by Sue Weems |
When you think of a love story, you probably think of the romance genre: a cover with a bodice-ripping hunk and a woman with hair streaming in the wind. But love stories show up in nearly every genre you can imagine, either as a main plot or as a subplot.
Why is that? What is a love story and why is this plot type so versatile? Let’s take a look.
by Liz Bureman and Sue Weems |
The English language is full of idiomatic phrases and figurative expressions that often take on new life in casual conversation. One of those expressions that often irks grammarians is the use (or misuse) of literally and figuratively. Have you noticed the overuse of literally in everyday speech? Today let’s look at these two terms and how to use them to our advantage as writers.
by Guest Blogger and Sue Weems |
Many writers dread the marketing part of being an author, believing they have to be omnipresent on social media, or pay for fancy blog posts or advertising. The truth is that if you learn a few basics about how to write SEO copy, you’ll draw readers and show them who you are as a real person and what you offer potential customers.
Mastering a few basics of SEO copywriting can help readers find your amazing content and share your voice with the world without feeling like you have to sell, sell, sell at every turn. Today we have guest writer Linda Walkovich to walk through the basics of SEO and share some SEO copywriting tips.
by Sue Weems |
Sometimes I have students who say they don’t like to write. I suggest that perhaps they haven’t found a subject or story worth writing yet. Then I ask them if they have any scars.
Inevitably, the stories pour out of them, and they point to their arms, their foreheads, and their legs revealing skateboarding mishaps, fights, and sometimes deeper trauma.
Scars often hold an entire world of story. We wanted something and the pursuit of it left a mark.
Giving a character a scar can be a cliché or it can be a fast-track to deeper character development. When you’re creating characters with scars, execution is key.
by Liz Bureman and Sue Weems |
If you’ve opened a novel and seen a quote on the opening pages then you’ve seen a literary epigraph. But what are they really? Why do authors use them? And how do you know if you need one for your own work in progress?