Complex stories engage multiple characters in a variety of situations, and it is completely acceptable to tell those stories from more than one character viewpoint. But multiple character POVs does not necessarily mean head-hopping which should be avoided at all costs. Let’s examine the subtle but key difference. Head Hopping Many older books employ this technique as their stories are told with an omniscient narrator who can fully explain what every character is doing and thi

Of the many techniques available to help an author write their novel, focusing a dedicated time on cranking out the first draft is one of the best. NaNoWriMo, or the National Novel Writing Month organization, led this effort for authors for years. That is until a scandal among the leaders basically killed the organization. And though other organizations have tried to fill this space, none have truly established themselves. So, when my online critique group—which is a bit of a

Though I didn’t quite accomplish every thing I set out to do in 2025 (who does?), it was still another successful year in the development of my burgeoning writing career. From writing to editing to publishing, and from short stories to novels, progress was made across the board. Here’s how things worked out for me in 2025: Publications Three of my short stories were published in one form or another, making them available to the public. In July, my superhero sidekick comedy “D

A recent debate sprang up in my online critique group over whether or not to publish a particular story on the website. The story had won...

Speculative Fiction in relation to other genres. As a writer of speculative fiction — and a reader of even more — I'm regularly...

You’ve finished your novel and think you’re ready for a beta read. Are you sure? Like all steps along the planning-writing-editing path...

Taking a coffee break from a rough day of reading. There are many rules of writing, both written and unwritten, that provide structure...

There has been an ongoing debate within my online critique group about whether every character in every story needs a flaw. “Characters...

One idiom I have heard a lot regarding writing—regarding many things, actually—is to first learn the rules before trying to break them. I...

One of my favorite aspects of writing is simply engaging with the English language. There are many fascinating (and weird) aspects to...

Writing short stories is a different animal than writing a full-length novel. Though some elements are similar—both require a plot and a...

(Photo: William Gibson at the Spook Country promotional tour in San Francisco, CA. Taken by Fred Armitage August 2007.) As a relatively...

Writing is a solo occupation. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the author to sit their butt in a chair and put words on a page....

Important books every writer should have on their reference shelf.

So, you have an idea for a story and are putting it down on paper, but as you get the first few paragraphs written, you may think: How much of a story do I really have? How many pages will this be? Is this enough? And without even knowing what you’re writing, I can honestly answer: Yes. Because one beautiful thing about writing fiction is that all stories wind up being the exact length they need to be, and there is a market for each. Microfiction : Not to be confused with poe

Every author has been affected by writer’s block from time to time. It just happens. For whatever reason, we seem to run out of ideas. I...

As the term Speculative Fiction becomes more widely used and accepted, there appears to be a division of the definition. Many believe...

Conveying character emotions to the reader is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. A form of “show don’t tell,” the author must...

Advanced algorithms already influence many aspects of our lives, from ads to product recommendations to telemarketers to design...

Having spent the last three years as a member of a robust online critique group and the last year as judge in a novel contest, I’ve...