Author's articles

The Truth About Urban Fiction

By Maxine Thompson · 17 years ago

When I first edited urban fiction, like most new endeavors, I stumbled into it. But as a former social worker, I’ve always found it interesting how women of color cope in desperate situations. As I ...

The WAR Cycle for Writers

By Maxine Thompson · 19 years ago

In one of his acts, comedian Chris Rock tells a joke where he calls a certain class of men, "Low-expectation-having folks." (Of course, that's not the word he used.) At any rate, he had a ...

Ten Tips for Creating Multi-Faceted Characters

By Maxine Thompson · 19 years ago

When I was sixteen, during the Civil Rights era, as part of a one-way student exchange program (from the inner city of Detroit to suburban Traverse City, Michigan), I lived with a white family. This ...

The Difference Between a Copy Editor and a Story Editor

By Maxine Thompson · 19 years ago

It is often said that if they had to choose, many novelists would prefer to have the developmental (or content) editing completed on their manuscripts versus the copy editing. Why? Because if the story is ...