Don't have every dialog go in a straight line to solve the problem. Let your characters argue, be sarcastic, disagree or joke around.
Writers get ideas all day every day. The FedEx guy delivers a package from Sears and the writer is thinking how it could actually be a ticking time bomb.
People are suckers for the truth and they know it when they see it. Open your soul and they will stop and watch.
Believe in yourself and start achieving your dream. It waits for you on the other side of the publish button.
Honesty makes stories real and characters memorable. From there, taking them to where they need to go will be all the development they need.
Open your soul and put it out there and dare the world to read it, ready to have them stomp on you and laugh, but ready to do it again the next day.
I usually end have one outrageous minor character. He or she says the stuff I wish I had said in real life. Readers will love that character.
Writers need to be open to trying new things. My first bestseller was a cookbook, and from that experience I learned things about marketing a book that benefitted me greatly.
Dig deep and go where the pain and fear and joy are, and put it out there. The minute you shy away from pure honesty in your writing, you become a liar.
Kids are flat-out freaking hilarious if you are paying attention. Not just my kid, but every kid.
My characters still talk the way normal people talk. They argue, they are sarcastic with each other, they joke around. I usually end up with one outrageous minor character in each book that people jus...