Content and Craft | Writing Pursuits

Five Things Authors Should Quit Doing

ByKathrese McKee June 15, 2022September 8, 2022

Time is our most precious commodity, but we spend too much time on stuff that holds us back. Here are five things authors should quit doing.

Author Marketing | Content and Craft

Is Blogging a Waste of Time for Authors?

ByKathrese McKee May 25, 2022August 2, 2022

Do authors need to write blog posts too? Many experts say yes. But are they right? What about doing blog tours during your book launch? Who should blog and who shouldn’t? What are the best topics to blog about?

Content and Craft | Blog

Your First Chapter: Conflict, Choice, and Consequences

ByKathrese McKee February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

Conflict, choices, and consequences are the engine that powers your story and engages your readers. How can you build these three Cs into your first chapter? What are the types of conflict, and how can you use them to your advantage?

Content and Craft | Blog

Your First Chapter: Setting, Genre, Normal World, & Stakes

ByKathrese McKee February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

We will consider the need to establish setting, show the main character’s normal world, reveal the stakes, and meet genre expectations. How can you accomplish all of this in the first chapter?

Content and Craft | Blog

Your First Chapter: Point of View

ByKathrese McKee February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

Point of view is one of the most important decisions you make before you begin writing your first chapter. Whose perspective will you choose–yours, one of your characters, or multiple points of view?

Content and Craft | Blog

Your First Chapter: The Hook

ByKathrese McKee February 4, 2022July 22, 2022

The first thing a first chapter must do is hook the reader with one or more catchy opening sentences. Learning how to write the first chapter of a book is difficult, but mastering how to write a great first sentence is at least as important.

Content and Craft

How to Avoid Plot Convenience

ByKathrese McKee December 2, 2021December 6, 2021

What is a plot convenience? Can you identify examples of plot convenience in books and movies? Learn how to avoid plot convenience in your novels.

Content and Craft | Blog

Use Unreliable Narrators in Your Stories

ByKathrese McKee November 11, 2021November 12, 2021

We have all seen courtroom dramas where the witnesses called to testify get on the stand and are shown to be unreliable. After the witness tells what they saw, their testimony gets called into question. A good defense lawyer will cross examine a witness to show they could not actually see what happened with any…

Content and Craft | Writing Pursuits Tips

Seven More Easy Ways to Improve Your Manuscript

ByKathrese McKee July 13, 2021September 8, 2022

Before you send your manuscript to beta readers or to an editor, here are seven more ways to immediately see an improvement in your manuscript.