get…