Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors

Explore the five elements that will help you craft the kind of closing line that caps your entire story and leaves readers with a feeling of unforgettable resonance.

In comparison to giving your overweight manuscript liposuction, fattening up an anorexic story often feels like trying to create something out of nothing.

When authors are dealing with large casts of characters, readers sometimes find themselves in grave danger of character overload.

What makes a good book? Everyone has his own take. Some readers like action, some prefer romance. Some like a little of both.

The opening line of your book is your first (and, if you don't take advantage of it, last) opportunity to grab your reader's attention and give him a reason to read your story.

If you find yourself with a dark character on your hands, stop worrying about whether or not audiences will like him and up the odds by giving him a dog to pet.

Let's take a look-see at some of the signs your scene may be more of the nothin' sort than the happenin' sort.

Let's take a gander at seven possible adhesives you can use to keep your protagonist and his antagonist stuck like glue.

Likable characters require careful crafting if they're to come to life in a way that is not only believable but compelling.

Make sure you're not letting any of these potentially tragic gaffes sabotage your reader's trust in your competency.

Guidelines for getting friends, family, co-workers, and pets to respect your writing time - without your needing to resort to death threats.

Life is too short and too full of stories for us to spend all our time slaving away on just one book.

The phrase "the story knows best" is a pie-in-the-sky concept used by writers to describe the indescribable.

This plot device might have worked for the ancient Greeks and Romans, but for modern authors it presents a number of difficulties.

Writers too often create unrealistic characters by imposing their own perceptions (or fantasies) onto the opposite sex.