Welcome to Crystal Crawford's official author blog!

Welcome to the first in a series of videos/blog posts I hope to make, answering questions submitted to me from young writers, aspiring writers, and/or my former writing students! Each time I answer one of these questions, I plan to post both a YouTube video and a blog post, so you can get the answers in whichever format you prefer (or both!) Both will have the exact same content (though adapted for video or for the blog), and I'll embed the video here in the blog so you can a

Hello, everyone! For those who are new here, I'm sure your first question is, "Why should we listen to YOU about how to write on Kindle Vella?" Well, the briefest explanation is, I've been part of Kindle Vella since it first launched in July 2021. With a few short breaks here and there, I've been posting weekly episodes (sometimes multiple weekly episodes) for the majority of the 2+ years (and counting) since Kindle Vella first became a thing. I've got 2 completed serials on

If you're following the writing landscape much these days, you've probably heard about ChatGPT... and you've probably also heard people freaking out about it. I wanted to understand more about what ChatGPT actually is and how it works, and whether or not it is bringing about the end of writing and publishing as we know it like so many are worried it is (or possibly the impending doom of civilization, depending on whom you're listening to). So I decided to play around with it

If you're an avid reader or a writer, you may have heard of Kindle Vella, Amazon's (relatively) new reading platform for serialized fiction. Kindle Vella first opened to authors around April 2021 to begin preloading content, and officially launched to readers in July 2021. (I was one of the authors who had content preloaded when it launched, and have been with the platform ever since.) Although Kindle Vella has been around nearly two years, by the time of this post, it's sti

Learn to make your fiction writing more powerful!

Hi, everyone! Whether you're a fellow writer, an avid reader, or both, I've got something fun to share tonight! First off, I want to tell you all about DreamForge Anvil -- an online science fiction and fantasy magazine that focuses on stories of HOPE. They are also focused on providing some behind-the-scenes edits and notes on why they chose to publish certain stories, to help aspiring writers learn and have a better chance at success with their future submissions. Just a

Though I've always been a fiction writer, my first online writing endeavors were actually mostly nonfiction. While working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant back in 2007, I started a writing tips blog to record some tips and tools on common writing questions, so I could share it as a resources for my students. I eventually morphed from teaching college-level English Composition to teaching composition and writing classes for home-educated high school students. When I later b

this newest resource is for fiction-writers who – like me – struggle to keep the big-picture story neatly in mind while writing...

All writers encounter writer's block from time to time. Here are 4 simple techniques to get those words flowing.

Many of the reasons writers give for not writing are chiefly motivated by one element: Fear.

Info on a free, online writing workshop I got the chance to beta-test... and they interviewed me about it, too!

Announcing my new "crash course in fiction writing" guide!

If you’ve followed any of my series on Plotting, you know that I like plotting.But here’s my secret: I didn’t use to plot my stories at all.

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the final post in my “Plotting Your Story” series: Plotting Your Story, Step #7: The Perfect Ending!

Hi, everyone, and welcome to post #6 in my “Plotting Your Story” series: Plotting Your Story, Step #6: Detailed Outlines!

Hi, everyone, and welcome to post #5 in my “Plotting Your Story” series: Plotting Your Story, Step #5: Revelations!

Today’s post is the next in the Plotting Your Story series: Plotting Your Story, Step #4: Thematic Threads!

Today’s post is the next in the Plotting Your Story series: Plotting Your Story, Step #3: External Story (Plot)!

Today’s post is the next in the Plotting Your Story series: Plotting Your Story, Step #2: Internal Story (Characters)!

Today’s post is the first in the Plotting Your Story series: Plotting Your Story, Step #1: Premise!