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5 Fiction Writing Methods and Why None Is the ‘Right’ One
Explore five fiction writing methods, from Stephen King and Aristotle to Save the Cat and Fictionary—and why no single method is right for every writer.
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Mystery vs. Confusion: Not the Same Thing
One of the most common comments I make while editing a manuscript is, “This isn’t creating mystery. It’s creating confusion.” At first glance, the two can seem similar. In both cases, the reader doesn’t know everything that’s happening. But they produce very different reactions. Mystery makes readers turn the page. Confusion makes them put the…
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So… What Exactly Is Kickstarter? And Why Should Authors Try It
I’ll admit it. I’ve been telling myself for years that I should try Kickstarter. I’ve even worked with a couple of authors who ran successful campaigns on this crowd-funding website. Every time I watched one launch, I told myself, I should try that someday. I just didn’t have the courage. Until now. Over the past…
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How a Question About Book Edges Created an Ancient Library
One of the biggest misconceptions about using AI is that you ask a question and get an answer. Sometimes that happens. More often, at least for me, something much more interesting happens. Last night I sat down with a simple publishing question. Should my companion book, Claw, Elm & Charm, have sprayed edges? That was…
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Behind the Scenes: Building My First Kickstarter
The Kickstarter campaign for my Unleashed: Collector’s Edition Werewolf Trilogy is starting to take shape. Over the past month I’ve been designing collector’s editions, creating maps and character cards, commissioning artwork, planning reward tiers, and learning what goes into producing a campaign that readers will truly enjoy. It’s amazing how much work happens long before…
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Use AI to SELL More Books
Most authors think they have a writing problem. They don’t. They have a conversion problem. Your book can be well-written, well-edited, even beautifully designed—and still not sell. Why? Because readers never get past the decision point. That’s where AI can quietly change everything. Here’s what I mean. I took one of my own blurbs recently…
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Ego-Baiting: The New Nigerian Prince
I love to learn new words and phrases. Sometimes, though, it’s not just for the love of words, it’s to protect myself. The word for today is: EGO-BAITING. And just what does ego-baiting mean? It’s a particular type of scam that I’ve had dozens of authors call me about in the last few months. “Your…
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Permission to Start Small: Why January Is a Terrible Time for Big Writing Goals
Did you just spend the last week making New Years goals to write a book—or maybe two? Then take it to the top of the bestseller list, all while doing more exercise, keeping in touch with old friends, and eating homemade healthy meals every night. I did. And then I had a revelation. Maybe instead…
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Selling Without Amazon: Creating Your Online Bookstore
Wouldn’t you like to skip the middleman, reap all the profit from your book sales for yourself, and get the names and emails of your readers so you can keep in touch with them and build them into raving fans? Well you can. But it does take more work than just putting your book on…
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Is Perfection Paralysis Stopping you?
Perfect is the enemy of the good–Voltaire When is good enough…enough? When should you stop rewriting and go ahead and publish? Do you find yourself writing, writing, writing; always adding another chapter, thinking of a new small piece of information that just must go into your book, changing a sentence only to change it back…
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“The #1 Reason Books Don’t Get Finished (And How to Beat It)”
Months ago you set a goal: I’ll finish my book before the end of summer. Now, summer is over and autumn begins in just a few days. And you’re looking at your computer wondering where the time has gone. Have you written a paragraph? A chapter? Are you almost finished? It doesn’t matter where…
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How New KDP Algorithms Affect You
At the beginning of the summer Amazon made significant changes to its algorithms that changes the way you market your books on KDP. The new system is called “A10.” If you’re like me, you didn’t even know the old system was “A9,” but that’s certainly not what is important here. According to experts I’ve been…
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Do You Need AI?
As an author, your knee-jerk reaction might be: “No, I don’t need AI. Writers have done fine without it for centuries.” True. But in 2025, the publishing landscape looks very different than it did even five years ago. You may have seen ads claiming AI can help you write a book in a weekend and…
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7 Habits of Successful Authors
Seven Habits of Successful Authors What is the difference between a successful author and an unsuccessful one? Successful authors sell books! There’s only one problem, that’s not as easy as it sounds. With over 2.2 million books published last year, how can you make sure your book stands out in a crowd? Here are a…
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Are Your Readers Stuck in Your Glue Words?
“Glue words,” we all need them. But if you are using too many of them, you may be bogging your reader down, making your sentences less understandable, and eventually making them put your book down before it is finished. So what, exactly, is a “glue word” or a “sticky word?” Words such as “the,” “and”…
