Simply put, stakes are the negative consequences of failure. If your protagonist fails, bad things will happen. Unlike an intriguing hook or compelling protagonist, stakes put readers under tension.
Sacha Black joins us to discuss the archetypal villain and how writers can stop writing boring clichéd villains. Sacha gives tips on how to write a kickass protagonist that stands out and why copywriting is a skill all writers should continually work on.
Damon Suede, a chart-topping M/M romance author, will change the way you think about craft and characters.
By Joni Di Placido It’s a new year and we’re bringing this feature back: a place to share the most interesting book news and author tips…
True revision, in which a writer takes apart a book and puts it back together again, terrified me. How could anyone pull it off?
I’ll tell you how: step by step, little by little, just like you wrote the book.
Everybody loves a twist, right?
A great twist is an enticing prospect for many readers in choosing their next read and it is my view, this is never more important than in the psychological thriller.
[The following is an excerpt from the book Maim Your Characters by Samantha Keel] which originally appeared on ScriptMedic: A Medical Consultant for Writers] An…
by Leah Thurber Being a writer, enjoying what you do and making a profit while doing it is one of the best feelings in the world.…
By Chris Mandeville Many writers begin their careers with short stories—they’re easier to tackle and faster to complete. But not me. I dove into novel writing…
By Alicia Honeycutt If you want to make a good impression on readers, you need to give them high-quality contents and also prove that you are…
by Terry Odell As authors, we want to provide the best possible experience for our readers. That means providing a well-edited book, and I don’t put…
Guest Post by Deborah Cooke (Abridged from a version originally published on www.deborahcooke.com) Book charms are adorable and readers love them. I’ve bought them in the…
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON DEBUT AUTHORS Award includes monetary prize and marketing support for books in three categories: Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction – Romance, and Non-Fiction…
This episode features Mark Dawson, the bestselling UK author of the John Milton and Soho Noir series. Mark has become a go-to expert on Facebook ads…
We’re 6 days into NaNoWriMo 2015. How is our team of brave WriMos doing so far? Well… let’s just say most of us (already!) have some…
By Sean Platt Of course authors want to sell books. Unfortunately — even though the advice is long in the tooth — doing so isn’t as…
Did you publish your first book in 2014? Do you have a Canadian passport? If so, you may want to consider entering Kobo’s first annual Emerging Writer Award of Excellence.
By Shayna Krishnasamy I write long. It’s what I do. My sentences aren’t tight. The meander and go off topic and then veer back. I can…
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks met in person for the first time at Kobo’s home office in Toronto in May 2014 and were interviewed by Kobo…
By Zoe York In May, I made the exciting and scary decision to transition to writing full-time. I’ve always thought of myself as a professional writer,…
By BlueInk Review In our mission at BlueInk Review to review self-published books, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. While it’s difficult to…
by Felicity Heaton Kobo asked me to write about creating characters who will steal the hearts of readers after hearing about my readers’ passion for Snow,…
by Steve Vernon I used to run. That was back before my belt started to shrink. I specialized in long distance running. I could go for…
By Jennifer Shenouda Blame it on the curse of first impressions. First chapters are kind of like speed dating, in that it often takes a person…
Applications are now being accepted for the upcoming Curtis Brown Creative three-month Novel-Writing Course to be taught at their London offices in the UK. Curtis Brown…
By Roz Morris So we sit down, wake the laptop, flex knuckles, put on headphones… and begin. What’s going into our ears? Something pure like birdsong?…
By Heidi Loney I wrote 3 novels in 13 months. Here is how I did it: Book #1: I had a great premise for a novel.…
When emotions escalate in a story, it means tension. A range of emotions allows the reader to experience more, and keep things interesting
Unless you’re collaborating with others, the act of writing is, by its nature, a rather solitary activity. But the actual process of writing a story is…
So you’ve decided to try your hand at writing erotica—why not? It’s a very popular genre right now, and selling like hotcakes. Bestselling novelist Kelly Favor,…
Few would-be authors ever manage to complete that first book. Odd, though, once they have, few stop at just one. Clearly finishing your first book is…
(Or: actually completing your first book) “I know I have this book in me. If I could only…” Find the time, get down to it, organize…
Joseph Nassise, a veteran of both traditional publishing and digital self-publishing has seen success in both worlds. Through a combination of keeping an open mind, engaging…
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science-fiction author who’s had over forty books on the New York Times Bestseller list. Needless to say, he loves writing,…
David H. Burton, author of Broken: A Paranormal Romance, said in a recent interview with Kobo, that the best piece of advice he ever received as…
Indie superstar turned publishing house darling Amanda Hocking was highly tactical when she set out to be successful at writing books. She did field research –…
Compelling, believable dialogue can make or break the success of your book. There is a craft to it – check out these guides and books for…
We learn to talk as toddlers, we do it every day, you’d think it would be a snap to write, right? Not so fast little author,…
In collaboration: How (and why) to write with other people Blake Crouch is a prolific writer of thrillers, horrors and paranormal adventures, an author with some…
Facts for Fiction Writers: The Importance of Doing Research While there is a joke among journalists, meant ironically of course, suggesting they should “never let the…