By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Last week I finished a book and sent it to my publisher. Celebration time! Relief and satisfaction soared through me for completing the writing project. As always it was difficult from the time I researched my story idea until the editing stage. Editing is as much…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We writers have habits, some quirky, that help us begin new writing projects. Today I’d like to share with you how I organize my thoughts and preparations before writing chapter one, line one of a new novel. I’m mostly an organic/pantster writer, but some things I…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills I live and breathe story—most writers do. And we’re always looking for ways to ensure our characters and their predicaments are exciting and unique. Some of the places we look can be a bit . . . different. But the exploration is worth it. Here are…

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson I know it seems that the to-do list of an author goes on and on. But in short, the answer is yes. We each need an author newsletter in addition to the connections we’re making on social media. The reason for this is simple, we don’t…

by Bethany Jett, @BetJett Your First Reader is a super important person in your writing journey. As writers, we get so close to our projects, our writing "babies," if you will, that it can be difficult to take a step back. Having a second set of eyes (or three or four)…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A bowl of M&Ms might propel your creativity, but I want to talk about the kind of candy that sweetens our writing, the books that take our craft to the next level. When I’m stuck on creating a character with unique goals: The Art of Character…