Graduate Posts

Some authors slap a title on their work without much thought. Others obsess for ages over the best possible title. A title can grab a potential reader’s attention, or it can send a potential reader away. Choosing a memorable, appropriate, appealing title is a difficult task, so we asked the Read more

While a cool idea, unique world, or suspenseful plot may grab the reader’s interest, the story’s protagonist is often the key to making the reader love your story. A strong protagonist can move the reader to tears and stay with him for the rest of his life. A protagonist who Read more

Short-story writers are often told that if they don’t grab the attention of an editor immediately with a hot hook in the opening sentence or opening paragraph, the editor will reject the story.  Similarly, novelists are told that they must captivate the bookstore browser with their first page, or the Read more

Plot is usually one of the weakest elements in the work of developing writers. Most developing writers don’t know how to structure a plot. Even if they do, they often find themselves caught between two conflicting goals: the desire to let the story develop organically versus the need to plan Read more