If you spend enough time in author spaces online, you’ll eventually encounter one of publishing’s favorite horror stories… You send your manuscript to a beta reader and they vanish. Then, months later, you walk into a bookstore or spend some time scrolling on Amazon and there it is. Your book. Title, manuscript, cover, everything. EverythingContinue reading “Manuscript Theft: The Risk & What To Do If It Happens”
Category Archives: Writing Advice
Dear New Authors, “Marketers” Won’t Reach Out Via Messages Or Comments
If you’ve posted about your book on Instagram for more than five minutes, you’ve probably seen them. “Amazing post! Send this to @TotallyRealMarketingAccount!” “Promote it on @DefinitelyNotBots!” “This deserves more readers! DM @BookGrowthExperts!” “This deserves more readers! DM @BookGrowthExperts!” Congratulations, bestie. You haven’t been discovered by a secret marketing agency. You’ve been discovered by a botContinue reading “Dear New Authors, “Marketers” Won’t Reach Out Via Messages Or Comments”
Accurately Writing Aromantic and Asexual Characters: Beyond the Stereotypes
Happy Pride, y’all! I’ve talked about my identity as an aro-ace writer before, but this year in particular, I wanted to explore it again… But in a way to help other authors craft realistic aro-ace representation in their books. Aromantic and asexual representation in literature has come a long way, but there’s still one challengeContinue reading “Accurately Writing Aromantic and Asexual Characters: Beyond the Stereotypes”
Dystopian Romance: A Clear Definition, Key Tropes, and a Fresh Case Study
Dystopian romance is a genre that’s all about love forged under systemic pressure — authoritarian rule, surveillance, scarcity, or engineered inequality — where intimacy becomes both a refuge and a rebellion. In this area, relationships are never “just” a love story; they’re often entangled with power, ethics, and survival. When done right, dystopian romance deliversContinue reading “Dystopian Romance: A Clear Definition, Key Tropes, and a Fresh Case Study”
Chekhov’s Gun and the Thigh Touch Heard ’Round the World
They say Chekhov’s gun is simple: if you hang a rifle on the wall in Act I, it better go off by Act III. Every little detail that goes into a well-built story should be about more than just vibes — it should serve a purpose. Sometimes it’s a thigh graze in a car. SometimesContinue reading “Chekhov’s Gun and the Thigh Touch Heard ’Round the World”
AI for Authors: How To Use It and Why It’s Not Coming After Your Job
Author/Editor’s Note & TL;DR: This article has been updated to reflect the 2026 stance of the Authors Guild as well as to include some personal anecdotes about how social understanding has changed in the past year or so. I’ll likely to continue to update it as norms around AI use continue to evolve and asContinue reading “AI for Authors: How To Use It and Why It’s Not Coming After Your Job”
From Clunky to Captivating: How to Write Snappy, Authentic Dialogue
When dialogue works, it pulls readers in, deepens characters, reveals emotion, and keeps the pace movin’ steadily. But when it doesn’t? Dialogue can feel like speed bumps… awkward, stiff, and an annoying part of a reader’s journey. As a copywriter, corp comms girly, and now-retired journalist, I’ve been writing for my entire professional career, andContinue reading “From Clunky to Captivating: How to Write Snappy, Authentic Dialogue”
Self-Insert Characters & Writing the Best Story You Can
Like many other bookworms, my love of literature was once incentivized by ice cream and pizza parties. Back in elementary school (and, more specifically, before A Series of Unfortunate Events caught my interest when I was in second grade), I’d read the same books over and over – I encountered too many simple stories thatContinue reading “Self-Insert Characters & Writing the Best Story You Can”
Exploring Foils as Storytelling Tools
When I first started writing the Industrialized series, the creation of this vast world started with one specific character: Saida Merymut. Though she’s a minor character in the primary duology, she is the main character in my current WIP – a dystopian romance that explores the intersection of love and war. All’s fair in loveContinue reading “Exploring Foils as Storytelling Tools”
How To Change a Cover on Goodreads: A Step-By-Step Guide
One of the best parts of self-publishing is the ability to control your brand. And one of the more frustrating aspects of self-publishing is navigating platforms like Goodreads, where a great deal of your control is sacrificed to keep control with the Goodreads Librarians. Even simple things like how to change a cover on GoodreadsContinue reading “How To Change a Cover on Goodreads: A Step-By-Step Guide”