Notes from the house
Writing novels with less grind: dictation, outlining, continuity, and the craft of getting the book done.
Is my novel epic fantasy or heroic fantasy?
Battles, magic, creatures, a long book: so which label is it? It has less to do with length than with whose story you're telling.
Do professional authors use AI? What the numbers actually say
BookBub found that 45% of authors use AI, and the headline upset a lot of people. The details tell a calmer story: what authors use it for, how often, and where they draw the line.
Surprise, mystery and suspense: what's the difference, and when should you use each?
Three ways to keep a reader turning pages, three different emotions, and how to choose between them, starting with whether to give your twist away.
How to write faster
A few tips for the aspiring prolific writer, and a few reasons you might want to take it slow.
What to do when you're stuck
Being stuck isn't one problem. Here are five kinds, and what gets you out of each one.
What is a story beat, actually?
Everyone talks about beats, but few people say what one is. Here's how to tell one apart from everything else, with examples.
How to write better character biographies
A couple of tips you won't see anywhere else.
My manuscript is 500k words. Now what?
A four-step way through a huge draft that doesn't involve shelving it.
How to make great ads for books
Four tips for book ads that actually sell.
5 ways authors who like writing can use AI
You don't want a machine to write your book. Fine — neither do we. Here are five jobs around the book that AI does well: research, ads, editing, translation, and your website.
How to line edit your own novel
Five craft-level editing tips that go past the usual advice. Tell in moderation, watch your POV, compress, escalate, and — above all — trust the voice that makes your book yours.
What writers get wrong about beat sheets
If you talk about beat sheets with a writer, there's a 50% chance they'll hate them and a 50% chance they treat them as a recipe. But the reality is more nuanced.
