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
- Your Cover Belongs in a Grid, Not in a Gallery
Your cover is the only marketing material every single reader will see. Not your blurb, not your website, not your Facebook post. Your cover. And yet most self-published authors spend ninety percent of their effort… - Your Character’s Wardrobe Is Already Telling on Them
Your character walks into a scene wearing the same outfit you described three chapters ago. Same jeans, same jacket, same everything. That’s a missed opportunity. Every garment is a sentence about who this person is,… - The Line Your Character Means Least Hits Hardest
There’s a particular kind of dialogue doing more work than any argument or confession. The social lie. Your protagonist’s mother says, “I just want you to be happy.” Your character says, “It’s fine, really.” The… - Every Door Is a Decision
Your protagonist walks from the hallway into the kitchen. Two sentences, no pause, no weight. The reader barely registers the transition. That doorway is doing no work. It should be doing the most. A threshold… - Your Most Important Scene Belongs Offstage
The confrontation your reader has been waiting for, the screaming match, the betrayal, the breakup, happens in chapter fourteen. And you write every word of it. That’s usually a mistake. The scenes readers remember most… - If Your Scene Feels Sluggish, Search For Began To
If Your Scene Feels Sluggish, Search For “Began To” She began to walk toward the door. He started to speak. The sky began to darken. Each of those sentences has a verb doing half its… - Chapter Two Is Where Your Novel Stalls
The first chapter cracks open. Something’s wrong, someone’s in motion, the reader turns the page. Then chapter two arrives and everything stops. Writers know how to start. The opening hook is the fun part. But… - Your Paragraph Breaks Are Your Real Pacing
Most writers treat paragraph breaks as accident. You write until a thought finishes, hit return twice, start the next thought. The break is just where one block of text ends and another begins. The blank… - The Mask Slip Is Where Your Character Starts
Most novels give us characters in performance mode. Posing for the reader. Saying the right thing, feeling the approved feeling, making the sensible choice. Writers build the performance and forget the person underneath it. Your… - If Your Last Line Explains the Theme, Cut It
Most writers try to land their ending with a thematic statement. “And that was when she understood that home wasn’t a place, it was a choice.” The reader closes the book and the sentence evaporates…. - Your Adverbs Are Doing Your Verbs’ Job
“She walked quickly across the room.” Seven words, and three are working harder than they need to. “Quickly” is telling you what “walked” failed to show. The sentence has a good verb, but it is… - Every Scene Needs a Clock
Most flat scenes share the same structural problem: unlimited time. Two characters talking in a kitchen with nowhere to be and nothing ending. The conversation expands to fill whatever space you give it, and the…
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.