by Aubrey Reiss Taylor @aubtaybooks I’m a bit of an anomaly when it comes to WWII fiction. From the start, I have passionately focused on German-Perspective stories, favoring characters and storylines that challenge stereotypes and turn the standard tropes on their heads. It’s not about denying ugly truths—it’s about sinking deep into their side of the story. The task of …
How Wall Street Taught Me to Write a Thriller
by Kristine Delano “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Luke 8:17 I didn’t learn to write thrillers by studying crime scenes or participating in ridealongs. I learned by paying attention in boardrooms. Something happened years ago but the memory …
Writing Authority Figures. Who Has The Power?
By Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton Whether you are writing about kings, military officers, or an elementary teacher, authority figures contain layers of intrigue. The struggle for power that comes with authority can add conflict and tension to your novel. Let us look at the P-words that are associated with fallen, human authority figures. Power. Who bestowed power on your …
The Magical Gift of Imagination
by Ann H. Gabhart “When you start writing, the magic comes when the characters seem to take on a life of their own and write the words themselves.” — Alice Hoffman One of the questions writers often get when talking about their books and writing is what comes first when you are ready to start out on a new story …
Thanksgiving at Charlotte Lake
by Donald L. Reavis It’s Thanksgiving Day. I expect you’re looking for a heart-touching, tear-jerking story of a Thanksgiving past. I did my research and found one that may fit that description. This comes from an old friend of mine, William Lindberg. Over fifty years ago, William and his young wife, Claire, left their family in Wisconsin and moved west …
Four Tips for Creating a Teen Detective
by JPC Allen Since 2018, I’ve spent every day with my teen detective Rae Riley. She’s had a cameo in one short story and been featured in another as well as three novels. After working with her for so long, here are four tips for creating an engaging teen detective. A Reason to be a Teen Detective It’s better for …
The Runaway Character
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher Did you ever have a character demand a bigger part in the story? Luigi Pirandello wrote a play titled Six Characters in Search of an Author in which characters, who were created but never used, barge into a rehearsal and demand to be included in a production. That reality-twisting, groundbreaking play premiered in 1921. While …
Make Your Metaphors Marvelous
by Leslie DeVooght Don’t waste a chance to make your writing flourish with weak metaphors or worse, clichés. As a writer of Southern Fiction, sometimes it’s hard for me to not use one of the tried and true phrases. I mean “bless your heart” and “she’s as pretty as a peach,” will work in a pinch, and they do scream …
What’s in a Name?
by Deborah Raney There are many different ways authors come up with names for their characters and even more stories surrounding character names. Here are just a few of my stories. I wanted 12 kids and had a list of 24 names for boys and girls long before my first baby was born. Some of those names that I didn’t …
Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
by Rebecca Reed I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I think of a new story idea. I spend time thinking about characters, backstory, motivations, settings, and events. I call this “story noodling” and I love this activity. At some point, the newness wears off. Writing becomes less fun and more like work. I make excuses to …