by Melanie Cossey | Nov 16, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Recently I had a new writer ask me about first drafts and he mentioned that even with an outline, it was taking him so long just to write the first chapter. Confused, I asked him more about his outline. How developed was it? Had he outlined the full novel? He insisted...
by Melanie Cossey | Sep 28, 2018 | Emotional Support for Writers, Getting Published
In a conversation today, another writer confided that the publishing world is weird: there’s a lot of waiting and then everything has to be done at once. As the final weeks tick down before the launch of my book, A Peculiar Curiosity,this statement has never been...
by Keystrokes & Coffee Staff | Sep 17, 2018 | The Writer's Life, Writer's Block
Are you a fiction writer struggling with writer’s block? Are you lost for the next move in your latest story, or are you itching to write something new but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve already published several books, but you’re...
by Melanie Cossey | Sep 17, 2018 | Keystrokes & Coffee News, The Writer's Life
You vow you are going to get up early and write. You grab a quick breakfast, put the coffee on and blinking the sleep out of your eyes, sit down at your computer, put your fingers on the keyboard, open up your project and stare blankly at the screen, waiting for the...
by Melanie Cossey | Aug 28, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Ask a writer if editors are a needed service and you will get a variety of reactions. Some writers rave about their experiences with editors, seeing them as the savior of their manuscripts, while others see editors as self-important villains, put on this earth to rob...
by Melanie Cossey | Aug 16, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Have you ever noticed how some writers seem to make their pages come to life? Not only do you become immersed in the story and characters, but it’s like you are right there, seeing and experiencing it all. This is because the author knows the fine art of using the...
by Melanie Cossey | Aug 7, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Dialogue tags are those few words tagged on after a sentence of dialogue to indicate who is speaking. Often, writers make mistakes with dialogue tags that end up costing them readers. As an editor, I see certain common issues cropping up around the use of dialogue...
by Melanie Cossey | Jul 31, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Flash fiction is the art of telling a story using less than 1000 words. Many literary journals, from Canada and the US to New Zealand and Australia, make the writing of flash fiction their focus, holding international flash fiction contests and awards. Even more...
by Keystrokes & Coffee Staff | Jul 27, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Identifying the genre is how readers know what your book is about and if it will be of interest to them. It’s also how it will be labeled and categorized across various selling venues. You can combine genres to reach a larger audience than if you just stuck to one....
by Keystrokes & Coffee Staff | Jul 27, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Tension is what makes a book a hit with readers. Books that master tension often end up ranking high on bestseller lists. But few writers understand exactly what tension is or how to build it in their book. Tension is a physical, emotional or psychological strain that...
