PubCrawl Podcast: Characterization – Protagonists
This week JJ and Kelly talk about the characterization of protagonists, how to get a vivid, realistic character, and whether or not “unlikeable” means “unsympathetic.” Subscribe to us on iTunes,...
View ArticleBuilding Blocks of a Novel: Scenes
Hi All! Today I want to talk about the next building blocks of a novel—scenes! (This is part four of a series built around a metaphor comparing a novel to a city. So far, we’ve imagined words as...
View ArticlePubCrawl Podcast: Characterization – Villains
This week Kelly and JJ continue with their characterization series with VILLAINS. Apologies for the audio quality this week, folks; this topic is apparently cursed as Kelly and JJ tried to record it...
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The Conference Report: SCBWI LA, and Why You Should Go
Hi all! Stephanie here today with fellow pub-crawler Stacey Lee to talk about how fun (and scary) writing conferences can be! Stephanie: I’m not normally a shy person. Most people would probably say...
View ArticlePubCrawl Podcast: Characterization – Ancillary Characters
This week JJ and Kelly continue with their characterization series by discussing ANCILLARY CHARACTERS. We love ancillary characters, they’re often our favorites! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher,...
View ArticleFinding the Emotional Power of Your Story World (With the Help of Harry Potter)
As some of you may know, I recently completed a three part series of posts about what to do before you start writing. While many of you responded well to the series as a whole, there was one thing many...
View ArticleShow Don’t Tell
If you listen to the PubCrawl podcast with me and Kelly, we often talk about the concept of “showing, not telling.” It’s one of those pieces of advice that’s constantly thrown out, but how is not often...
View ArticlePubCrawl Podcast: Introduction to Genre
This week Kelly and JJ begin their series on GENRE. This episode will serve as a general overview of “genre” as the publishing industry defines it. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, or...
View ArticleBuilding Blocks of a Novel: Chapters
Hi All! We’ve come to the final installment in my series on the building blocks of a novel. This is part five of a series built around a metaphor comparing a novel to a city. So far, we’ve imagined...
View ArticleTen Things That Taught Us To Be Better Writers
Hi, All! Stephanie here with my buddy, and fellow Pub-Crawler, Stacey Lee, with a post that we hope has a little something for everyone, regardless of which stage you’re at with your writing career....
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Guest post: From News to Novels: A Journalist Turns to Fiction
Hi all, Julie here! Today, my guest is R.J. Koreto. R.J.’s debut novel, Death on the Sapphire, releases tomorrow! He’s here today to talk about how he made the transition from journalism to fiction....
View ArticleBecause Magic: Stakes, Conflict, and the Price of Using Magic
Good morning, Pub Crawlers! Today I’d like to mainly focus on stakes in magic. Making up a world is hard work! You’re creating geography, cultural aesthetics, clothing, sometimes even language. You’re...
View ArticleLearning to Write
Once you have a grasp of grammar basics, how sentences are put together, arguably all you need to do to become a writer is 1) read a lot, and 2) write a lot. You don’t need a college degree or an MFA,...
View ArticleBeing Out There
How much of yourself do you put out there? It seems to me that a lot of authors wrestle with this, struggling to maintain a balance between being available and engaging . . . and feeling uncomfortable...
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Kill Your Darlings, and Some Trees
So you’ve written the first draft of your novel! Now what? Most writers will tell you to put it in a drawer for a week or month, to spend some time apart from it before you return to the manuscript...
View ArticleThings I Do While Editing
This is with pretty much every book I’ve ever written. One day, I hope to learn from my mistakes and really streamline the process, but I’m working on what will be my seventh published book (sixth...
View ArticlePubCrawl Podcast: Troubleshooting Craft – Kill Your Darlings
This week Kelly and JJ embark on their series on troubleshooting writing craft issues. In this episode, they discuss the adage “Kill your darlings”: what it means, how to identify it, and how to fix...
View ArticleCreating a Satisfying Character Arc
Hi all! Julie here! Today I’d like to talk about character arc—what it is and why it matters. I’d also like to share my own personal approach to creating an arc for a character. A character arc is the...
View ArticlePubCrawl Podcast: Troubleshooting Craft – Expanding & Elaborating
This week JJ and Kelly continue their series on Troubleshooting Craft, this time focusing on expanding and elaborating, or What To Do If You Need to Flesh Out Your Manuscript. Also, Kelly has strong...
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PubCrawl Podcast: Troubleshooting Craft – Earning Emotional Payoff
This week Kelly and JJ try to analyze what makes a book give them the Feels. What makes a book emotionally satisfying? Can a book be universally satisfying, or is it purely a personal thing? Also,...
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