Readers are remarkably good at putting two and two together. Yet many writers, worried that a character’s emotions or motivations might not be obvious enough, add a sentence explaining what the reader has already understood. Those explanations rarely add clarity—they usually weaken the scene. Here’s how to recognize when you’re explaining the obvious, and when an explanation genuinely earns its place.
Some writing obstacles aren’t plot problems or lack of inspiration—they’re upholstered. After unexpectedly finishing an entire chapter of Fall From Grace in a single day, I discovered the biggest difference wasn’t my writing. It was where I sat. The recliner I’d always considered a harmless pre-writing stop had quietly become the world’s most comfortable procrastination machine.
After twelve novels and a novella, the journey comes to its conclusion. Camlann, the final novel in Tracy Cooper-Posey’s acclaimed Once and Future Hearts series, is now available from Stories Rule Press and all major retailers.
Every writer thinks the manuscript is in pretty good shape—right up until the editorial feedback arrives. From confidence and outrage to revision, gratitude, and complete memory loss, here are the twelve stages writers cycle through when an editor gets involved.
A thriller writer’s Google search history can look alarmingly criminal—especially when questions about silencers, DNA and extradition sit beside tomato varieties, bitter cucumbers and homemade hummus.
What makes a book unforgettable? It often isn’t the plot—it’s the people. The characters who quietly step onto the page, feel completely real, and stay with us long after we’ve finished the final chapter.
Some of the most memorable people in our lives were never the main characters. The same is true in fiction. If your supporting characters exist only to deliver information or move the plot along, your story misses an opportunity to create a richer, more believable world. Every character should feel like they have a life beyond the page.
Years after finishing a novel, it’s rarely the plot we remember best. It’s the people. The quiet characters who felt real, who made us laugh, who gave the story its heart. Those are the ones who stay with us—and perhaps that’s true of the people we meet in life, too.
Every publishing season seems to produce another “overnight success.” But behind almost every breakout author are years of writing, learning, failed launches, and steady persistence. Real publishing careers are rarely built in a single moment—they’re built one book, one reader, and one lesson at a time.
Most writers love writing but dread rewriting. Yet revision isn’t evidence the first draft failed—it’s where good stories become great ones. Like weeding a garden, editing isn’t about destroying what you’ve grown. It’s about giving the best parts room to flourish.
