KN Magazine: Articles
Drop the Pen! What Every Writer Needs to Know About Real Police Work: Police Batons
In this installment of Drop the Pen!, David Lane Williams explores the history, use, and realities of police batons, offering writers an insider’s perspective on how and when these “less lethal” tools are actually deployed. Blending firsthand experience with practical guidance, the article helps writers portray law enforcement with greater accuracy and nuance.
Making History Relevant to Story without Slowing the Pace
In this craft article, Tori Eldridge explores how writers can seamlessly integrate historical and cultural detail into fiction without slowing the pace. Through practical techniques like embedding history in character genealogy and revealing information at impactful moments, she demonstrates how to enrich storytelling while maintaining momentum and reader engagement.
Between Pen and Paper: Flaneuring Through a Writer’s Mind – The Manual of Becoming a Tree
In this contemplative installment of Between Pen and Paper, Andi Kopek explores what writers can learn from trees—stillness, patience, interconnectedness, and quiet growth. “The Manual of Becoming a Tree” blends philosophy, nature, and craft to reframe writing not as constant output, but as a process of deep attention, rooted presence, and gradual transformation.
Literary Alchemy: Ingredients of the Story – Conflict
In this installment of Literary Alchemy: Ingredients of the Story, Chrissy Hicks explores conflict as the driving force behind compelling fiction. From internal struggles to external battles, she breaks down how conflict shapes character, builds tension, and mirrors real life—offering practical techniques and examples to help writers craft stories that keep readers fully engaged.
This Crazy Writing Life: Four Million And Counting! Please, Somebody, Make It Stop!
In this installment of This Crazy Writing Life, Steven Womack examines the explosive rise of AI-generated books and the growing challenges facing today’s writers. With millions of titles flooding the market each year, he explores how shifting publishing models, algorithms, and emerging technologies are reshaping the industry—and what it means for authors striving to create meaningful, lasting work.
Drop the Pen! What Every Writer Should Know About Real Police Work: The Bladed Stance: Why Do Cops Stand Like That?
In this installment of Drop the Pen!, David Lane Williams breaks down the “bladed stance,” a subtle but critical detail in real police work. Blending practical insight with storytelling application, the article shows how posture, positioning, and body language reveal both tactical awareness and communication strategy—offering writers an authentic edge when crafting believable law enforcement characters.
Between Pen and Paper: Flaneuring Through a Writer’s Mind – Column 14: The Missing Hour: The Curious Elasticity of Time
In this installment of Between Pen and Paper, Andi Kopek explores the strange, elastic nature of time—from the lost hour of daylight saving to the way memory, storytelling, and even planetary movement reshape how we experience it. Blending science, literature, and personal reflection, “The Missing Hour” invites writers to consider how time bends not only in the universe, but on the page.
Literary Alchemy: Ingredients of the Story – Misdirection
In “Literary Alchemy: Ingredients of the Story,” Chrissy Hicks explores the art of misdirection and how it fuels suspense, deepens character, and delivers unforgettable plot twists. Through examples from classic and contemporary fiction, she breaks down techniques like red herrings, unreliable narrators, and omission, showing writers how to guide readers toward false assumptions before revealing the truth in surprising yet satisfying ways.
Headcase: How To Avoid Eye Strain, Headaches, and Pulling Your Hair Out
Writers spend countless hours at desks, often ignoring the physical and mental toll that sustained focus can take on the body. In “Headcase,” Mary Lynn Cloghesy and Jason Schembri explore how eye strain, tension headaches, and “Tech Neck” are connected through the body’s fascial system, while also addressing the emotional pressures writers face from rejection, criticism, and creative blocks. The article offers practical strategies to protect both body and mind so writers can sustain a healthy creative life.
There’s No One Right (or Write) Way
In “There’s No One Right (or Write) Way,” bestselling author Lois Winston reflects on the overwhelming flood of writing advice that authors encounter online and in the publishing industry. From contradictory craft rules to questionable experts, Winston reminds writers that every author develops their own process over time. Through humor, personal experience, and practical insight, she encourages writers to think critically about advice, trust their instincts, and remember that there is no universal formula for success.
Drop the Pen! What Every Writer Should Know about Real Police Work: PTSD
PTSD is not a plot device—it’s a lived reality for first responders. In this candid and deeply personal craft article, David Lane Williams explores how trauma shapes veteran police officers, paramedics, and firefighters, and why writers must understand its psychological, emotional, and cultural impact. From dark humor to hypervigilance to private coping rituals, this piece offers essential insight for crafting authentic, layered law enforcement characters.
LISTENING
In “LISTENING,” Clay Stafford reflects on how stillness, restraint, and quiet attention reshape understanding, relationships, and meaning. Instead of solving, pushing, or fixing, he discovers that discernment and presence — listening without needing to act — can deepen insight and transform how we live, create, and make decisions.
Between Pen and Paper: Flaneuring Through a Writer’s Mind – The API of the Human Heart, or Why Your Characters Keep Misunderstanding Each Other
What if human communication worked like artificial intelligence? In this thought-provoking craft essay, Andi Kopek compares APIs—Application Programming Interfaces—to the invisible emotional “contracts” we use in conversation. By exploring parsing errors, emotional bandwidth, and schema mismatches, he offers writers a powerful new lens for understanding character conflict, empathy, gaslighting, and love. When characters misunderstand each other, it may not be malice—it may be incompatible formatting.
THE CHAIR IS STILL THERE
On mornings when creativity feels hollow and momentum seems absent, Clay Stafford learned a crucial lesson: the work of a life isn’t built on inspiration or certainty. In “The Chair Is Still There,” he reflects on how discipline, presence, and the simple act of returning to his chair—cup of coffee in hand—reframe his creative life, strengthen his relationship to his art, and allow meaning to emerge without fanfare.
Literary Alchemy: The Ticking Clock
A ticking clock can turn an ordinary scene into a pulse-pounding race against time. In this installment of Literary Alchemy, Chrissy Hicks explores how deadlines—whether explosive, subtle, or psychological—heighten tension, sharpen character development, and eliminate the dreaded muddy middle. From 24 to The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Da Vinci Code, this craft article shows writers how urgency transforms plot momentum and emotional stakes.
Writing Historical Fiction
Historical fiction demands more than dates and dusty facts—it requires knowing how to transform real events into compelling narrative. In this practical craft article, James L. Hill explores three major approaches to historical fiction, from time-period-based storytelling to alternative history, and explains how much research each truly requires. Whether anchoring your story in the Battle of Trenton or rewriting the fate of the American Revolution, Hill shows how to balance accuracy, imagination, and storytelling power.
THE WORLD GOT WIDER
For years, Clay Stafford believed that meaningful work required external confirmation—applause, validation, or visible momentum—but that belief quietly narrowed his life and creative choices. In this reflective craft essay, he explores how releasing the need for approval transformed uncertainty from a warning into a companion, allowing courage, creative freedom, and authentic purpose to take the lead in both writing and life.
Drop the Pen! What Every Writer Should Know About Real Police Work: Garrity Warning
An essential guide for crime and thriller writers explaining the Garrity Warning, how it differs from Miranda, and how understanding real police procedure can raise the stakes, realism, and dramatic tension in crime fiction and true crime narratives.
Literary Alchemy: Ingredients of the Story – Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s craft, planting subtle clues that build suspense, deepen theme, and create satisfying payoffs. In this installment of Literary Alchemy, Chrissy Hicks breaks down how to use foreshadowing effectively—through dialogue, setting, symbolism, and character action—so readers stay engaged and every twist feels earned.
Crafting Ethical and Moral Dilemmas in Crime Fiction
In crime fiction, the most gripping moments often arise not from action, but from impossible choices. This craft article explores how ethical and moral dilemmas deepen character, heighten suspense, and transform crime stories by forcing protagonists to navigate the gray spaces between right and wrong, justice and survival.
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