Writing Tips

Plot: Are you “plot challenged”? This page offers advice on how to make your story more compelling.

Characterization: Hints on how to create believable and interesting characters. Don’t overlook the importance of populating your fiction with interesting people.

Style and Language: Many aspiring writers neglect the art of language in their fiction. The result is a bland, ordinary narrative that might fail to keep the reader’s attention. On this page, I offer some tidbits on how to improve.

Dialogue: A convincing story depends on convincing dialogue. The technique is much more difficult than many assume.

Thematic Development: What is theme? What are the writing tools that best develop it? Where can a writer go wrong?

Beginner’s Mistakes: Does your manuscript immediately mark you as an amateur? Did you write yourself into a corner? This page touches upon some of the mistakes commonly made by aspiring writers.

Structure: The structure, or organization, of your short story, essay, or novel will affect the impact of your writing. Learn to think about how the order of your story affects its impact.

How to get published: Although there’s no sure-fire way to get your work in print, this page offers some practical advice about submitting your work. Learn about query letters, formatting your manuscript, deciding whether you need an agent, and many more topics.

Suggested Reading: Books about writing, writers, and the literary life.

Select the topic that interests you

Click on the topic name to go to the desired page.

Do you want to be a published writer? Are you already published but in need of inspiration? I’ve supplied some mini-lessons on the various elements of fiction that might help you take your fiction to the next level. These tips for writers are hardly exhaustive––entire books are written on each topic––but they should offer writers a glimpse into how they can improve.