When I was a creative writing teacher, I thought about buying a stamp that said "show, don't tell." It would have made grading papers a lot faster. I would've worn out that stamp faster than anything else I've done before. And that right there is a prime example of telling, not showing! As a writer, … Continue reading Show, Don’t Tell: How to Master the Art of Writing Descriptions That Engage Your Readers
As a writer, your voice is what sets you apart from other writers. It's a mix of tangible and intangible factors your reader can point to in order to identify that you are indeed the author who wrote the piece. If you have a true voice, then your readers can instantly tell your writing from … Continue reading Finding Your Writing Voice: Actionable Tips for Developing Your Unique Style
Many writers and bloggers make the mistake of thinking they are done with a blog post as soon as they've written the final word, given it a quick once-over, and hit the publish button. While this can work for some bloggers who have a massive following, it certainly isn't the best approach to maximizing the … Continue reading 6 Things You Must Do Every Time You Publish a Blog Post
I have a confession: I don't make a living as a writer. Writing is not my day job. In fact, I rarely write at all these days, outside of lots of emails and some marketing strategies. And the occasional blog post. But I used to write a lot, and I used to make some decent … Continue reading How to Make Money As a Writer
One of the hardest things about writing a short story is figuring out the right way to bring it to a close. I've published over 200 short stories, but I have an equal number of unfinished short story ideas because I just couldn't figure out how to end them. It can be especially difficult to … Continue reading How to End a Short Story – Tips for a Compelling Conclusion
Writers can be very private and protective of their work, especially when they are in the writing process. I know I used to be this way, which is probably why I got rejected so much when I first started submitting my writing to be published. I eventually started to learn my lesson. I needed to … Continue reading What Are Beta Readers and Why You Need Them
Flash fiction. It's here, and then it's gone in a flash. Like a bolt of lightning. Or that superhero named the Flash. If you're a short story writer or a fan of short fiction, you have probably heard of flash fiction. It's kind of like the Usain Bolt of the writing world. But defining flash … Continue reading What is Flash Fiction? Everything Writers Need to Know
I've been told I write really fast. At one point in my life, I was cranking out thousands of words per day. This is what led me to publish hundreds of short stories. This is not the case anymore, mostly because career and life circumstances prevent me from writing much today, but I am still … Continue reading 5 Proven Techniques to Boost Your Writing Speed and Improve Productivity
When I served as managing editor of the once-popular literary magazine Bartleby Snopes, I once rejected a story because of extreme overuse of profanity that rendered the piece almost incoherent. The writer was not very happy about the rejection. In fact, in his response to my rejection, he said some of the most profane things … Continue reading How And When To Use Profanity In Your Writing
Why did the AI writing tool cross the road? To get to the other side of the story! Let me preface this post by saying that I'm a bit skeptical of artificial intelligence writing tools, and I don't advocate for these tools to replace human writers. A few months ago, I wrote a blog post … Continue reading Should Fiction Writers Use AI Tools To Help Their Their Stories?
