Twitter, Facebook, and other tools in the social media toolbox may seem overwhelming, especially if your goal is classic prose rather than 280-character tweets. If used strategically and efficiently, however, social media can raise your visibility...

Twitter, Facebook, and other tools in the social media toolbox may seem overwhelming, especially if your goal is classic prose rather than 280-character tweets. If used strategically and efficiently, however, social media can raise your visibility...

Many authors choose to blog as way to connect with readers. Blogging is a time intensive activity but there are various tools that will help an author streamline the blogging process and blog more effectively. Planning tools Blogs are publications...

Authors need viable story ideas. But where to find them? In truth, story ideas are everywhere, but successful authors are like gem hunters: they keep the diamonds and toss the quartz. A good story idea has to be weighty enough to support a novel, and...

Given the difficult task of converting the novel The Orchid Thief into screenplay form, Charlie Kaufman defined adaptation by creating the quaint masterpiece known as Adaptation. By writing himself and his nonexistent twin into the film Kaufman was able...

Grammar can trip up even the best of us, but it doesn’t have to bore you to death. Remember, good grammar helps you express yourself more clearly and creatively. Here are a few refreshers for writers. Avoid the passive voice as if the devil himself...

You just put the last period on the first draft of your manuscript. Now what? Resist the urge to go back to page 1 to start editing. You’ll get lost in details. Instead, edit with a plan that will guide you from fixing big picture issues like structure...

There are many choices in software tools for outlining a story, from simple programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project (Mac versions of Word and PowerPoint are Pages and Keynote), to more complex object-oriented programs, including...

In the current scope of film-making and its potential for money both gained and lost, producers work carefully to ensure that their chosen projects will get the desired return on investment in order to keep their respective company afloat. With consideration...