Writing a story is like dropping breadcrumbs for the reader, and, in that way, every story is a mystery. The author leads the reader through the breadcrumbs. A well-written story with breadcrumbs prop...

Yes, we’re already doing so many things, it can feel like an impossible task to add on one more thing, even if it’s “Enjoy the fall season!” But we can do both. I love fall—it’s still warm, but there’...

How to Stop a Dragon From Eating Your Best Friend -a Short Story. His father’s voice sounded thick and crackly, “It was the dragon.”

This Little Piggy Went to Market

The Mystery of A Nubbins is a new 339-page self-published middle-grade novel written and illustrated by W.S. Wiist

Even seasoned authors get bored, confused, tired, and say, “What was I thinking? I can't do this."

Where Do You Turn for Writing Advice? Most of the advice that’s available online for free is for beginners.

Quick quiz. 1. Middle Grade heroes rely on others to solve their problems. True or False 2. Middle Grade heroes blame others for their problems. True or False 3. Middle Grade heroes take responsibilit...

If you find your story or your protagonist stomping away from you like Frankenstein’s monster refer to your answers to these questions.

Filling the Days of Summer

Are You Pregnant? And Other Things Best Left Unsaid, comparing yourself to others is right there with never asking a woman if she’s pregnant.

Girls and Young Women as Role Models. She, along with three young men, also teenagers, were being interviewed because they did something.

What’s a MacGuffin? Quick answer: a MacGuffin is a trope that authors use. Tropes are devices a writer fetches from their toolbox.

If you find yourself writing about Shanghai and have never been and can’t manage a tripat the moment, get yourself to the library.

I think ideas are as amazing as dreams. Trying to figure out where your dreams came from, or why you’ve dreamed about an ex-boyfriend who is suddenly a French poodle flying from South Africa to Mendoc...

It's the emotion that follows the reason that makes for a sympathetic character.If you can make your readers feel, you’ve got them.

Trouble finding the emotional core or character arc? Then listen to your favorite songs and, maybe, you’ll be Getting to the Good Part

Advancing the Project. In addition to advancing my goal of eating less sugar, I also finished a major edit of a middle grade manuscript.

There is so much hope in children’s books.They should be prescribed by doctors and therapists. (Don’t send hateful comments)

The day when you’ll only have time to write (or whatever your project is), that day will never arrive. So, do some carving

How to Tell If You’re a Writer. You might be a writer if….Here are my top 20 clues. 20. You love coffee. 16. You love to read.

Use Tropes in Middle Grade Fiction. In literature, a trope is a device, a theme, a motif or symbol that appears regularly in literary genres.

Once you’ve figured out your concepts, premises, and loglines, write them on a card to put near your laptop to refer to when you get stuck.

We sail into the village, my mother and me.Not like Mary Poppins or that Vianne character from Chocolat. We Arrive with the Wind.

Writing involves so many pieces. I’ve talked about theme (LINK) and character (LINK). Today, I’m trying to tame story, structure, and plot

Sometimes, the thing that comes first for me when I’m writing is a first line. But that can make it difficult to weave a story around. Then, I might have to kill my darling first line and start over. ...

How Reaching Beyond the Low-Hanging Fruit Can Enrich Your Life and Your Writing. Who among us hasn’t reached for the bag of pretzels or