A master novelist paints his story with dynamic two-dimensional characters. The characters are woven into the story like puzzle pieces. Each is important to the final picture, but standing alone they bring no significant revelation to the final image. Two-dimensional characters are flat. They lack depth, are partially developed, and often are stereotypically inclined. But stories need two-dimensional characters. They bring the story to life, […]

Have you ever read through your manuscript only to realize the same words keep popping up like weeds in a garden? If your answer is yes, relax—we all do it. In the flurry of keystrokes, some words just appear. You didn’t want them. You don’t remember thinking them. But nevertheless, they sprout like common weeds. Your mind can often add unintentional words to your writing. […]

Are you an author or an artist? These words author and artist are not as similar as they sound. Some gifted individuals can be both, but in actuality, most people are one or the other. In the writing world, these terms are often mutually exclusive of each other. They don’t have to be, but the majority of writer’s fall in one category or another. The […]

Last year, I wrote a series of short stories. I wanted to self-publish them in order to build my newsletter mailing list, but I needed to find unbiased Beta readers who could give me “real” feedback. I didn’t want to ask my friends and family, for fear they would give me the standard pat on the back or false approval.   I wanted raw feedback. […]