I was at a meetup with a group of bloggers recently when someone turned to me and asked, “What do you think is the ideal blog post length? How long should my blog posts be?” It’s an important question, because when it comes to our writing, like all of us you probably want more. More readers […]

You’re writing an email, essay, or even—hey why not?—a book, and as you write, you think, “I need one of those long dash, double hyphen things. What are those things called, again? And how do I make sure I use it correctly so I don’t look like an idiot?” Let’s look at what an em […]

Do you want to write a children’s book but struggle to come up with great children’s book ideas? You’re not alone in this. All too often do budding writers (or seasoned ones!) sit down to write their book for kids and stare, glossy eyed, at a blank page—for hours. Sometimes this discourages writers so much […]

The thoughts below were previously shared by Bey-Ling Sha, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, Dean, College of Communications, California State University, Fullerton, in her closing remarks delivered to the DEI Summit on inclusion and intersectionality, hosted by The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. Video of the original closing remarks can be watched here. The […]

It goes without saying that the pandemic brought hard times for most people. At times, you might have felt heavy. And other times, you might have looked for a lift—and turned to writing to create these bright moments. Because of this, you might be interested in some inspirational writing prompts to spark your creative ideas. […]

How do you sell more books? This is a question I hear frequently from authors in our community. When you’ve done the hard work of writing a book, when you’ve even managed to get your book published, it would be nice to be able to get your book into the hands of readers. But anyone […]

Occasionally, we grammar enthusiasts need to take a step back and lighten up a little bit. While there are some grammar rules that are hard and fast (I’m looking at you, comma splice), sometimes there is wiggle room (like the controversial claim that you can split infinitives). Today, we’re tackling another wiggly rule: is ending […]

Have you wondered how to write a children’s book? A lot of people do! The idea of crafting a sweet or silly tale that delights young minds and hearts is a compelling invitation. Maybe you already have an idea about subject matter or a memorable character in mind. Perhaps you are inspired by favorite books […]

Do you have trouble finishing a book? When you stop, do you ever consider what causes writer’s block? Do you need to learn some book writing strategies to help you get past that? In a recent YouTube video, I talked about how hard it is to write a book, how it took me years to […]

What do you get when you string a bunch of scenes together? A story! But is it true that your readers also expect certain scenes in each book? Are situational archetypes a real thing? Since stories are composed of individual scenes, it makes sense to study them and figure out which scenes your story will need. […]