Not all Nonfiction is Creatively Equal: A Look at Reading Nonfiction

Not all Nonfiction is Creatively Equal

Contributing writer Laura Brackin writes about nonfiction and how it is different from fiction, in terms of how a fiction reader should approach it.

Readers of fiction look for specific things in the literature they choose: well-voiced narration, dialogue that isn’t forced or seemingly “scripted,” proper grammar and punctuation, tension and urgency that keep the pages turning, and realistic characters who are well-developed and working to get themselves either out of trouble or closer to the desired object/situation/event.

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Four Insights into Writing Children’s Literature

Four Insights into Writing Children’s Literature

Contributing writer Savanah Burns wrote this post offering advice on writing children’s literature.

When it comes to writing “good” children’s literature, there are a few things authors have done well. First of all, the author needs to know their reader. Second of all, the author needs to successfully engross their reader in the narrative.

Facebook: Not just for keeping up with the family

Facebook: Not just for keeping up with the family

Contributing writer and social media intern Elizabeth Evans continues a series of posts for authors on working various social media sites and using them to promote their work. The second in the series is on the platform Facebook.

Facebook has been a part of our daily lives since 2006. Facebook is so prevalent in our society that it’s become a verb in our daily vernacular (ex “I’m Facebooking right now”). 45% of American adults said in a Pew Research survey that they get news from Facebook, with 50% of users surveyed saying they get news solely from Facebook.

Making a Lie Count: Developing Dialogue that Matters

Making a Lie Count

Contributing writer Savanah Burns wrote this post offering advice on writing convincing dialogue for your characters.

I had a friend once tell me that it is weird how we can never really know someone because we are not them, we are not omniscient, and we are not omnipresent. Yet, through our limited lens, we feel as though we know someone. Often, people are more than what we perceive. So, when we talk to them, there are countless things that go unsaid. So, what is left unsaid? How about someone’s lies, motives, secrets, and the truth?

Happy New (Literary) Year

Happy New (Literary) Year

Contributing writer Laura Brackin writes about the New Year and setting goals as a writer and reader!

We’ve done it!

Exercising the Writing Muscle

Exercising the Writing Muscle

Contributing writer Laura Brackin gives some advice and tips on how to continue developing your writing skills and getting in that daily writing practice.

Professionals don’t become great in their specialty because they made As in school. While this helps them become the professionals they want to be, developing their skills doesn’t stop once they receive their diploma.

Accepting Rejection

Accepting Rejection

Contributing writer Savanah Burns wrote this post offering advice on how to accept rejection in the world of writing.

A former creative writing professor of mine once explained said that she received a small card, no bigger than a business card, in the mail. On this little card, were the words, “Your submission was not accepted.”

The (Too) Busy Writer

The (Too) Busy Writer

Contributing writer Laura Brackin gives some tips to help writers manage and maximize their writing time, even when life keeps you busy.

A common image of the writer is one where they sit with their laptop in an oversized, comfy chair, in front of a large picture window—with or without a sheer, gauzy window dressing of some kind, but either way, allowing entry for cheerful sunlight—a cup of steaming something, coffee, tea, on a small table beside them. This writer is happily spending their stress-free hours combining beautifully written sentences into a literary masterpiece. Feel free to substitute a large, mahogany desk for the oversized chair in this scenario; the visual is subjective on this point. The important constant is the leisurely life this image portrays: the writer as engulfed in their art, unperturbed.

#Hashtags are your friend: An Introduction to Instagram

#Hashtags are your friend

Contributing writer and social media intern Elizabeth Evans begins a series of posts for authors on working various social media sites and using them to promote their work. The first in the series is on the platform Instagram.

Instagram is a photo-based social media platform that has been around since 2010, and has undergone many changes since being purchased by Facebook in 2012. Instagram, at its heart, allows users to post pictures and videos, as well as record “Stories” and host live chats through Instagram Live.