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
- Why Your Subplot Might Be a Sideshow
Most subplots in first novels exist to fill pages. The writer adds a love interest with a job problem, a best friend going through a breakup, a mystery at the office. Each gets a few… - The Missing Ingredient Most Writers Ignore: Internal Conflict
Most writers spend 80% of their energy on the external plot and almost none on the internal conflict. Then they wonder why readers finish the book and forget it. External conflict is the story’s skeleton—it… - Stop Ending Your Scenes with Success
Every scene you end with a success is slowly killing your novel’s momentum. I’ve seen this pattern hundreds of times. A student with clean prose and characters readers actually care about. People quitting halfway through…. - Memoir Isn’t About What Happened to You
Most memoir writers think the interesting part is what happened. It’s not. The real material in memoir is the distance between who you were and who you became. The event is just the container. What… - The Editing Trap That Kills First Novels
Most writers don’t finish their first novel. The reason is almost never a bad idea. It’s editing while they write. I’ve taught over 100,000 students. The pattern is the same: you write a chapter, you… - Tension Doesn’t Require Danger
Most writers think tension requires danger. It doesn’t. You can have a character in mortal peril and produce zero tension. You can have a character waiting for a phone call and make a reader’s stomach… - Show Don’t Tell Is the Most Misunderstood Writing Advice
“Show don’t tell” is the most repeated writing advice in existence. It’s also the most misunderstood. Telling isn’t bad. “She was exhausted” works fine if exhaustion is background the reader needs to move forward. Spending… - Romance Dominates Kindle: 5 Stats Every Fiction Writer Should Know
55% of top-selling Kindle books in 2025 were romance — and 75% of those bestselling authors went indie. Five eye-opening stats about the hottest genre in publishing. - Plot vs. Story
Plot vs. Story: The Key to Writing a Compelling Novel Many writers, even seasoned ones, often confuse the terms plot and story, using them interchangeably. However, as I explain in How to Fix Your Novel,… - Everything You Need to Know About Book Publishing
Successful author Kevin Kelly has written the best guide to publishing I’ve ever read. It’s called Everything I Know About Publishing and Self-Publishing. Here are some of the best take-aways: “Traditional book publishers have lost… - The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot
Lester Dent (1904–1959) was a prolific pulp fiction author who wrote hundreds of stories. He is best known as the principal author of the Doc Savage series, featuring a superhuman hero. Dent developed a formula—a master plot—for… - From Farm Fields to Fiction: How Writing Academy Helped Janet Achieve Her Publishing Dream
After a lifetime on a farm in southern Ontario, Janet traded crops for creativity and began cultivating words instead of soil. Her journey from rural life to published author began with poetry, when her poem Follow…
About Writing Academy
Writing Academy offers comprehensive video courses for aspiring authors. Whether you’re writing your first novel, exploring screenwriting, or ready to publish, our self-paced courses provide the structure and guidance you need.
Fiction Writing
- Novel Writing Workshop
- Romance Writing Workshop
- Mystery Writing Workshop
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Young Adult Fiction
- Writing for Children
- Short Story Writing
- Suspense & Horror
Craft & Publishing
- Nine Secrets of Story Structure
- Scenes That Sell Your Story
- Navigating the Editing Process
- Publish Your Book Now
- Write Your Life Story
- Travel Writing
- Non-Fiction Workshop
- Screenwriting Workshop
Your Instructors
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.