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The problem with plot points
December 05, 2022
Outlining a novel with plot points can, at first glance, seem like a paint-by-numbers, formulaic approach to writing.
- On the craft
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- 2 comments
Workaday Writer: The Importance of Routine
December 02, 2022
That’s what a routine helps you do: it is a ritualized action that gets baked into your day so that you don’t have to spend any time thinking about whether you feel like doing it or would rather go have coffee with friends.
- On the craft
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- 1 comment
Book Broker—an interview with Stephanie Winter
November 22, 2022
"I will work with my client on as many revisions as are needed until we’re both happy with the work going out on submission."
- Agent interviews
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Story Skeleton—The Great Gatsby
November 18, 2022
Keep in mind that story structure is more about convincing readers to keep turning pages than it is about how to write a story. Within the dimensions of narrative structure, there are still limitless possibilities.
- On the craft
- Story Skeleton
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Little Darlings: Will your idea work as a picture book?
November 17, 2022
Nothing is off limits, so long as you check in with “little you” and ask, would I have liked this story? Would it have made sense to me? What would I have enjoyed about it, and would I have wanted to read it over and over?
- Little Darlings
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Everything I Know About Writing I Learned from the Rolling Stones
November 15, 2022

Mick Jagger probably never realized this, but he and his bandmates knew a lot about how to write a good novel.
- On the craft
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- 2 comments
Book Broker—an interview with Adria Goetz
November 13, 2022
It's easy to spot a manuscript that hasn't been reviewed by critique partners. Always get a second, third, fourth set of eyeballs on both your writing and your query letter/submission materials.
- Agent interviews
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Writer's Block—Myths & Realities
November 08, 2022
Good things take time. And writing, like any craft, involves an apprenticeship period. It’s not a block. It’s a learning curve. Embrace the mess.
- On the craft
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- 1 comment
Congrats to Vida Cruz-Borja!
October 31, 2022
A huge congrats to Darling Axe editor Vida Cruz-Borja on the upcoming release of Song of the Mango and Other New Myths.
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Book Broker—an interview with Joanna MacKenzie
October 18, 2022
I tend to think that when too much telling is happening, the manuscript simply isn’t ready to be submitted.
- Agent interviews
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Setup Is Not Stasis: How to Write a Gripping First Chapter
October 12, 2022
Context plays an important role in fiction and narrative nonfiction. It adds depth to the characters, the setting, and the conflict. Context is also your best tool for creating in readers a sense of participation. The trick lies in subtlety.
- On querying
- On the craft
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The First Page Challenge 2022—1st place
October 05, 2022
That summer they learnt that Dolly Aunty had a love marriage and their world tilted. Barbie dolls fell flat on their faces.
- Contest updates
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