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“But you don’t have to be a David Bowie fan to appreciate the power of the setting.” Last fall, I instructed a course at my local...

“The end of book one is the most crucial place in the entire series; it’s the catalyst for everything else to begin.” When I wrote my...

On November 8, 2023, Julie spoke to students in the School of Communication at Illinois State University about writing. I recently had...

“Master the craft of writing your fictional friends well and your story will jump from the page.” Which came first, the chicken or the...

“Every role is important. Every reader and early insight are critical to the release of a strong story.” The further I get into this...

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings .” – William...

“A book description on Amazon will make or break a sale, which means authors must do more than just simply copy and paste the back clover...

“Any element in the prologue that advances the story should be written in the story itself.” The most edited page of an entire...

“ There are no other words for it. I was, quite simply, suffering from writer’s block. ” I cannot pretend that there are not already a...

“What you think might snag a reader may turn out to just be a tiny nibble. And what you need is the hook, line, and sinker. Keep fishing...

Originally appeared on the Burning Soul Press Blog 4.4.22 Everyone thinks they can write a book. How hard can it be, right? You sit...

“Your mom is not a beta reader; she will not provide you with critical feedback because… well, she’s your mom!” Picture it. It’s the...

“I did all the wrong things first and learned from my mistakes.” My stomach still clenches thinking about the painstaking task of writing...