Ah, Passive Writing. One of the most common problems that plague newer authors. What is Passive Writing? Passive writing is an audience-distancing problem that can make a story seem dull and prevents the reader from becoming fully engaged in what’s happening to the characters. It occurs when the subject of the sentence is not actively […] “Show, don’t tell” is a fundamental principle of writing that can greatly enhance the reader’s experience. Instead of directly stating a character’s emotions or actions, you use descriptive language and actions to indirectly convey them to the reader. This allows them to infer the character’s emotions and makes the writing more engaging and immersive. For […] Keystroke Medium has a weekly show on Thursdays called The Writer’s Journey. For this episode a group of accomplished editors had a live editing discussion as they went over a few excerpts submitted to them for sacrifice. My Middle Grade in-work novel has a short 500-word piece from the middle of chapter one or two. […] Science fiction and fantasy rely heavily on placing the reader in a world that envelopes them like a warm blanket. That blanket might be a comforting hug from Hermione or the backblast of covering fire from a Gauss gun. It’s the responsibility of the author to craft a world that follows its own rules and […] January, the traditional month where folks set some goals and a week later forget them, is only weeks away. Writers, however, tend to try to reach some lofty goals for a while longer, probably spurred on by the lingering caffeine high from NaNoWriMo. Here’s the thing — goals should not be set in concrete. I […] Want to write a Middle Grade or YA book? Always consider how your audience thinks. Here’s an old series of jokes that made the rounds and demonstrated kid logic. From those who should know: All questions were answered by kids, age 5-10 WHAT IS THE PROPER AGE TO GET MARRIED? “Eighty-four, Because at that age, […] 