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Tips for Writers
Tips for Writers from an indie author, writing teacher, and freelance editor


Plotting Your Story: How to Craft a Complex, Compelling Story That Keeps Readers Turning the Pages
Hi, everyone, and welcome to my blog post series…
Plotting Your Story: How to Craft a Complex, Compelling Story Plot!

Crystal Crawford
Oct 1, 20181 min read


Inspirational Writing Quotes
A collection of inspirational writing quotes

Crystal Crawford
Jun 15, 20181 min read


Secrets of “Show, Don’t Tell”: What It Really Means and How to Do It Well
A question I'm asked repeatedly: What about “Show, Don’t Tell”? How do I do it? What are the rules?

Crystal Crawford
Jan 15, 201810 min read


A 1-Year CHALLENGE to Help You Supercharge Your Writing Career
I often receive comments on how I’ve managed to build an online community around my writing. Here's a step-by-step of how I did that...

Crystal Crawford
Dec 29, 201715 min read


Don’t Have Scrivener? How to Use Microsoft Word for All Your Writing Needs
Don’t have fancier software, but have Microsoft Word? Learn how to make the most of it for your writing process.

Crystal Crawford
Nov 13, 20176 min read


What to Do When Writing Sucks
What to do when it suddenly feels like writing sucks and you wonder why you ever decided to do this in the first place.

Crystal Crawford
Oct 30, 20174 min read


Should You NaNoWriMo?
Here are some things to consider before committing to the crunch of 50,000 words in November.

Crystal Crawford
Oct 25, 20172 min read


How to Succeed at NaNoWriMo
a brief bullet-point list of some of the things I learned from my frenzied first-time NaNoWriMo experience...

Crystal Crawford
Oct 25, 20173 min read


How to Self-Edit Your Writing
A good self-edit can make a huge difference in your writing, but only if you know how to do it well. Here are 7 tips to help you self-edit..

Crystal Crawford
Oct 16, 20176 min read


Titles and Blurbs
A quick bullet-point list of tips for choosing a title and writing a blurb--these are essentially the notes from a live Writers Chat I did..

Crystal Crawford
Oct 5, 20176 min read


How to Create Memorable Characters
Vibrant, memorable characters are the heart of storytelling and the window through which you are able to access your readers’ emotions.

Crystal Crawford
Sep 25, 20174 min read


How to Create a Captivating Setting
Welcome to the first of a series of “How To” guides I’m going to be writing over the next few weeks!

Crystal Crawford
Sep 18, 20173 min read


Call for Community
Writing is solitary, but I have learned how much stronger and better, my writing can be when I have the benefit of a writing community.

Crystal Crawford
Aug 28, 20172 min read


How to Overcome the Fear of Sharing Your Writing
How do you overcome the fear of others reading your work?
The simplest answer to this is actually the most difficult to execute...

Crystal Crawford
Aug 14, 20174 min read


Helpful Books for Writers
As both a writer and a writing instructor, I read a lot of books on writing. Here are my top book recommendations for writers.

Crystal Crawford
Aug 7, 20174 min read


Wattpad Can Make You a Better Writer
While my writing is no longer on Wattpad, I still stand by this post--Wattpad really did make me a better writer.

Crystal Crawford
Jul 31, 20177 min read


Throw It to the Wolves
Throw your writing to the wolves. Sure, it may get uncomfortable. You may even get hurt a bit. But you may also find something wonderful...

Crystal Crawford
Jul 17, 20176 min read


Creative Independence
What is Creative Independence?
I’m glad you asked. 😉

Crystal Crawford
Jul 3, 20177 min read


Fail Bravely
So this is my motivational speech to you today, any of you who are writers: GO FAIL. Here's why...

Crystal Crawford
Jun 26, 20173 min read


Plot or Characters – Which Matters More?
Characters or plot – which matters more?
When you’re planning out a story, how do you decide what to focus on?

Crystal Crawford
Jun 19, 20174 min read
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