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 Action Scenes Feel Confusing: The Spatial Anchor Fix
Most fight scenes fail before the first punch lands. The writer knows the geography—who’s near the door, who’s got their back to the window—but never puts it on the page. The reader is working blind…. - The Scene Before Your Climax Is Doing All the Work
The scene right before your climax is doing more work than the climax itself. And most writers skip it. The “all-is-lost” moment is the beat where everything falls apart. The mentor dies. The evidence burns…. - Why Your Protagonist Gets Every Answer Free
Most novels hand out information like free samples. Somebody asks, somebody answers, everybody moves on. If your protagonist can get any answer just by asking, there’s no cost. No cost means no conflict. No conflict… - How Your Characters Enter a Scene Reveals Everything
Most writers treat character entrances like stage directions. “Marcus walked into the kitchen.” Functional. Invisible. Dead. But a character’s entry is the first image the reader gets after a scene break. Free characterization space most… - What Characters Don’t Say: The Power of the Non-Answer
A character asks a direct question. The other one answers a completely different question. That sidestep tells you more than a direct answer ever would. When a character deflects, they’re not failing to communicate. They’re… - 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…
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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.