The creative process between cartooning and writing is similar for this Royal Palm Literary Award winner. Dana Summers writes suspense when he isn’t working on his comic strips The Middletons and Bound & Gagged as well as editorial cartoons. His novel Downhill Fast won Unpublished Book of the Year in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards after it won First Place for Unpublished Mystery or Crime and First Place for Unpublished Thriller or Suspense. Dana discusses his book and creative … Read More »

Who would know antagonists better than a police officer? Micki Browning’s career in law enforcement and as a professional dive master have given insider knowledge and intrigue to her work. Her novel Beached won Published Book of the Year at the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards after it was already awarded First Place in the Published Mystery and Crime category. Micki shared about her book and her writing journey, along with some great tips for other writers. Micki’s Writing Journey … Read More »

You’ve reread that first draft and are confronted with the reality that most writers have at this point: your paragraphs are bulky. What can you do to shape up your work? Here are seven tips to help you trim down at the paragraph level: 1. Essential Information When drafting, there is a tendency to overwrite. You are thinking through your story and figuring things out, often including extras you don’t need in the final story. How can you tell if … Read More »

What is the first thing an agent, editor, or reader sees when they start your story? Your sentences. Cluttered prose makes for laborious reading. It’s a distraction from the plot—one that will make people put your book down. Thomas Jefferson said, “Never use two words when one will do.” You don’t want your sentences to be overly simplistic, but you do want them to be crisp. So, what specifically can writers do to cut down words? Get out the scissors … Read More »