The root of a good story is always conflict. The more, the better. But you don’t like conflict in your own life. No one does. You’d like to be nice to your characters. Give them easy lives. Get over it. You’ve got to have conflict to keep people turning pages. How to set up conflict? […]
How to write back-cover copy, from James Scott Bell
Back-cover copy–the blurb you’ll put on the back cover of your book– is a key marketing tool. You’ll use the same blurb for a query, if you’re querying agents and editors. So how do you do it right? You need to tease the potential reader with cool stuff about your book but include NO spoilers. […]
Story Structure: the Man in the Mirror Moment
One of my favorite subjects is how to craft a story with good structure. It’s so important. A writer can learn all kinds of crafty skills, write you-are-there scenes, and still have a story that falls flat–unless a good structure holds it up. Today I’m talking about what is sometimes called the man-in-the-mirror moment, or […]
What inspires author Misty Beller?
by Misty Beller All my life, I’ve been a true book lover. Give me a good novel, and you probably won’t see me again until it’s finished. I’ve also always enjoyed writing in school or for work, and tend to express myself best through my written correspondence. But I never seriously thought about writing a […]