In literature, a red herring is an informal fallacy that typically uses extraneous or irrelevant information to mislead the audience. It’s used to give an astute reader several challenges during the telling of the tale. In other words, they’re purposeful deceits the author employs to mislead the folks who read their stories. Red herrings are […] I was thinking about what makes a particular author’s work recognizable to their audience. Then I thought I would take the reverse of this notion — What if you write under several different pseudonyms and don’t want them connected? This is the issue I have to deal with. I don’t want readers of my horror books to […] Sometimes it’s a good thing to ask your friends and/or readers what they like about your work. Then again, sometimes the answers they give will surprise you. While many authors think they have a good idea of what they’re good at, sometimes they’re wrong. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — in fact, having a […] JULES You win. Jules raises his hand off the briefcase. JULES It’s all yours, Ringo. PUMPKIN Open it. Jules flips the locks and opens the case, revealing it to Pumpkin but not to us. The same light SHINES from the case. Pumpkin’s expression goes to amazement. Honey Bunny, across the room, can’t see inside. HONEY […] Nothing makes a professional author chuckle like listening to potential writers deciding to get into the field. Far too many think it’s easy to write a book and then have publishing companies dump shipping containers of hundred dollar bills on your front lawn. While this is a theoretical possibility (E.L. James comes to mind), it’s […] Like most of the authors I know, I’m not a naturally organized person. Sometimes it’s a struggle to force myself to get the major plot points or non-fiction chapters mapped out before I start on a new project. After installing a giant electronic whiteboard I picked up on CraigsList, I was able to see the […] 
Everyone knows it is easy to write novels and short stories. All you need is a pencil and some form of paper or a computer. That’s the only requirements to become a famous and rich author. OK, you can stop laughing now. If you’re seriously considering starting a full-time writing career, there are several seemingly […] 