The fun in reading comes from watching how a character achieves a goal despite lacking the skill that makes the goal easy.

Whether you're a Pantser or a Planner, starting a novel is the same -- start with "The Decision"

When you fake that truth or over-/under- sentimentalize a truth, it comes across as bad writing.

If you’ve been writing for even a short time, you’ve sat down to write and you've struggled.

We start our readers with easy level walking – introducing our characters, giving a brief show of what their world is.

The difference between good writing and Good! writing is not in the major issues.

Motivations for writing can differ far more than types of skis. But no matter what the goal, every writer needs to use the right equipment.

I needed to go big or go home. If you want to be a better writer, you need to be brave or put down the pen.

The biggest mistake I see with beginning writers is their paucity of knowledge when it comes to mechanics and grammar.

What works for one writer may not work for another. One writer may be able to break rules that another cannot.

Pick one character or action and explain its importance to yourself. Ask yourself over and over again those important writer questions.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But it’s also a lot like copying.

I don’t like to include physical descriptions of my characters in my writing. I’m often accused of this fault.

On a Thursday night, I listened to a poet read his newest stuff.

Readers need mental “take a breath” moments in a fight scene. Like swimmers holding their breath, eventually they need to come up for air.

Self-awareness is an end result. A new self-revelation is a great denouement. But until the character has struggled to learn, hold off.

Take the time to learn the skills, to learn the craft, to develop your talent. People will be reading books forever. You have time. Take it.

Our brains use inductive logic; thus, pairing two specific actions together gives the readers all they need to understand.

In order to SHOW your character’s emotions, you need to know WHY the character feels that way. This is not as simple as it sounds.

Narrative will not deliver a feeling alone. Instead, zoom in. Give the image of an action that creates the feeling. Here's how.

As you improve, focus more on the nuances of what you know and not the novelty of something new. I call this learning to “write small.”

To write dialogue, invert the reading process. Don’t use dialogue to deliver information. Use it to imply emotions and psychology.

Invert your craft. Start with the deeper psychology, and then write what they'd say because of the feeling, not to explain that feeling.

Think about how dialogue affects many other elements of writing all at the same time. Below are my Top Five Dialogue Techniques.