I always try to edit my books to streamline and strengthen my prose. Here are my best techniques. Maybe you really just want to tighten your story, so you don’t have a specific number goal. I think you should set one anyway. Hopefully you’v…
I always try to edit my books to streamline and strengthen my prose. Here are my best techniques. Maybe you really just want to tighten your story, so you don’t have a specific number goal. I think you should set one anyway. Hopefully you’v…
I sat down to figure out what I needed to do the first week of this year, and I was stuck right away. I had no idea what I needed to do that week because I didn’t know what I needed to do that year. I had a few ideas about what I wanted to
With three prequels, it can be hard to decide where to start the Spy Another Day series. I like to think think you can jump into the series with the first prequel novella Spy Noon (available exclusively on my mailing list), with the prequel…
Struggling with showing your character’s emotional journey? I’ve got just the thing for you: A two-week in-depth class on character arcs I’m teaching through Savvy Authors! Join me for Character Arcs: all dressed up and nowhere to grow star…
Are you ready for St. Patrick’s Day? In honor of my Irish heroine from Saints & Spies, Molly Malone, I’m visiting three libraries in Utah for a fun night (or afternoon) of Irish language, culture, food and possibly even dance! Join me for a…
Spy by Night is part of a huge book sale today (March 28th) through March 31st! Also on sale: lots of stories from Trifecta Books, celebrating four new releases, and a ton of other great authors! 2014 Whitney Award Finalist in Romance After…
I began researching character sympathy years ago when I struggled with it myself. A shocking number of writers and resources suggested “fixes” and sources of character sympathy that are little more than gimmicks. The effective advice I foun…
Obviously, with a new book out on the subject, I’ve been thinking about character sympathy a lot lately. Most of the time, of course, character sympathy is subconscious for a writer and a reader—until it doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, in a
It’s a big week! We’re kicking off launch week with an excerpt from Character Sympathy: Creating characters your readers HAVE to root for! When we use it correctly, humor can be a great tool for creating character sympathy. A sense of humor…
Think of the differences between these examples: There are lots of books and websites out there that will tell you that the verb “was” and the construct “was [verb]ing” is passive voice. It’s not. Can I repeat that? The construct “was [verb…
Welcome! I’m Jordan McCollum. I write novels about love, lies, secrets & spies, and I teach writing craft. Be sure to join my readers group to get your free book or exclusive writing guide! More about My Books | Writing Craft Books & Classe…