story development Archives

DEALBREAKERS: 5 Reasons Your Book Won’t Sell

Jun 3, 2026 | On Writing

DEALBREAKERS: 5 Reasons Your Book Won’t SellFrom Career Authors — write. sell. repeat. 1. Your Protagonist Is not Smart and/or Brave and/or Relatable Is not unique in some way Doesn’t drive the action from beginning to end(Not all heroes wear capes.) 2....

Going Out on a Sub: An Agent’s Bag of Submission Tips & Tricks

Oct 16, 2024 | On Writing

It’s back to school–and back to submissions. As we enter one of the prime seasons in which to submit stories to publishers, let’s take a look at a baker’s dozen of pointers that may help you when you go out “on sub.” Base your story...

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!: One writer’s guide to writing through the pandemic

Nov 3, 2020 | On Writing

We’ve all heard the old writing saw Write what you know. I usually embellish this as: Write what you know. Write what you love. Write what you’d love to know. But thanks to the pandemic, many of us are spending way too much time at home, and I for one am getting...

Think Like an Agent

Aug 5, 2019 | On Writing

If you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish. If you want to get an agent, you have to think like an agent. That is, think like moi. (Even better, think like Janet Reid.) Move me. Like editors and publishers and readers, I’m looking for wonderful stories...

Writing Good First Lines: Think Theme

Jul 10, 2019 | On Writing

First lines matter. For readers, they’re a welcome sign, the promise that they’re in for a satisfying reading experience. For agents and editors, they’re proof that you know how to open a story in a way that keeps readers reading. If you don’t nail those opening...

DEALBREAKERS: 5 Reasons Your Book Won’t Sell

Going Out on a Sub: An Agent’s Bag of Submission Tips & Tricks

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!: One writer’s guide to writing through the pandemic

Think Like an Agent

Writing Good First Lines: Think Theme

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