Resources, insights, and inspiration for writers at every stage of their journey.
From the instructors who have helped over 100,000 aspiring authors learn their craft.
Recent Articles
- The Narrative Distance Dial: Why Your POV May Not Be Deep Enough
Most POV advice is about which head to be in. The more important question is how deep. Narrative distance is the dial between “she felt frightened” and “the footsteps. Her own breathing. She needed to… - The Power of Interrupted Dialogue
Most dialogue in first drafts reads like a polite school debate. One character speaks. The other waits their turn, nods, then delivers a tidy paragraph. Nobody interrupts. Real arguments are messy. Characters fight for the… - The Empty Room Test
When you want to show a character’s true self, send another character into their bedroom when they aren’t home; let the furniture do the talking. A page of explanation or a list of personality traits… - Why Your Characters Shouldn’t Agree: The Power of Asymmetric Dialogue
Dialogue in a bad novel reads like a tennis match. One character hits the ball; the other hits it back. They answer each other’s questions, agree on the facts, and wait politely for their turn… - Why Your Arguing Characters Need a Trapped Setting
Most dialogue scenes fall flat because the characters are too free to leave. When two people have an argument in a spacious living room, or while walking down a breezy park path, the tension leaks… - Your Reader Won’t Believe Your Speculative World (Unless You Show the Grease)
Writers building unfamiliar worlds—whether a space station, an elven forest, or Victorian London—frequently drown the reader in architectural layouts and political histories. They want us to see the grand scale. But the human mind does… - The Room Shift: How Setting Reveals Emotion
Most writers describe a room once, lock the details in place, and assume their job is done. But a physical space isn’t static; it is a mirror of your character’s mind. A bedroom is a… - Why Phonetic Dialect is a Dialogue Trap
Spelling out regional accents phonetically on the page is a trap. If you write ‘gonna’ or ‘fella’ or try to spell out a thick Boston or Scottish accent letter by letter, you slow the reader… - Is Your Character Fighting on an Empty Stage?
Most action scenes fall flat because characters fight on a blank stage. We watch people run from danger in a generic hallway. We see physical action, but the environment remains invisible; the scene becomes a… - The Silent Trap of Phone Conversations in Fiction
Most phone scenes in first drafts stall a novel’s momentum because characters are trapped in place, reciting dialogue easily replaced by a simple memo. The writer thinks they’re building tension; the reader is just watching… - Why Your Dialogue Paragraphs Are Killing Tension
Most dialogue goes wrong because characters are allowed to finish their thoughts. Real people rarely do. If a character speaks for more than three sentences at a time, you aren’t writing a conversation—you’re writing an… - Why Sunshine at a Funeral Hits Harder Than Rain
Rain at a funeral is a cliche. Sunshine at a funeral is a story. Most weather in fiction works like a mood ring—storm clouds when the character’s angry, sunshine when things go well. Readers barely…
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Steve Alcorn
USA Today bestselling author of twenty novels and non-fiction books, including mysteries, young adult novels, children’s books, and the acclaimed writer’s guide How to Fix Your Novel. Steve also founded Alcorn McBride Inc, which provides audio and video systems for theme parks worldwide.
Dani Alcorn
Author, instructor, editor, and mentor. Dani trained in screenwriting at Northwestern University and the University of British Columbia and worked as a professional medical writer. She is the author of screenplays and a science fiction novel.