Today I discuss Jack Bickham's advice about how to transform your story ideas into a novel. All quotations are from Mr. Bickham'...

How many different kinds of crime stories are there? Yesterday I happened across this gem of an article by Ed McBain : She Was Blond. S...

Someone once said to me: The first few pages of a novel sell that novel, the ending of the novel sells the next novel. I believe t...

Choose Your Own Adventure stories seem to be making a modest comeback thanks to tablets and smart phones. Today I'd like to look at...

I'm reading Ben Bova 's excellent book, " The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells ." I knew I wanted to rea...

Last night I finished "The Testament" by John Grisham.  Changing POV within a story Interesting book. It opens with ...

Today I'd like to talk about outlining.  Outlining doesn't have to be mechanical. From several discussions I've had...

This is a question I've asked a time or three: How does a writer keep readers turning the page? 1. Tell a gripping tale. Th...

Today I'm turning my blog over to Will Hahn. I've been interested in Will's writing ever since I learned he considers hims...

This morning someone asked me:  What makes a scene gripping? What characteristic, more than any other, draws a reader into a story? ...