by Randy Ingermanson

What's the dirtiest word in a writer's lexicon? Think about that for a minute before you read on. What's the worst thing you can call a fellow writer?

Here's what many writers would say: "Unpublished."

I've met a ton of writers at writing conferences. To break the ice, I usually ask them what they're working on. They'll spend ten minutes telling me all about their novel. Then, if they've not sold a book yet, they'll hang their heads like they're admitting to being a drug dealer or a congress-critter and mutter, "But I'm (shudder) unpublished."

Let's just dump that word. I've got a better one. When I was in college, I knew a lot of students who were hoping to get into med school. Some of them eventually made it. Some didn't. But here's the thing: I never heard any of them saying they were "unmedical" students. They said they were "pre-med."

Read more!

by Sandra Haven

Words are plentiful--and free. Just look in the dictionary! So how does a writer take these bare essentials and create a real, honest-to-goodness, worth-the-time-to-read, or better yet, worth-an-acceptance-from-a-publisher story? Here are four simple--yet powerful--rules used to create a story. Let's go over the rules first, then discuss how they can work for you.

WHAT

1. First, a story needs to have a main character, usually a person (sometimes an animal or even a machine in some instances) whom readers care about. Readers need to feel some kinship or fascination with the character--enough to make them want to stick with the character to see what will happen to him or her.

Read more!

by Arvind Singh

One of my friends recently remarked that reading or writing fiction in his opinion was a waste of time. Of course, he made this remark in jest. Yet I started to look at the value of fiction in a broad context in response to his criticism.

Read more!

by Lea Schizas

Bungee jumping, sky diving, secret mission, Indy 500: how do these events compare to the art of fiction writing? Each one brings to its ?doer? an element of anticipation, exhilaration, unfamiliarity, and adventure. A pure adrenaline rush. And as a writer of fiction, this is the plateau you want your reader to experience.

Read more!

by Matt Bacak

Any first time author who wants to get his novel published should ask John Grisham about the process. He endured a relatively modest 28 rejections before finding a publisher for his first novel, A Time to Kill.

Read more!

by Michael LaRocca

One of the nice things about being an author is that we can break any rule we want. (I just did.) It's part of our job description. Language changes through usage -- definitions, spelling, grammar -- and authors can help it do this. But on the other hand, we have to have some sort of agreement on the language or we won't be able to talk to each other.

Read more!

by Tameka Norris

The world is intrigued by true love stories just as much as fiction these days. Now, you can find a variety of sites dedicated to the reality of love at your perusal.

Read more!

by Deanna Mascle

Early in the process of writing, every writer will need to make a decision -- what person to write in?

Read more!

by Gideon O

Fan fiction is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it to create new plots in which to use these characters.

Read more!

by Kristy Taylor

The short story market is one of the hardest to break into. There are thousands of well-known writers pumping out short fiction, and thousands more just like you, struggling to get themselves published for the first time.

Read more!