Let’s be honest, y’all. Tropes have a bad reputation among fiction writers. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the word “trope” leveled at something like a weakness. “Oh, but she’s just writing to trope…” we hear, like putting tropes into your work is a bad thing. But let’s look at this from […]

Regardless of the length or genre of a story, creating tension is essential to holding readers' attentions. But what is the best way to add more tension to a story?  Often I see aspiring authors withholding information in an effort to be vague and cryptic, which only serves to frustrate readers instead of engage them. […]

There are so many moving parts when writing historical fiction. Not only are there the normal things—like character development and story structure—but there is all the historical research needed in order to put the reader firmly in a different time and place. What is often forgotten? The words themselves.  The use of language in historical […]

The day has finally arrived! After slogging through manuscripts, enduring the seemingly unending cycle of query and rejection, you did it—your dream agent has tendered an offer of representation. Celebrate! There are plenty of articles and blog posts out there that tell you what kinds of questions to ask your agent to determine if you […]

Most authors must do some book research to write a believable, compelling story. Historical authors might look up old newspaper articles, visit museums, or collect antique books from secondhand bookstores. Paranormal and fantasy authors may read up on mythology and magic or seek eyewitness‖ accounts of alien, ghost, or paranormal creature sightings. Romance suspense authors […]

You know what a pitch is, you know what a blurb is, you know they’re important. Here are a few helpful dos and don’ts to make writing each of them a little easier. Character names A pitch usually doesn’t have the room to use the fabulous names of your main characters. The character’s role or […]

 As I sat in the workshop I had paid hundreds of dollars for, one of my fellow attendees raised his hand and asked the famous instructor how many screenplays they had written. The instructor answered, “Oh, I’ve never written a screenplay…but if I wanted to, I could.” My jaw dropped. I wanted to shout out, […]

Many writers find themselves spooked when considering ghostwriting as a freelancing path. Writers struggle to make informed decisions about ghostwriting because the publishing industry largely keeps the practice hidden. When I took my first ghostwriting job twelve years ago, there were no books or podcasts or courses on ghostwriting. I stumbled through crazy scenarios to […]

No matter your route to publication, traditional publisher or self-publishing, there are a lot of large and small tasks that must be accomplished before you hit publish on a book. This is not a complete list, it’s a quickie cheat sheet to give you an idea of the size, scope, and timelines required to publish […]

Travel bans, social distancing, lost hugs, work, communication. Hospitals overflow, and, first-liners are overwhelmed and overworked. High fevers. Intubation. Death. If we did not know better, the last couple of years could be the stuff of a big-screen blockbuster. A movie some may not believe. But all too real, we worry. We struggle. We celebrate […]

Writing great dialogue is about so much more than the words the characters are speaking. When done right, it manipulates emotions in both the book characters and the readers. As such, learning to write sparkly dialogue is something every author should spend time analyzing. When you do this, you’re going to discover there are techniques […]

No character was born the moment the book starts – just like humans, characters have history: joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, good times and bad times. The sum of our experiences make us what WE are and, ultimately, determine the choices we make.  Characters are exactly the same. Backstory makes characters “breathe” – to […]

There may come a time—there will come a time. You and your editor have locked horns over some point of grammar or word choice or plot development. She insists that what you are doing is wrong, awkward, unprofessional, or not beneficial. You insist that this is how you want it. Where do you go from here? This […]

I’m a firm believer in writing what you love, not what you think will sell. For example, I write in two genres that have fallen out of favor with the big New York publishing houses…paranormal romance (PNR) and urban fantasy (UF). And not just any urban fantasy. Mine has the dreaded V-word…vampires. But did I […]

Writing a novel is like hiking up a mountain with a backpack loaded with rocks. Each rock is an essential part of your story. These include plot, characters, setting and much more. But working with them all together, in relation to the whole story, can become overwhelming. The Quarter Solution After I discovered four-part story […]

Facebook ads can be a fantastic way to drive traffic to books and increase sales, but there’s a lot that’s changing this year. Here’s a quick recap of what’s what and what authors can expect. The Backstory To start, let’s look at the context that is driving the big changes we’ll see in 2021. Facebook […]

If you're writing high fantasy, Sci-Fi, or something in that vein, solid worldbuilding is an absolute necessity. Even if your story is character-driven, you still need a fleshed-out world for them to adventure in. If your world isn’t established, it can pull the reader out of your story. However, you also don’t want your world to […]

Lawson Writer’s Academy The courses offered by the Lawson Writer’s Academy were a revelation to me—they are a guarantee of high-quality writing. The academy’s toolkit includes everything about writing craft, websites, marketing, and publishing. Wow. Everything to provide writers, newbies and seasoned, with inspiration, encouragement and knowledge. This is a smart home for writers. Writers […]

Kathleen Baldwin talks about the future of storytelling, transmedia, and how authors can ride the wave of change.

Hi y’all, Laura Drake here. I often say that Margie Lawson took me from good to sold, and it’s the truth. Her classes opened my eyes to another way to look at my work, and my ‘trip to the mountain’ for Immersion cemented it. I promised her as I left that I wasn’t giving up […]