There’s nothing like getting to the end of a great book and leaving feeling totally satisfied. Right?? Even if it didn’t end how you expected, you sigh that big content sigh…[do it] You know the one I’m talking about. That sigh.

But there’s also the opposite…a book can be amazing all of the way through, but if the ending isn’t satisfying, I don’t have good memories of it.

So how do you stick the landing? I’m going to share three strategies for how to write a satisfying ending to your story. Let’s go.

Welcome to another installment of ‘Opening the Writer’s Desk,’ where we take a deep dive into writing tips from today’s most widely-read authors. Today we’re going to be taking a look at author Ernest Hemingway and the techniques he’s used in his own writing.

Hemingway is known for a kind of stark, unadorned style of writing that often leaves you feeling like someone’s punched you in the gut—he’s a staple of American literature, and you probably had to read something by him in high school. So…how did Hemingway do it, what were his tricks?

Hi, welcome to another installment of ‘Opening the Writer’s Desk,’ where we take a deep dive into the writing tips from today’s most widely-read authors.

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at author Toni Morrison and the techniques she’s used in her own writing.

Let me say how much of a fan I am of Toni Morrison. I love the way her writing balances the brutal with the lyrical, and gut-wrenching moments with the tender moments.

Best known as the author of novels including Beloved, she’s someone who we all can learn from, and I’m excited to share with you some tips straight from her desk today.

So…should you get an MFA in Creative Writing, or not? I asked myself this question for YEARS.

In fact, about every two years for a decade, I’d freak out and apply to MFA programs. I never wound up going, and eventually, I sold my first novel…and my second and my third.

So what did I learn? Today, I’m going to share with you the pros and cons of an MFA in Creative Writing, based on my own experience as both a published author and as a writing coach to dozens of writers working on books, some of whom have MFAs and many of whom don’t.

Raise your hand if you hate the word plot. Plot is one of those words that, as my favorite writer George Saunders notes, isn’t very useful for us writers.

Today, I’m going to share a definition of plot that I actually find actionable and tell you how I use that definition to write my novels. I’ve used it to write and publish three novels and counting.

It’s also going to help you plot your book quickly. Ready? Let’s go. 

Everybody has to start somewhere on their writing journey. We all have things to learn. I've published three novels and I still have a ton to learn.

But there are a number of mistakes that are quite common for new writers to make when it comes to actually writing books and stories. I want to share the top five common ones that I see. So let's go.

Today I'm going to share with you five books that I think every writer needs to read. For a writer, a good book on writing can be your best friend.

My favorite books on writing have literally changed my life and how I view the world.

I'm really excited to share those with you today, but their power also goes both ways. A bad book on writing can derail you and that has happened to me, so I'm also going to tell you the book that did that for me, which I tell everyone not to read.

So let me share my favorite books and my least favorite writing book with you now. Let's go!

Let's talk about the secret to writing stories that are actually compelling. I'm going to give you five strategies for writing a book that people aren't going to put down after 30 pages. Let's go!

I decided to write a novel in 2011 and I'd never written a novel before. I'd honestly never even written a short story. I was a lawyer who had just left law to decide to launch a writing career.

I thought it would take me a year. Instead it took me six, six years to write my first novel!

I kept writing it to please other people. I was trying to fit a mold of what I thought they wanted. Who are they? People in the writing classes I was taking, or the teachers of those writing classes.

Let me guess, you're here watching because you don't want your dialogue to sound like a third grade play? "Hello there, sir. To whom shall I address this letter?"

I'm going to give you FIVE TIPS for writing dialogue that sounds like people actually talk!

Writing my first novel, When You Read This, my agent gave me the feedback that she loved it, but everyone sounded like me. Whoops. So how did I write like other people talk? I wanted to be realistic, but I also needed to capture different character voices in my prose.