Writing Sticky Situations

by Stephanie MorrillA writer emailed me to ask me about portraying intimate scenes in romantic relationships, specifically sexual scenes. “Are those scenes relevant, or just there to entertain the reader? As characters relationships evolve should those scenes...

5 Ways to be Better at Blogging

by Stephanie MorrillShould all writers blog? Well, like they tell you in school, if a question contains a word like “always, never, all, or none,” the answer is  likely, “No.”A writer emailed me requesting that I write a post on building a...

Symbolism and Themes

by Stephanie MorrillIn English class, whenever we had to write papers about symbolism and theme and such, I remember lots of grumbling about things like, “Did the author really intend the character’s red dress to be the foreshadowing of her suicide, or are...

Does your manuscript need book surgery?

by Stephanie Morrill”I don’t like your main character. At all. I found her really annoying, actually. Sorry.”That’s how the agent’s rejection email for Me, Just Different read. And it wasn’t too much of a surprise because my...

Are you ready for publication?

by teen writer Abigail HartmanAbigail Hartman is a Christian, which she hopes colors everything else about her; she also just happens to be a sixteen-year-old writer of historical fiction and fantasy, a homeschool almost-graduate, and author of the historical...