Learn how Austen uses narrative layers to subtly savage the characters she wants readers to hate.

What can we learn from reading un-novel novels, like Jane Austen’s Persuasion?

Learn how Austen introduces her characters in chapter 1 of Persuasion.

Jane Austen’s Persuasion as comfort reading during a pandemic.

How characters work in the machinery of the novel.

How and why your characters and plot should work together to create a book that readers can’t put down.

How visualizing your readers can help you embrace your creative power and overcome writer’s block.

Why crafting believable, engaging characters is central to writing a successful novel.

What is genre and how can understanding it help you tell the story you want to tell?

Learn how to tackle the first big step of revising your novel: choosing a tool that will help you get an overview of your story.

What’s stopping you from revising your novel?

Many times, when writers think they are revising, they are actually just editing. What’s the difference between the two?

What metaphors can help us understand the purpose and process of revising a book?

Brooks Landon’s method for creating rich, complex sentences.

On Editing provides specific examples that will help you improve everything from your plot to your dialogue.

Sandra Scofield’s guide to revising your novel will teach you how to analyze your draft and improve it with detailed craft advice.

Virginia Tufte’s collection of beautiful sentences and her explanations of how they work will teach you new tools to use in your own writing.

John Truby’s popular Anatomy of Story is a valuable encyclopedia of plot moves and character insights but may frustrate writers wanting to explore deeper territory.

Donald Maass offers specific examples of what sets breakout novels apart from others.

The Way of the Writer is a book from a long-time writing instructor that is remarkably short on specific writing craft advice.