by Sara | Jul 17, 2019 | Craft
I hate writing blurbs, you hate writing blurbs, we all hate writing blurbs. It’s a magical experience that connects us writers. Your blurb is your sales pitch—maybe why we all struggle with them. It’s important to get them right. Your cover draws a reader in,...
by Sara | Jul 10, 2019 | Craft
The first lines of a novel are first impressions. There are hundreds upon hundreds of books out there. What sets yours apart from others? There are many answers to this question. Three-dimensional characters. A vivid, engaging world. Strong, authentic voice. Sure,...
by Sara | Jul 3, 2019 | Craft
There are no clear-cut rules for creating amazing, vivid descriptions in a narrative. Let’s be real, it can be difficult. Descriptions are so important because they situate the reader in the story and convince them this world is real, giving them something tangible to...
by Sara | Jun 19, 2019 | Craft
Do you know the difference between active and passive voice? I see so many authors struggling to understand the difference, so let’s talk about what makes a sentence active or passive. Active vs. Passive In a sentence that’s using active voice, the subject is...
by Sara | May 29, 2019 | Craft
Write what you know. My first exposure to this idea was in college. I can’t tell you how many times we discussed it in my creative writing classes, and I loved every bit of it. When I first discussed it, I was a staunch believer that I didn’t write what I knew—I wrote...
by Sara | May 22, 2019 | Craft, Punctuation
Writing dialogue can feel like pulling teeth. We’ve all been there. In fact, many writers consider it to be the hardest part of writing. Having choppy, unrealistic, or just cringe-worthy dialogue can ruin a story. As a reader, I’ve put books down before because...
