Posts by Maggie Smith
The Art of the Start: Four Different Ways to Begin Your Novel
This month I’m beginning my third novel, and I face a familiar, nerve-racking challenge: deciding how to start. The opening of a novel sets the tone for everything that follows, and I’m torn. Should I go back in time and give the reader a sense of how the conflicts playing out in the present spring…
Read MoreUsing Social Media to Market Your Book
Social media platforms are increasingly important for any author launching a novel into the world. Not only are they free (music to a writer’s ears), but they offer a way to connect with potential readers across the globe, people you would never be able to reach via bookstore appearances or local one-on-one selling. By leveraging…
Read MoreMoving Beyond “Write What You Know”
The adage “write what you know” has been a cornerstone of writing advice for decades. It encourages writers to draw from their own experiences, lending authenticity and depth to their work. But this approach can also be limiting. Confining yourself to only what you know can stifle your creativity and lead to repetitive themes and…
Read MoreFrom Subtle Unease to Heart-Pounding Thrills: The Use of Tension in Fiction
For my second novel, Blindspot, I ventured into a new genre, that of psychological suspense. It’s the type of book I gravitate to as a reader and I’m a long-term fan of anything in the mystery realm (I devoured the entire Agatha Christie oeuvre when I was sixteen) How hard could it be? Insert hubris…
Read MoreLessons My Podcast Guests Taught Me
Hear Us Roar, the weekly podcast I host for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, has been going since May 2018. The show has been downloaded over 27,000 times and the guests have ranged from authors who later hit the best-seller lists (Julie Clark, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai), won prestigious awards (Barbara Linn Probst, Jeannee Sacken),…
Read MoreWhy I Write
I spin tales, conjure up characters, and bleed ink on the page (metaphorically, of course, although I’ve had a few paper cuts in my day that made my pages a bit more “colorful”). Since my go-to question when writer’s block strikes is always why, it seems only natural to turn that same lens on myself.…
Read MoreBrainstorming Characters That Leap Off the Page
BlindSpot, my second book and first psychological suspense, releases in May, so before the whirlwind of marketing for that one starts up in earnest, I’ve been spending time ruminating about my next one – my favorite part of the process. My first step is always to purchase a new Moleskine lined notebook where I can jot…
Read MoreYear-End Musings About Writing
As 2023 comes to a close, here are some things I’m thinking about when it comes to this writing life. Being published does not make you a writer. Writing makes you a writer. Publishing is no longer a “one size fits all.” With the flourishing of print on demand, the growth in audiobooks, reader’s comfort…
Read MoreThe Joy of Promiscuity
Are you a monogamous writer? You get up every morning and all you can think about is the one novel, the one poem, the one essay you’re trying to write to the exclusion of all else. If a news item sparks a what if scenario, or a fascinating character comes to you in a dream, or you…
Read MoreHow Genre Can Drive Your Book’s Success
It’s a common lament among writers: Why is genre important? Can’t I just write whatever I want and let the marketplace figure out how to classify it? Or perhaps: My work is a mix of genres. I don’t want to be pinned down. I like to mix it up. Let’s look at why genre is…
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