Who is the Bigger-Than-Life Character in Your Bestseller-Kind-Of-Novel? The main characters in the bestseller-kind-of novel are bigger-than-life. No wimps here. You can?t just tell us what they do; you have to show us what they do. Prove that they?ve bigger-than-life. These are people who find ways to solve the problems around them. They outsmart the bad guys. The bigger-than-life character overwhelms the enemy, somehow. They blow up blockade, so to speak?literally or emot...

It is the dramatic question that grabs your reader and holds him or her. It creates a narrow path that forces the reader into suspense that won?t let go. It moves the story forward. All bestseller-kind-of novels have it. Have you noticed that untrained eyes want you to explain everything in that first line, first paragraph. But it is the ?Dramatic Question? that creates the hook. In my novel, the Mayor?s Wife Wore Sapphires, a mystery/thriller sprinkled with social comm...

I began my writing career as a poet, and I?m still a poet. So my journey into fiction was never a planned career move. In fact, my first short story arrived as a complete shock. No kidding. Because I have written and published poetry in books and magazines for years, I?ve developed a writing schedule that provides time to write every day, always a half hour after breakfast each morning and again after dinner every evening. I also keep a notepad and pen next to the bed to c...

If you?ve always wanted to write a novel, but found the traditional structured process too frightening or overwhelming, maybe your imagination works in a more organic fashion like mine. In that case, start with your main character and the idea the character gives you for the plot. Then close your eyes, grab your notebook or computer, and watch the main character. Sooner or later she or he will begin talking and moving around. When that happens, start writing! I guarantee what...

Have you ever read a passage and felt the breath of life, then was too speechless to describe it? That?s writing at its best. The method for creating such a moment comes from the use of emotions. Emotions are one of the single most important, touching, impressive and non-intrusive writing tools. It is often not recognized as a concrete tool, but as a feeling, a stirring, a capturing that catches the reader up in the fictive state. My aim is to take the mystery out of it. B...

Start your writing with conflict if you want to guarantee sales, grab an agent or publisher, get paid a big advance. Your protagonist wants something and your antagonist wants to block it. If you want to be the publisher?s star-of-the-month, just hand out a strong dose of conflict right up front. Bold like. Then, they?re wrapped up in your story and it?s too late for them to escape. Trust me, readers, agents and publishers are going to consider writing with a strong dose of c...

The world of creative writing is an ever expanding one as stories or genres continue to evolve in a natural reaction to the changes in time. Having confirmed writing skills, however, is not enough to succeed in creative writing. Having passion for it is more important than having technical expertise. Love for creative writing, and not adherence to the grammatical elements, is what will ultimately guide you to doing things properly and successfully. 6 Tips for Your First Ja...

Do you feel frustrated or unfulfilled with the songs you have written? Do you think your songs have to conform to a certain standard before they are any good? If so, what exactly are you comparing them to? You may find you have an unrealistic expectation of yourself or what you think a song is or should be. If you are unhappy with the songs you have written or think your songs are not what they should be, examine these three songwriting tips to focus your attention on clar...

The murder mystery genre? is alive and well and living at an on-line bookstore just a mouse click away. How is it that this over-utilized method of story-telling has remained so fresh and compelling after well over a hundred years? The answer lies in the basics of writing. Grab Them Where it Hurts and Their Minds Will Follow An author must first and foremost always tell a compelling story, involving, to one extent or another, recognizable three-dimensional characters. T...

When most of us think of a romance novel, we think of the racy covers, the buffed out hero and the half dressed woman on the front, looking like she's just been rescued by a handsome cowboy, a randy pirate or a handsome doctor. But weren't you ever taught not to judge a book by its cover? A romance novel, with the pen of a gifted writer, can be so much more than that. A good romance novel has, at its base, a conflict or challenge that must be overcome by either hero or her...