I was trying to think of a blog post for today and realized I wanted to write about the craft of writing. But instead of just focusing on one aspect, I wanted to share 10 of the best writing tips I've gotten over the last several years. I hope these can help you (and please, feel free to post your own tips in the comments--I'm sure there are a bunch more that could be added to the list).

1--Every character is the hero of his/her own story. This one has been key to helping me remember that all characters should be multifaceted, even the "villains." That rude jerk in school has her own history, her own flaws and fears and vulnerabilities. The things that make her cry when she's all alone. When you can make your reader feel a variety of emotions about your bad guy, including even small flashes of empathy, you know that character is fleshed out. Nothing sucks more than 2D villains who say, "Mwahahahaaaa..." and twirl their sinister mustaches while delivering flat, cheesy dialogue. Please, make your villains compelling!

2--GMC. Goal, motivation, conflict. What does your character want? Why? What keeps your character from getting it? Three simple questions, but it has drastically impacted the quality of my writing. It keeps my plot focused and my pacing tight. It develops my characterization. In short, it's completely changed the way I write. Check out Deb Dixon's book called Goal, Motivation and Conflict. You won't be sorry!

3--Use all 5 senses. Sensory detail enriches your story in a way that brings it to life. In scenes that are high sexual/romantic tension, bring in all 5 senses. In other scenes, make sure you bring in at least 2, if not more. Of course, quality is key here. Be original, but not so over-the-top that you veer into purple prose or overwriting.

4--Pacing matters. This one I've learned a lot about while editing with Carina Press. Most pacing problems I see are slow pacing, with scenes that don't move the story forward at a satisfying speed. This will kill your story--you will quickly lose the reader's interest if you dump too much unneeded info in, especially at the beginning. If your paragraph or even a scene doesn't illuminate new/important information about your character, or advance the plot in a meaningful way, consider cutting/trimming it. Filler is bad, yo.

5--Be ruthless on your manuscript. Your story is not sacred. It's not a baby. After you draft, you have to be willing to make it as strong as it can be. Cut those passages that may be beautiful but unneeded. Tough love, guys...it hurts, but it works. I promise.

6--No effort is wasted. Yeah, you may realize after drafting your novel that it suuuuuuuuuucks. lol. Guess what--that's ok. It taught you how to write. It taught you how to hone your craft. That effort wasn't for vain, and it will help make your next story all the stronger.

7--Not every idea is good/worth developing. If you're anything like me, you have a billion story ideas. It's fun generating new ones. But the hard part is to hone in on the one that's going to be the most compelling, the strongest concept.

8--I'm not a writer, I'm a rewriter. I learned this in grad school and it's stuck with me since. It gives me permission to puke out a crappy first draft...and if any of you are like me, with strong internal editors, this is much-needed permission. As I draft, I know I'm going to rework it. It will go through heavy revisions. And that's okay. So I can focus on spitting out the story, developing character, etc. Later, I'll go through with a hatchet. Then a scalpel. Then tweezers. I'll gradually work my way down to the story I want to tell.

9--Your final story may never be what you think it should be. This is a lesson I continue to struggle with. I get great ideas...but sometimes the execution isn't