José Pablo Iriarte, author and educator, explains the necessary nuance in telling stories that include characters with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Iriarte names two ways that writers can fail when creating characters from marginalized...

Anyone who has seen a Hallmark movie can dissect a true romantic plot with ease. We know the conventions because they historically work well in a story. However, these plots are constantly being subverted and twisted by authors to create other, interesting...

Listen to debut author Dawnie Walton discuss the inspiration behind her book The Final Revival of Opal & Nev , an electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic 1970s rock duo, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they...

Author and editor Leah McNaughton Lederman says the category of creative nonfiction includes genres like memoir, personal essay, travel writing, food writing, and more. The writing is based around true stories and real experiences and uses the literary...

Cartoonist, author, and illustrator Rob Harrell is known not only for his popular comic strip Big Top , but also for his critically acclaimed graphic novels and novels for children. His work includes Monster on the Hill , Life of Zarf , Batpig , and...

When author, editor, and ghostwriter Kathi Macias first started writing in the ‘80s, she would spend days at the library doing research. Now, she is able to conduct all of her initial research on the internet. She’ll gather as much basic information...

New writers commonly underestimate the amount of time and dedication it takes to complete and publish a book. For author and writing instructor Christina Hoag, the journey for completing and publishing her first novel was a much longer process than she...

New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig finds herself to be most productive and creative when she writes during the daytime, and not at night. She starts each morning by reading what she wrote the day prior, makes any necessary adjustments, and...

New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig writes in a variety of romance subgenres because as a reader, she enjoys reading a variety subgenres. While stories in the romance genre have commonalities like ending with "Happily Ever After", there are...

When author Jeanne Lyet Gassman started conceptualizing the storyline for her book Blood of a Stone , she knew she wanted to tell the story of Jesus' ministry and life from an outsider's point of view. This approach gave her a little more freedom with...