"...it's an exciting adventure, and Winterhawk is a charismatic and honorable hero. An effective western thriller graced by a memorable protagonist. Our verdict: Get It!" -- Kirkus Reviews amazon.com/In-the-Lair-of…

H.P. LOVECRAFT’S BIRTHDAY: If horror speaks for itself, it’ll up readers’ dread—“Never explain anything,” H.P. Lovecraft said. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub

DEFINITION DAY: For ages eighteen to mid-twenties, it’s the “New Adult” novel stage. Any topic’s on the table, with characters that same age. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Bee Felten-Leidel on Unsplash)

LET’S TALK DIALOGUE: Shun Q & A. Avoid talk that’s too direct and correct. Oblique dialogue rules, when characters don’t—quite—connect. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash)

THEME, PLOT & WHATNOT: What will be the vital first words of your story’s creation? Will you use action, flashback, death—or start in mid-conversation? #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Ole Witt on Unsplash)

PAULO COELHO'S BIRTHDAY: Depressed? Convert your sorrow to fiction instead. “Tears are words that need to be written,” Coelho once said. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub

THE WRITE IDEA: Your protag must confront their demons, then celebrate—or bleed. Their trip of success or failure is why your readers came to read. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Clemens van Lay on Unsplash)

LET’S TALK DIALOGUE: Does your character babble? Give excess words the axe! A normal burst of conversation is two or three sentences—max. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Cody Engel on Unsplash)

MOTIVATION STATION: How much can you jot in the write-time you’ve got? #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash)

DEFINITION DAY: Flash Fiction: Anything under 1K; with a real plot, despite size. Force contemplation—end with a surprise. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub

HAVE SOME CHARACTER: Funny/humorless. Cheerful/moody. Impulsive…or slow-to-start. Give each in your cast distinct traits—make it easy to tell ’em apart. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash)

THE WRITE IDEA: Boil down writing projects to their smallest bits. If you’ve just a few minutes, you can work on what fits. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity (Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)

MOTIVATION STATION: The only action that’ll get you there is sitting your rear down in that chair. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash)

STEVEN PRESSFIELD’S BIRTHDAY: You’ll never write it if you wait to be totally prepared in your head. In other words: “Start before you’re ready,” as Steven Pressfield said. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub

World Tour: Alien invasion might save earthlings. From the Earth. Injured NFL player leads weirdest invading alien force ever around the world to 30 geological wonders to liberate humanity from parasites who have infected them since prehistory. 404 buff.ly/YGwIe8a

DEFINITION DAY: In Mysteries, the term “Detective novel” is self-explanatory. One central sleuth (think Sherlock Holmes) probes and solves a crime in this category. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Keiteu Ko on

THEME, PLOT & WHATNOT: Use clear transitions when switching between different subplots. Your readers will bail out if they can’t connect the dots. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Mark König on Unsplash)

LET’S TALK DIALOGUE: With dialect “sounds-like-this” tags, don’t be too ambitious. Just use an example sentence or two, or it gets repetitious. #AmWriting, #Writingtips, #Writers, #WritersBlock, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)

Writer’s guilt is a masochistic riddle; It’s fretting you’re writing too much or too little. Either perception is a self-blame game. Want to silence your muse? Just bring on the shame. #AmWriting, #WritingCommunity, #5amWritersClub (Image by Willi-van-de-Winkel from Pixaby)