A great debate in all storytelling is where should your story start?

There is no right way because every story is different and has different needs.

But one of the most popular solutions is to start your story with an action scene! 

So let’s discuss the different types of action, the pros, and the cons.

Writing a book is a long process, but publishing a successful book can be an even longer one.

"You can either be a genius or you can be patient."

This quote from James Clear comes from one of his 3-2-1 emails, and while I’ve yet to read his title Atomic Habits (it is on my TBR!), I thoroughly enjoy his weekly thoughts. His full quote is:

"I rarely have good ideas.​ To overcome this limitation, I think about one topic (like habits) for an unreasonable amount of time. Then, I revise, revise, revise until only the best stuff remains. It’s slow, but it works.​ You can either be a genius or you can be patient."

While James is not specifically talking about writing or publishing, he certainly could have been.

Skipping over the obvious connection to writing and editing in general, let’s talk about publishing.

Dialogue is an ongoing conversation (Ba-dum-dum) between authors and editors because it is one of the trickiest aspects of writing.

These are my top 10 rules for writing great dialogue – the code I live by when I do my editing, when talking with my authors, and even on the odd occasion I find myself needing to write dialogue.

If you are reading this, not only did you survive Friday, December 13th, but you are also already halfway through this week. Nice work! With the holidays imminent, ‘tis the season for new ideas! Check out some of the fabulous, wonderful, and wild from the world around us, and let the inspiration fly!

Happy December, ladies and gentlemen! I know many of you may have a #Nanowrimo hangover, but it is a new month and an opportunity to start fresh! Whether you need a break from your current work in progress or you finished you novel last month, check out this week’s Wild News Wednesday to spark a new idea or just to explore the crazy and awesome the world has to offer.

If you can believe it, we are quickly approaching the end of November already! For those of you taking a few days off to relax, eat good food, and enjoy great company, I wish you the happiest of holidays. For anyone that will be working through this crazy weekend — thank you so much for your hard work in keeping the world turning! You’ve got this!

No matter which way your weekend goes, it is always the perfect time to scope out some new story ideas — check out this week’s #wildnewswednesday to see if anything sparks that next great novel.

We’re trolling this week for some amazing new stories to spark ideas for your next book. Check out the wild and wacky below! Also, I found some amazing pun memes this week, so… you’re welcome.

Some of the greatest story ideas spark from the weird, wild, or wonderful around us.

Looking for a new character or story? Check out the below to see if it is the perfect starting point for your next idea!

See those two awesome nerds right there? I’m the one taking the awkward selfie in public and the other, who is actually focused on what she should be doing, is my sister. We get together to work on Saturday mornings whenever possible, and even though we are technically on opposite ends of the content spectrum — an author frantically trying to put down words, and an editor gleefully cutting them out — it’s still incredible how much she pushes me to do better, be better.