Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home again until the major problem of the plot is solved.

Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home again until the major problem of the plot is solved.

My philosophy on writing books is that if you learn only one new thing, or even get a new take on something you already know, it's worth it.

In fact, one could argue that the skill of the fiction writer boils down to the ability to exploit intensity.

Anyone living in Los Angeles who has opposable thumbs is required to write a screenplay.

Write like you're in love. Edit like you're in charge.

The thing I do at the beginning is a "voice journal," a free form doc that is the character speaking to me. I just work on it until I start to hear different from my own, or the other characters.