A reconstruction — As a child, when I was at my grandparents’ house, I was always intrigued by the mysterious portrait above the sofa. I tried to capture her gaze but to no avail. Who was she? All I was told was that she was my great-great-grandmother Betsy of Italian descent, and that…

How to use Brown’s lessons in thriller writing for any story — Dan Brown’s thrillers are controversial, addictive, sell millions of copies, are turned into blockbuster films starring Tom Hanks, and are loved by many. He is one of the world’s most successful thriller writers. I’ve never written a thriller before, but I have followed Brown’s Masterclass years ago (which I highly…

A short story — He glanced over to the dance floor to try and catch a glimpse of her. All of his fellow students were enjoying themselves dancing. It was the Christmas formal. At last, he found her. Her head tilted back in laughter. She was dancing with Zach. His best friend. Or was…

How to let your dream become your work — Our work is tied to our identity like an umbilical cord. When we introduce ourselves in any setting, it’s 90% likely that the second question you get is: ‘What do you do?’. It makes it easy to categorize one another. Yet does your work say who you are? Your job…

A short guide to writing your proposal — If you are writing a non-fiction book, you must write a book proposal to pitch to agents and publishers. You don’t need a complete manuscript as long as you’re able to intrigue your reader and sell your story. Below you’ll find all the requirements for a solid book proposal. Using…

The unexpected way I got a publishing deal — Every aspiring author’s dream is to get a publishing deal and share their story with the world. If it were easy, everyone would do it. It’s the struggle that’s part of the payoff when you finally pull it off. There is no one-stop way to get a publishing deal. At…

How to create a daily writing rhythm and use exercise to boost your creativity — Haruki Murakami’s routine is one to envy, but it requires discipline. He wakes up before 5 a.m. and writes first thing. In the morning, his focus is at its peak, a moment when he can work on the most essential work of the day, which is usually writing a novel. …

This submission service for short story writers will guide you through it — Submitting your short story to publications is still the best way to (start) building your writing career. There are hundreds of journals in the US alone. Authors like Bukowski and Stephen King started their careers getting their short stories published in magazines like Esquire or Playboy. …

Create your best short story yet — There are countless ways to approach short story writing. The challenge is mainly to finish one that’s engaging, authentically you, well-structured, and inhabited by great characters. The following ten steps will help you tackle these challenges and publish a well-written gem of a story. #1: Find your style Every author has a style. How…