Writing Better Banter: 4 Tips for Making Your Readers Laugh Out Loud

(Originally published at WritersDigest.com 9/15/22) Writer's Digest continues to be one of my favorite resources for my work, especially on the creative fiction side. One of the things I used to struggle with was writing dialogue. If that's an issue for you, click HERE for a great article on conquering that challenge.

The 17 Most Popular Genres in Fiction

Writing is awesome & I'm a big fan of sites/magazines that help me become a better participant of the craft. The site WritersWrite.co.za is pretty great. They send a small daily newsletter to your email featuring various lists along with writer quotes, a daily cartoon, word of the day, et al. I highly recommend signing … Continue reading The 17 Most Popular Genres in Fiction

Writer’s Digest: Rolling the Dice-How Playing D&D Made Me a Better Storyteller

For anyone who loves fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons is typically somewhere in their history. While I haven't partaken in some time, I spent a lot of time as a youth tempting Satan & playing the game with friends. For writers of fantasy & sci-fi, D&D offers up great background material & opportunities for universe building. Angela … Continue reading Writer’s Digest: Rolling the Dice-How Playing D&D Made Me a Better Storyteller

Chuck Wendig: On Writing What You Want, Without Permission

If you spend any time here on my blog at all, you'll see Chuck Wendig's influence. Whether it's reviewing one of his books, writing flash fiction based off his challenges at Terrible Minds, or whether it's passing along his knowledge & tips on literary stewardship, Wendig is up there with Stephen King & Neil Gaiman … Continue reading Chuck Wendig: On Writing What You Want, Without Permission

Chuck Wendig: How To Be A Professional Author & Not Die Starving & Screaming In A Lightless Abyss

Chuck Wendig indirectly led to my wanting to move from a career in journalism to one in fiction writing, thanks to StumbleUpon & a little piece of weird on his website. Earlier this morning, I read an article on Medium from Heather Demetrios which should be mandatory reading for any & all writers wanting to … Continue reading Chuck Wendig: How To Be A Professional Author & Not Die Starving & Screaming In A Lightless Abyss

Why Writers Should Embrace Their Weird Side

A number of years ago, I attended a book reading/signing hosted by Z. Brewer. As he shared stories of a youth spent bullied for being different (Z was born Heather and would announce a year or so after this he is trans), he said something that really resonated with me. "Own your weird." Both as … Continue reading Why Writers Should Embrace Their Weird Side

14 Neil Gaiman Quotes for Writers

(Swoon) Like a lot of folks, Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers for a number of reasons. His work on Sandman was incredible, his Batman story "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" is one of the best stories ever written about the Dark Knight, and Good Omens is still one of my favorite … Continue reading 14 Neil Gaiman Quotes for Writers

Reviews, Literary Thoughts & All Things Wordy

I used to write for a site called LitStack. It was run by an incredible group of people who just loved books. All kinds of books written by all kinds of people. I penned a number of reviews as well as several "open" pieces that were included with similar articles written by the other contributors … Continue reading Reviews, Literary Thoughts & All Things Wordy

How to Overcome the Fear of Coming Out as a Writer — First Edition Design Publishing – a hybrid publisher

Are you nervous about coming out as a writer? Maybe you just want to write for yourself and not share your words with others? It can be scary putting yourself out there. I have that fear too – even after writing and publishing hundreds of posts and a range of books. A short while ago, […] … Continue reading How to Overcome the Fear of Coming Out as a Writer — First Edition Design Publishing – a hybrid publisher