How to effectively use dialogue tags in fiction
Here’s why editors frown upon overly creative dialogue tags – and why you should, too.
Nicki Porter
Heidi Pitlor: Page turner
Author/editor Heidi Pitlor knows how to get inside a character’s – and a reader’s – head.
Caroline Leavitt: Portrait of a modern novelist
Best-selling author Caroline Leavitt has had both towering highs and staggering lows in her long career. Here’s what she’s learned after 11 novels and several decades in the industry.
How Caroline Leavitt writes a novel
This New York Times best-selling author walks us through her process for crafting her mega-popular novels.
May Sarton’s advice for young poets
Timeless tips from a true master.
Barbara Neely: A part-time novelist shares her secrets
Mystery writer Barbara Neely wrote her first novel Blanche on the Lam while working a 60-hour-a-week, full-time job.
Announcing the winners of our “Great Break” short story contest
Congratulations to Signe Bergstrom, Anthony Howcroft, and Marie Smysor Watson.
Word key: SEO tips
How seriously should you take SEO keywords?
Kelly Gardiner and “Goddess”
“I heard that voice, crystal clear in my mind, even before I started writing. Weird.”
Mary Karr interview: Boss of memoir
She didn’t create the form, but Mary Karr has a lot to say about the art of telling your own story.
Mary Karr on “Lit”
This first-class memoirist dissects the first words of the prologue in her third memoir.
Mary Karr’s favorite memoirists
The boss of memoir opens up about her new book and her favorite authors.
The Bitten Word: Food writing notes from the blogosphere
Zach and Clay from The Bitten Word share talk food writing, blogging, writing together and how to keep roast chicken exciting.
“Like a hook into an eye”: 9 anti-love poems
Fed up of mushy love poems? Find inspiration in these anti-love poems instead.
Keep your writing resolutions all year long
Set yourself up for year-long success by February.