Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the upcoming Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently.
How to Create a Villain
8 fiction- writing tips on how to create villains that will challange your protagonist and capture your readers’ imagination
How to Write a MacGuffin
What is a MacGuffin? Well, Wikipedia defines MacGuffin as… Just kidding. When you hear the word MacGuffin think motivation. That’s all MacGuffins are. A thing for your characters to chase after. A plot device, usually in the form of an object, that propels the action of your story. MacGuffins are Continue Reading
How To Structure a Scene
This post contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links Writing your first novel is freaking hard. Actually, that’s an understatement. Sixty-thousand words. Hundreds upon hundreds of pages of story. A pure creative effort that can stand on its own. How does Continue Reading
What to do with your Inciting Incident
Learn what an inciting incident is, and the five story essentials that your inciting incident must address to set off an effective conflict for your plot.
Best Short Stories for Halloween
Do you love Halloween? I know I do, and I’ve noticed that there are plenty of lists compiling great movies to watch during this spookiest of seasons. But, I’m here to tell you that there is some seriously good literature to read this time of year, as well. So, if Continue Reading
How to Build Suspense
I’m a night owl. Most evenings I stay up to the way, way past my bedtime. Some nights I sit on the couch scrolling through Youtube, nothing but the blue glow of the TV to keep me company. Others, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling fan whirling around, Continue Reading
How to Conquer Writer’s Block!
Take a look at the last post on my blog, and you may notice something. The date it was published- June 16th. It’s been over two months since I’ve posted. To be honest it’s been months since I’ve written much of anything. I’ve had plenty of time, too. Enough time Continue Reading
Crafting a Classic Hero
In today’s popular culture we are awash with anti-heroes. You have your Walter White, your Tony Soprano, Dexter, Tyrion and Jaime, Bond, Bourne, Holmes, and Solo. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an anti-hero. Now, I’m not complaining. I’ve espoused my love for anti-heroes on this very blog. Continue Reading
Outlining Your Story
Learn how to outline your story using the four act structure!