Q: My hero refuses to cooperate. He will only disclose bit and pieces about himself and it certainly inst’ about his dreams for his life. I do know his greatest …

USE PERSONAL STAKES! Last week in Prescriptions we talked about finding the Public Stakes for your story to build a hook for your reader. But, what if my story doesn’t …

I’m reading a book by Francine Prose called, “Reading Like a Writer.” While her focus is large literary and academic, Prose caught my eye with many of the excerpts she …

Q: My most vexing issue is figuring out how to tighten the noose (build the suspense) toward the end of the novel leading up to the climax scene. A: Don’t …