GUEST POST by author Lisa Becker: Fall in Love With Your Words

It was 1994, and I was a graduate student studying public relations at Boston University. I was asked to interview Charles Rosen, a producer for the original “Beverly Hills 90210,” for an article in the alumni magazine. The magazine editors, knowing I was from LA, figured he and I would have a lot in common.

3 Ways to Win against Writer’s Block

Nothing freaks writers out more than the inability to write. It can happen at any point in a project but most often strikes mid-stream. You are stopped cold, confronted by a startling realization that your story has lost direction and is sinking into an abyss of confusion. There are countless reasons why writers stumble, lose

AUTHOR 2 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Authors Mark Fine & Pamela Crane Reveal their Lives in Pursuit of the Art of Writing.

We’re airing our secrets in this author-on-author interview between me, Pamela Crane and Mark Fine, author of the critically-acclaimed novel “The Zebra Affaire.” Check it out here, and feel free to share it.

Writing stalled? Try this . . .

Your day has been derailed. You’re unmotivated. You’ve lost focus. You can’t concentrate. You would rather do the laundry, wash the car, or file your back taxes. Most writers have days when writing is near impossible. We have weeks when the stars refuse to align, forces conspire against us, and ideas that once seemed brilliant

Condo or Kitty Prison?

I recently moved out of a condominium complex where my neighbors called my cats the ‘welcoming community’. Every day I would open my front door and my Persian Blue Tomcat and his Bengal Tabby sidekick would trot down to the first floor and

Why Writing at Home Won’t Work

You would think that working from home is a writer’s dream. Going into the “office” anytime of day, wearing pajamas or sweats or a costume, drinking your own favorite coffee, locating your workspace wherever you want, ideally in front of a picture window that looks over a forest thick with trees and birds and romping

Writing Story and Character

Character Traits Character traits should match your story, create drama, and make each character stand out from the crowd. The more extreme their traits, the better the character. They must be nuanced, however, with both positive and negative traits. Focus on core traits, not minor quirks. Those same traits should appear in that person in

Why Writing and Reading don’t Mix

 I don’t read the way I used to. Prior to becoming a writer, I devoured books one after the other. I liked most books I picked up, and I read for pure enjoyment. But when I started writing, my “reading habits” changed. I have become overly analytical, hypercritical, and distracted by my own imagination. Books