James Scott Bell is a Christy Award-winning and International Thriller Writers Award-winning author in several fiction genres, and a beloved and sought-after writing teacher. He has written many nonfiction titles on the craft of writing, including several for Writer’s Digest Books. In today’s episode, Jim talks about how he got the idea for his craft…

Whether you’re first starting out, or you’ve published several books, choosing which story idea to work on next can be difficult. We’re creative and we’ve generally got a lot of ideas! Since I started writing when traditional publishing was pretty much the only way to go (unless you wanted to fill your garage with boxes…

Whether you’re first starting out, or you’ve published several books, choosing which story idea to work on next can be difficult. We’re creative and we’ve generally got a lot of ideas! Since I started writing when traditional publishing was pretty much the only way to go (unless you wanted to fill your garage with boxes…

Sometimes my creator brain gets nervous. It doesn’t want to come out and play in public. Maybe it’s nervous that someone won’t like what it created. What do we do when that happens? The first step is to recognize the signs – are you putting off your writing or other creative endeavor, finding so many…

Sometimes my creator brain gets nervous. It doesn’t want to come out and play in public. Maybe it’s nervous that someone won’t like what it created. What do we do when that happens? The first step is to recognize the signs – are you putting off your writing or other creative endeavor, finding so many…

In 2016, author Tracy Reed decided to try to write and publish 12 titles in 12 months. She managed 13. This is her story. Tracy published her first novel in December 2014, then two more shorter titles in 2015. After a conversation with me and another writer friend, she decided that if other writers could…

In 2016, author Tracy Reed decided to try to write and publish 12 titles in 12 months. She managed 13. This is her story. Tracy published her first novel in December 2014, then two more shorter titles in 2015. After a conversation with me and another writer friend, she decided that if other writers could…

Coming down off the holidays, I’m saying I’m going to eat better, but I still have some Christmas pecans I need to make. Standing in the kitchen, I’m thinking of recipes and how they work for any part of life, not just baking or cooking. For instance, the brownies I’m famous for came from a…

Coming down off the holidays, I’m saying I’m going to eat better, but I still have some Christmas pecans I need to make. Standing in the kitchen, I’m thinking of recipes and how they work for any part of life, not just baking or cooking. For instance, the brownies I’m famous for came from a…

I love new beginnings, and I’m a big fan of hitting the Restart button at any time. But sometimes we wonder if what we’re doing right now is good enough. Is it the right idea or should we be working on something else? Then I’m reminded of the mustard seed, a tiny seed that can…