Work in Progress
to elevate your writing, editing, and publishing
Origin Story
Why The Narrative Guild Exists: Four Editors, One Shared Philosophy
Editing isn’t about control—it’s about collaboration, trust, and shared commitment to a story’s potential. At The Narrative Guild, we came together not to compete, but to unite our diverse editorial expertise. We guide writers through the creative process with clarity, respect, and care, fostering a supportive community where stories can truly flourish.
Grow Your Craft With Us
Read to Write Better
Writers are often told to read more, but reading alone does not automatically improve a draft. This practical guide explains how to choose mentor texts, ask useful questions, annotate with intention, and apply lessons about plot, character, point of view, and language to your own work.
Immersion in History through Past, Present, or Split
Past, present, or a combination of both? The tense you choose can shape a novel’s pacing, perspective, and the reader’s sense of immersion. This post explores the conventions of tense in historical fiction—and what writers should consider before deciding to break them.
A Map Through the Publishing Maze: My Conversation with Euwyn of Publishing Map
Publishing advice is often fragmented, biased, or too narrow to help writers make good decisions. In my conversation with Euwyn, creator of PublishingMap.com, we explore a more useful approach: understanding the full landscape of publishing before choosing a route.
The Working Writer: A Community for Writers Who Want to Make Progress Together
Inspired by the energy of the 2026 History Through Fiction conference, The Working Writer is a new online community for writers seeking accountability, encouragement, practical guidance, and connection. With writing sprints, goal-setting, book study, and a free 14-day trial, it offers year-round support for meaningful creative progress.
What to Do With All That Research
Colin Mustful explores how the material you had to leave out of your novel can still serve your writing life—through talks, newsletter essays, workshops, reader engagement, and other ways of sharing the history behind the story.
Unpacking “Show; Don’t Tell”
As a distillation of something significant and complex, “show; don’t tell,” is certainly clever, a solid maxim to put on a Post-it note over your writing desk. But as a piece of writing advice on its own, without a proper unpacking, it not only falls short of helpful, it’s harmful.
A good way to know whether you are showing or telling is to ask yourself…
What is Literary Fiction?
What makes a novel literary fiction? Is it the prose? The structure? The themes? In this thoughtful exploration, Robin Henry examines the differences between literary, upmarket, and genre fiction through the lens of Trust by Hernan Diaz. From experimental storytelling and ambiguous endings to character-driven narratives and thematic depth, this post unpacks what literary fiction does differently—and why it continues to resonate with readers, writers, and awards committees alike.
Don’t Underestimate Your Reader’s Intelligence
It’s no secret people’s attention spans appear shorter these days. We know this, and we know why. That is an entirely different discussion we can...
From the desk of...
Grab the latest in writing craft, editing know-how, news, and events from The Narrative Guild editors. All right here.
Chart your storytelling journey. Join The Narrative Guild newsletter.
Get news of events, special offers, and writing tips from our expert editors and serious storytellers.