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 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… - Your Reader Can’t See Your Setting (Their Eyes Are Busy)
Most writers describe their settings with their eyes. Colors, shapes, light, arrangement. Makes sense; that’s how we picture a scene when we imagine one. Problem is, your reader’s eyes are already occupied. They’re reading. Sound… - The Most Powerful Line of Dialogue Is the One Nobody Says
Most writers fill every pause in dialogue with words. One character asks, the other answers. The conversation moves forward, clean and utterly predictable. Real people dodge questions. They change the subject. They pour more coffee…. - Your Setting Isn’t Working If the Scene Could Happen AnywhereSetting isn’t backdrop—it’s a structural force. The physical space should constrain and enable the action in ways that make this scene inseparable from this place.
- Why Your Characters Say What They Don’t Mean
A character says “I’m fine” after learning her sister got the promotion she wanted. She’s not fine. Every reader knows it. What earns their attention is whether she’ll keep pretending, and at what cost. That… - Why Most Prologues Are the Wrong First Chapter
Most prologues are chapter 1 of a different book. The writer can’t bear to start without context. So she writes three pages of backstory—a historical event, a character who won’t appear until page 200, a… - Why Your Novel’s Ending Should Echo Its Beginning
Most novels end on the wrong image. The plot resolves. The protagonist wins or loses or learns something. The last paragraph sums up what it all meant. And the reader puts the book down feeling… - The One Question That Fixes Flat Scenes
The fastest way to kill a scene is to put a character in a room with no reason to be there. Everybody knows their protagonist wants to solve the murder or win the girl or… - Why “Three Weeks Later” Doesn’t Work
Most novels spanning more than a few days handle time the same way: a chapter ends Tuesday night, the next opens “Three weeks later, Sarah stood at the kitchen window.” The reader’s brain skips like… - Why All Your Confrontation Scenes Feel the Same
Your protagonist argues with her mother in chapter three. Argues with her boss in chapter seven. Argues with her boyfriend in chapter twelve. Three different people, three different rooms, the same emotional beat every time:… - Why All Your Characters Sound Alike
Cover a character’s name in your manuscript and read the line aloud. If you can’t tell who said it, you have a voice problem. Most characters in most drafts talk the same way. Same vocabulary,…
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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.
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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.