Craft Articles

Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.

Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.

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Kristi Wright 4/21/25 Kristi Wright 4/21/25

Nedda Lewers: Linking Plot with Character

When it comes to leaving readers guessing, try to find the sweet spot between revealing too much (they know how it will end) and not enough (they have no idea what is going on). Your readers should feel curious but not confused. Critique partners and beta readers can help you find this balance because, unlike you, they don’t know how the story will end.

Kristi Wright 2/3/25 Kristi Wright 2/3/25

Misa Sugiura: Taking It One Scene at a Time

“It is very easy to feel like what you've accomplished isn't enough. The solution (it's not easy): Enjoy the ride you're on. Let go of the stuff that's out of your control (other author's experiences, marketing budgets, awards) and control what you can, like writing your next book.”

Anne-Marie Strohman 1/20/25 Anne-Marie Strohman 1/20/25

Jessie Janowitz: Give Your Narrator a Secret

“Understanding your main character’s backstory is essential to the first-person voice. We filter the world through our unique personal experiences, . . . we refer to places we’ve been, people we’ve met, food we’ve eaten, etc. If we don’t know our narrator’s history, we can’t begin to know the language they’d use to describe it.”

Kristi Wright 9/8/22 Kristi Wright 9/8/22

Adding Depth Through Revision: A Q&A with Joanna Ho

The more specific a story, the more universal it becomes. This is one of the most enduring bits of writing advice I have ever received. When we can write to one particular story, experience, character with specific detail and nuance, it makes it real. It feels true. There are always spaces to find our shared humanity, and this is only possible when we come to understand the richness around us.

Kristi Wright 6/9/22 Kristi Wright 6/9/22

Striving for Unfiltered Vulnerability: A Q&A with Misa Sugiura

"I create my characters’ flaws, misconceptions, and spiritual wounds around a theme or a question that interests me, and then I give them a personal conflict that directly challenges those flaws, misconceptions, and wounds. After that, it’s a matter of developing broader challenges, events, relationships, and conflicts that can revolve around the same theme." ~ Misa Sugiura

Kristi Wright 2/10/22 Kristi Wright 2/10/22

Emotional Resonance Is Key: A Q&A with Tanita S. Davis

A lot of people want to be allies, or seen as friendly and open to the idea of friendship across races, cultures and social strata. This idea of “just talk to each other” may seem like it’s wildly oversimplified, but it turns out that if you want to know someone, it really is that simple. You may be nothing like a diehard gardener or wide-eyed tween, but if you’re willing to see a potential connection between the two of you, it will be there.

Kristi Wright 12/9/21 Kristi Wright 12/9/21

Empathy and Irony: A Q&A with Stacey Lee

Empathy has its drawbacks, especially when reading the news, but on the plus side, I think it helps me create deeper characters. The secret for creating unforgettable characters is to give them impossible choices.