Burnt out from a subpar publishing experience and the COVID-19 pandemic, novelist Jaimie Engel decided it was time for a change in her writing career: from book writing to screenwriting.
Two months after completing a screenwriting course, Jaimie submitted her screenplay. And landed a contract...
It took 13 years before Linda Fifer published her debut novel The Road Between Two Skies.
At one point in those 13 years, Linda lost her manuscript and had to restart her project from the beginning.
Most “writers” would have given up after losing their manuscript. But not Linda. She...
Every book has a heart. It’s not just an idea; it’s why the idea matters. Whether it’s a nonfiction book, a memoir, or a novel, every book has a purpose. It has a “why."
The “why” is your answer to the question: “Why am I writing this book?”...
If you’ve spent time searching for tips on writing, you’ve probably come across the phrase “show not tell.” It’s a tip authors, editors, and agents commonly throw out. But what does it mean?
“Show not tell” is a scene-building technique. It’s how...
New writers know they need to revise their manuscript. But when you’re new at something, it’s often difficult to know where to start the revision process for novels and memoirs.
You might be relieved to hear that there’s not a one-size-fits-all revision process for novels and...
Do you want to write your family story? But don’t know where to start?
A family story is one of the best ways to preserve your history for future generations. It bonds your family together. And it can establish your legacy. Like all forms of writing, though, writing a family story can be...
“What do you look for in a manuscript?”
It’s a question every literary agent hears hundreds of times throughout their careers. And it’s the golden question writers want an answer to.
But answers vary from agent to agent. Most answers tend to be generic. Or they fail...
How do you start your memoir?
Some people just start telling stories from their life.
That’s one way. But it’s shortsighted.
A memoir, like all books, requires a strong idea—a thesis—that governs the book. It also requires idea development before you even begin writing....
“How do I know if my manuscript is ready for submission?”
You might never know fully. But careful review of your manuscript can get it closer to being publishing-ready.
Reviewing your manuscript is mostly intuitive. Of course, you need to clean up grammatical errors and make sure...
We all remember our high school research papers. Twelve or so pages of regurgitated facts, figures, and quotes. And completely devoid of voice. To describe them as boring would be an understatement.
Nobody really teaches you how to not lose your voice in your research. They just teach you how to...
“I have an idea for a memoir. But I don’t know how to structure it. What do I do?”
A memoir, like any book, needs to be structured. It needs to provide a compelling story and maintain your reader’s attention.
We spoke with Anna LeBaron, author of The Polygamist’s...
Didn’t you hear? Humans have the attention span of a goldfish.
The statement may be a stretch (even though Ted Lasso made us all believe it’s an immutable truth!), but the idea behind it isn’t. The attention span of a human is short.
You may wonder how a person’s short...
