Tips and Articles for Writers on Writing
Do you have an article you'd like me to link to on this page? Feel free to submit your article links.
My Articles on Writing
- Defeat Your Writing Demons: Turn off your obsession with perfection
- Writing Methods That Work...Or Don't
- Safety Isn't Just a Word...
- Tips for Fighting Writer's Block
- Writers' Technology: Using Microsoft Windows Briefcase
- Time Management for Writers
- My Project Binder
- Word Tutor - Articles to help you become familiar with Word's more useful features for writers.
- One Hell of a Critique Partner, or the Critique Partner from Hell
- Show, Don't Tell: the basics of showing — not telling — in fiction writing.
- I Don't Believe That (or Suspended Disbelief)
- Clichés (You might call this one a tip or blurb; it doesn't really have the length to be considered an article.)
- Spell Check (Same as above; this one's not as short, but isn't really an article.)
Links to Writing Articles
These articles are off-site. I've tried to organize the links in such a way that you can easily find articles relating to common topics. For articles about agents and the publishing industry, go to my writers' resources page.
Character
- Creating Strong Characters by Deborah S. Rossman
Heroes & Heroines
Villians!
- Villains Are People, Too, But... by Stella Cameron
- The Villain: Developing the Diabolical Prima Donna (PDF file!) by Lisa Gardner - Because villians are characters too!
Character Motivations, Goals, and Conflicts
- Character Motivation by Alicia Rasley
- External Vs Internal Conflict by JoAnn Ross
Character Charts
- Eclectics Character Chart - Everything from physical characteristics to backstory.
Critiques
- Critiquing Tips by Pam McCutcheon
Dialogue
- Dialogue Tips by Pam McCutcheon
- Dazzling Dialogue Tips by Alicia Rasley
General Craft Topics
- In Defense of the Maligned "was" — Debunking an RWA Myth by Lois Winston
- Layering and Texturing by Julie Leto
Goals & Motivation (yours!)
- Motivation by Lori Foster
- Perserverance by Julie Leto
Manuscript Format & Submitting
- Estimating Word Count by Pam McCutcheon
- Manuscript Format for Fiction Novels by Pam McCutcheon
- Manuscript Format Guidelines by JoAnn Ross
- Proper Manuscript Format by Rebecca Sinclair
Plotting
- Seven Secrets of Romantic Suspense (PDF file!) by Lisa Gardner
- Plotting the Novel: Otherwise known as, The Real Reason Writers are Neurotic (PDF file!) by Lisa Gardner
- Suspense Is More Than Surprise by Alicia Rasley
- Thirteen Prime Principles of Plot by Alicia Rasley
- Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes by Alicia Rasley
- Plotting Without Fears by Alicia Rasley
Query Letters
- Query Letters: Do them Right! by Lori Foster
- The Perfect Query Letter by Gail Eastwood
Revision
- Fifteen Pointers for Polishing Your Prose by Cynthia Sterling
- Self-Editing by Lori Handeland
- Write Tight: A 10 Step Diet for the Verbose Writer by Lois Winston
Romance Genre / Industry
- A Celebration of Women Writers
- Are Academic Opinions About Romance Novels All Negative? by Elaine Wethington
- Are Feminism & Romance Novels Mutually Exclusive, by Kay Mussell
- Feminism & Romance by Catherine Asaro
- For Romance Author Nora Roberts, Writing is Ultimate Passion
- Forbidden Pleasures: The Popular Romance Past & Present, by Amanda Kinard
- Genre Jumping by Julie Moffett
- Get Your Bodice-Ripping Hands off My Genre! by Tracy Jones
- I Don't Read That! by Kathleen Nance
- In Defense of Romance, a collection of essays by Suzette L. Mako
- Libraries & Romance by Adrienne Basso
- Love's Quivering Rose: In Defense of Romance Novels, by Augusta Wynne
- Mainstreaming by Katherine Deauxville
- Romance Novelists: Profits Without Honor
- Southern Literature by Dorothea Benton Frank
- Subversion
- The HEA Ending from All About Romance
- The HEA Ending - Part Deux from All About Romance
- The HEA Ending - Part III from All About Romance
- The Mid-list Crisis by Katherine Deauxville
- The Mid-list Crisis by Barbara Samuel
- Too Darn Hot by Julia Gracen
- What is a Romance Novel? from All About Romance
- What Women Really Want by Staci Stallings
- Willing Surrender: The Politics of Writing Romance, by Erika Wentworth
- Women's Fiction v Romance by Barbara Samuel
- You Can't Write That in a Category Romance by Virginia Kantra
Setting
- Setting by Lori Handeland
- Setting and Character Interactions by Alicia Rasley
- Using the 5 Senses to Create the Perfect Setting by Peggy Moreland
- Where Am I? The Importance of Setting to Your Romance Novel by Julie Leto
- A Place by Any Other Name is Still a Place by Margaret (Meg) Chittenden
Sex
- Keys to Sexual Tension by Katherine Garbera
- Sex in the Romance: A Review of Romantic Encounters of the Close Kind by John L. Ferri
- Steaming Up Your Love Scenes: A Workshop by Emma Holly (For Romance Writers And Others) - Excellent Article!
Synopsis
- How to Avoid the Top Ten Mistakes in Writing Synopses by Pam McCutcheon
- Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis: A Series of Ten Lectures by Lisa Gardner
- How-To Write a Synopsis by Rebecca Sinclair
- Synopsis Creation - Plot Revision by Alicia Rasley
- Synopsis of A Husband by Law: by Cynthia Sterling
The Beginning, Middle, & End
- Beginnings, Middles, and Ends: The Purposes by Alicia Rasley
- Details, Details by Alicia Rasley
- End Thoughts by Alicia Rasley
- On the Brink: Turbocharge Your Opening by Alicia Rasley
- Scenes on Fire! by Alicia Rasley
- Tightening the Sagging Middle by Alicia Rasley
- Structuring the Story by Alicia Rasley
- Setting the Tone-or-Hooking the Reader and Keeping Her on the Line by JoAnn Ross
- Subtle and Sensual by Alicia Rasley
Theme
- The Promise of the Hot Premise by Alicia Rasley
- Finding Your Premise-Or What's This Story All About? by JoAnn Ross
Viewpoint
- Point of View by Pam McCutcheon
- Switching Point of View by Meg Chittenden
- Omniscient Viewpoint by Meg Chittenden
Voice
- Ditching "The Book Of Your Heart" for "The Book Of My Voice" by Julie Leto
- Finding Your Writing Voice by Cynthia Sterling
Misc
- The Routine Autopsy: The Procedure Related in Narrative Form, A Guide for Screenwriters and Novelists by Ed Uthman, MD - (uthman@neosoft.com) Diplomate, American Board of Pathology
- Copyright Basics by the U.S. Copyright Office
- Multiplicity by Alicia Rasley
- Selling That Manuscript by Jo Beverly
- Taking Hello for Granted by Lois Winston
- To the Manuscripts I've Loved Before... by Julie Leto
- Writer's Cheat Sheets by Michelle Jerott / Michele Albert
An interesting collection of "cheats" that includes character info, editing tips, and advice for a 5 minute pitch
