How to Write Gripping Scenes
This article will focus on how to craft gripping scenes that immerse readers in the story. First, I will start with an absolutely awful scene, offer a revision, and then draw connections about how you...
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Only a Bumbling Person Can Stop a Supervillain
A supervillain is easily identifiable because power is sexy. That’s why we always get the best women (no one really wants to date a mild-mannered reporter or an inept freelance-photographer). But...
View ArticleNew Sidebar Category: Writing Case Studies
Hello. In addition to my normal articles on writing, I now have Writing Case Studies. Each entry will review a book and then describe what writers should take away from what worked and what didn’t...
View ArticleQuote of the Day: Nov. 30
ATTN: SOCIAL JUSTICE LEAGUE It has come to our attention that you have continued to violate our intellectual property rights. Continuing to infringe on copyrighted terms and concepts, including but not...
View ArticleImproving Your Beta Reviews
This article will focus on how to find beta reviewers and how to get beta-reviews that are more useful. One of the best ways to tell if what you’re writing is actually working is to show chapters to...
View ArticleWelcome, MicroISVers!
Hey! Superhero Nation offers comedy, superhero writing advice, generic writing advice, and a few assorted articles on how to manage a small online project, particularly an online novel (these include...
View ArticleNovel-Writing Tip of the Day: Be Careful with Sequels
When a first-time novelist says that he’s writing the first book in a series, that’s usually code for “I’m not going to resolve anything.” For example, the story builds up to a “climactic” battle that...
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How to Use Backstory Effectively
It’s hard to handle backstory (what has happened in the past of the story). Most authors just use dull exposition. “Twelve years ago, John McGruesome was a mob hitman…” Here are a few common problems...
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Illustrating the Economics of E-Books
Two things jump out at me here. First, the author’s royalty is proportionally much larger with e-books than hardcovers (20-25% compared to 15%, and even lower for paperbacks). Second, since...
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