One Quick Tip for Effective First-Person Writing

One Quick Tip for Effective First-Person Writing

First-person perspective is kind of like cheese: some people love it, some people hate it, and when it’s poorly done, it grates.

Sorry for the pun.

I personally love first-person, and it is my joy to share one simple, quick writing tip that can help your first-person perspective writing shine: cut the filter words.

The Powerful Reason You Should Tell Your Story

The Powerful Reason You Should Tell Your Story

For a lot of us, this has been a rough year, a tiring year, a painful year.

Some years carry a heavier toll than others, and this is one of them. Yet in spite of that—or maybe because of it—there’s something you need to do: tell your story. I know how tired you are. I know some of you you don’t feel heard. I know some of you might fear you don’t matter.

You do.

JK Rowling’s Writing Process: 9 Principles You Can Use From Rowling’s Philosophy of Writing

JK Rowling’s Writing Process: 9 Principles You Can Use From Rowling’s Philosophy of Writing

If you’re like me, you loved the Harry Potter series. Maybe you watched the movies or even visited the theme park, and you wondered about JK Rowling’s writing process and the strategy she uses to write her best-selling books.

If you’re like me, though, you’ve also been deeply hurt by things Rowling herself has said. On Twitter, on her website, in interviews, and more, Rowling has promoted harmful views of trans people, and you might be one of her many readers who find it painful, or even impossible, to return to the Harry Potter stories you once loved.

I understand. Before I dive into the wisdom we can draw from Rowling’s writing process, allow me to share a principle with you.

3 Ways to Start Your Novel

3 Ways to Start Your Novel

Beginnings matter.

We only get one chance to hook our readers, to pull them in, to guarantee they must read on. That’s probably why so many writers panic over how to start writing those first few pages of a novel.

So how do you start a novel? Where is the best place to begin? Take heart, dear reader: in today’s post, I’ll give you three ways to start a novel, a bonus nugget about antagonists, and a key question to ask yourself before you get to work.