Author: Jackie Dana

Jackie had a few practice careers before finally deciding to become a full-time writer. To keep the computer humming and her cats fed, she's a freelance writer and editor. She's also the brains behind Story Cauldron, a Substack newsletter devoted to storytelling and the writing process as well as the home of her current YA novel series, The Favor Faeries.

The Magic of Disappearing Dialogue Tags

Best Practices for Writing and Formatting Dialogue Jackie Dana Ah, the humble dialogue tag. They are some of the most powerful tools in your author toolbox, helping your reader visualize a scene and who’s speaking, and often conveying subtle action. But despite their value in a story, they’re best when they’re not even noticed. Many […]

AI: Your Perfect Plotting Partner?

Being an indie author is a lot of work. Until we hit the best-seller lists, we’re often forced to wear an entire haberdashery’s worth of hats. We’re constantly researching new ideas, making outlines, finding beta readers or critique partners, and crafting clever synopses, back cover copy, author bios, and so much more. And that’s all […]

Substack: The Latest Substitute for Standard Publishing

What do authors Salman Rushdie and Chuck Palahniuk have in common with a small army of indie authors? They’re actively publishing newsletters and creative content on the newsletter platform Substack. Let’s look at why this new platform might be the hottest place to publish your next novel and connect with a whole new group of […]