“Suspenseful” is not how I’d describe a game of chess, but Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel The Queen’s Gambit is the exception. The incredible popularity of the Netflix show, which is a beat-for-beat adaptation of the book, proves that the source material succeeds in creating narrative tension. “Tension” can be defined…

In terms of point of view (POV), most authors either write in first person (using the pronoun “I”) or third person (using the pronouns “he,” “she,” or “they”). Here, I’ll cover the ins and outs of first person, including: Advantages and disadvantages of a close POV Types of first-person narrators…

Sharpen your prose by capturing snapshots in time — I first encountered vignettes when I was writing short stories and discovered a publication dedicated to the literary form. I ended up writing a few pieces for fun and submitting them. As my first foray outside of fiction, I discovered the benefit of vignettes in improving my prose. …

Why a beat sheet is the best way to see the forest for the trees — Vaccinated or not vaccinated, employed or underemployed, it is really hard to write right now. And it’s no picnic to revise. Your mind wanders, the very act of writing feels futile, maybe irrelevant. But you must create — you must! When we write or revise well, it takes us out…

Everything a writer needs to understand, find, and use alpha and beta readers to foolproof their story — When you complete a story and edited it to the point where you think it is good, that is when you turn to beta and alpha readers. Critique groups aren’t the same as beta and alpha readers, however. …

My favorite Medium contest entries this week — I can’t stop reading the Medium contest entries. I always say contests bring out our best work as writers, and this has certainly been true on Medium this month. Grab a comfy chair and let these incredible writers wrap you up in their worlds. Each essay is a few minutes…

You need to open a separate file for it — My heart beats as I drive the cursor towards the draft. To click or not to click? I dread reading the private note the editor may have left on my latest article. I change my mind. I ignore the draft, and I get back to typing another one. I tell…

Get more out of the books you read — Many famous writers have stressed the importance of reading to become a better writer. Stephen King observed is his memoir On Writing, “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. …

How a well-meaning piece of advice gets twisted around — We’ve all been there. You find yourself a beta reader, or you swap manuscripts with another writer, or you take a creative writing class. You share your story and wait for feedback and eventually, inevitably, you get the following advice: “Show, don’t tell.” Ugh. This is the most common advice…

At least … not yet … I recently saw a post on one of my social media feeds from someone asking if other writers offer ideas on who he should hire as a writing coach. …

Writing is more discipline than passion — I fell in love with the process of writing early in my life. Working a new idea through in my head got me wildly excited. Sitting for hours in a coffee shop madly scribbling chapter notes made me feel like I was on my way to becoming the next greatest…