If you pinned me down and asked me to share the one thing I think is most important for a writer to know…this is what I would tell you, and it’s probably not what you think. Let’s go.

Can anyone write a publishable book? No. Sorry. But can you? Maybe. Today, I’m going to share the truth about how to get past writing as just a hobby and make a career of it as a published author. We’re going to take an honest look at what it takes. Let’s go.

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. In today’s episode, we’re going to be taking a look at author George R.R. Martin and the techniques he’s used in his own writing.

I want to tell you two stories: a good story and a bad story about writing communities I’ve been in. But I’ll start with the bad story, so we can end on a high note, and you can first learn what I think you should avoid.

Then I’ll give you something hopeful. Sound good? It’s time to get to the heart of why good—and not destructive—writing communities are so important.

What is voice? How do you find your voice? In the world of writing and writing education, there’s a lot of talk about voice, and it can be a tricky thing to nail down. Today, I’m going to share with you my best tips for finding your voice.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably wondered if publishing a book could boost your business. I’ve been in a number of business groups since I launched my own business a few years ago, and I’ve learned a lot from these groups and from my fellow entrepreneurs.

But there’s one trap I’ve noticed a number of entrepreneurs falling into that I think keeps them from understanding how powerful a book could be for them. Today I’m going to talk about that trap, and how writing a book can be a great marketing move. Let’s go! 

Welcome to an issue of ‘first draft pharmacy’ where we discuss and hopefully solve some of your biggest writing issues. Today, we’re going to talk about something that’s often tricky for writers working on a first draft of a book: a wonky plot.

Whenever I ask writers in my program what they’re struggling with, someone always says: help, my dialogue is terrible.

Dialogue can be really, really hard to nail. So why isn’t your dialogue working—why does it read just…wrong—and what can you do to fix it? Today, I’m going to give you five tools to diagnose and fix your dialogue.

There is so much writing advice out there that it can get overwhelming. Should you open your novel with the weather? Or never open it with the weather?

Should you include a dream sequence or never include a dream sequence?

Are memoirs done? Is publishing done? Ahhh!

Today, I’m going to debunk, as in bust open, the 3 most destructive writing myths that I see causing writers to suffer.