Every year in January, we love digging into the stats and sharing the posts that got the most views and shares the prior year. Often these posts surprise us, and always they delight us. Here are the "Dynamic Dozen" for 2022 Every single one of these articles wowed us, and it was interesting to see how many were from a long time ago.… Read the post The post Top Posts from 2022: The WITS Dynamic Dozen first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Ellen Buikema To get your science fiction story started, ponder the should, might, and heaven forbid, but what if it happened anyway. Start by asking, “What if?” The “What if” question drives the Sci-Fi genre. Science fiction stories have an element of newness, the new thing that is grounded in reality.… Read the post The post Writing Science Fiction, part 1 first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Maria Connor of My Author Concierge Over the past three years, I’ve observed more and more people — friends, family, clients, and industry peers — experience significant changes in their personal and professional lives. Since much of my job as an author assistant and project manager is organizing and handling “operations” for my authors, I’ve been in the trenches dealing with logistics.… Read the post The post 5 Tips for Managing your Author Business During Crises first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Kris Maze January is a time to reset the clock and to check in with our fountains of creativity. To use the cliché of pumping our thoughts out like water, we have a limited resource of creativity and, when neglected, it can also run dry.… Read the post The post Cultivating Creativity with Writing Contests in 2023 first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Eldred Bird You’ve just come up with what you believe is a brilliant new idea for your next short story, novel, or screenplay. You sit down at the keyboard, stretch your back, crack your knuckles, and flex your fingers. You stare at the screen for the next twenty minutes or so waiting for inspiration to hit.… Read the post The post Answer These Six Questions to Know If You Have a Story first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

Have you been told you have “flat characters” in your story? Reel in your emotions and re-examine your characters. Does your character have little to no internal life? As your character moves through the story, does she overcome nearly every obstacle?… Read the post The post Make Flat Characters Genuine in 8 (Sort of) Easy Steps first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Angela Ackerman Every writer’s journey is unique, but there’s one iconic moment we all experience: the decision to stop thinking about writing a book and actually do it. And then? Euphoria. Finally, our ideas will live on the page! We imagine characters, plot twists, and future readers clutching our book, unable to put it down.… Read the post The post How to Write a Book From Start to Finish in 13 Steps first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Jenny Hansen All of us here at Writers In the Storm know that veteran-WITS contributor, Julie Glover, is both funny and wise. She and I were talking about the importance of mentors and she made this observation: "Being storytellers, we're likely all fans of a good mentor.… Read the post The post The Importance of Great Mentors (for You AND Your Books) first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Lisa Norman Search engine optimization (SEO) is making your website attractive to the search engine spiders. When they like you, they crawl all over your website and seize upon the tasty morsels of your content to share with their millions of curious customers.… Read the post The post EAT Your Heart Out to Empower Your Website first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more

by Hannah Jacobson There are literally thousands of book awards out there. How do you find the right ones for your book? The World Celebrates Award-Winning Authors It's no secret that the world celebrates award-winning authors. From building your author platform to fueling your story marketing, awards are a boon to every author's career.… Read the post The post How to Find the Best Awards for Your Book first appeared on Writers In The Storm ..read more