This week, James Scott Bell offers practical advice on crafting stronger scenes. At Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass examines what it means to write authentic characters while Kathryn Craft urges us to elevate our descriptions from the prosaic to the extraordinary.

Lincoln Michel sheds light on nearly every facet of being a professional writer, Janice Hardy discusses character agency, and over at TIME, Megan McCluskey exposes the career-damaging extortion and fraudulent book reviews running rampant on Goodreads.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Everything I’ve Learned About Being a “Professional” Writer in One Post  by Lincoln Michel

How Extortion Scams and Review Bombing Trolls Turned Goodreads Into Many Authors’ Worst Nightmare  by Megan McCluskey

Three Easy Ways to Strengthen a Scene  by James Scott Bell

4 Ways to Develop Character Agency  by Janice Hardy

Aim for the Extra in the Ordinary  by Kathryn Craft

6 Twisty Ways to Trick Your Reader  by Dana Isaacson

How to Avoid Repeating ‘I’ in First Person Writing  by Louise Harnby

How to Bring History Alive in Your Fiction  by Dana Cameron

The Walking Stick  by Donald Maass

From Mary Shelley to Carmen Maria Machado, Women Have Profoundly Shaped Horror  by Danielle Binks