Frank Carlson Library

Did you know that baseball players wear helmets when they are batting? Helmets keep their heads safe. Learn more about this beloved sport in Baseball, a Like a Pro book.

What do writers want from plot? What do writers need from plot? Are those questions the same? Not really. As wordsmiths, we writers know that want and need are two different words. The want is a circumstance that we writers can control. We want plot specifics to help us craft story and exceed reader expectations. The need is a circumstance of obligations from reader expectations of story. While readers may want the comfort of the genre elements...

Did you know that each golf club is different? Clubs with higher numbers hit balls higher into the air. Learn more about this beloved sport in Golf, a Like a Pro book.

Did you know that there are four main swimming strokes? Different swimming events use different strokes. Learn more about this beloved sport in Swimming, a Like a Pro book.

Discovering Characters is like investigating a house we want to buy. No, I'm serious. Characters have an exterior façade that we comment upon as we drive past. Through the windows we catch glimpses of interior lives. As writers, we want to capture individual characters and save them from the cookie-cutter boxy stereotypes. We delve into their interior rooms for glimpses of weighty baggage. Finding their backstory is a search through attics and...