Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
In writing book 3 of my Her Inheritance trilogy, I learned how NOT to write a book…at least for me. Hat’s off to pantsers because I think my recent experience comes pretty close to writing by the seat of my pants.
When I hear the word outline, I’m back in grade school laboring through
I.
A.
B.
II.
III.
Is that what comes to mind for you when someone starts talking outlines.
But that’s not what you need to do!
Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Online Dictionary gives these definitions of outline: “the principal features or general principles of a subject of discussion; a summary giving the essential content of a written work.”
So when I say, outline your book, I simply mean jot down the main content you plan to cover. Bullet points will do.
The concept behind outlining is to help you take command of your topic and organize the information in a manner suited to your audience. Otherwise you might end up with a book that includes everything but the Mad Hatter’s top hat.
Let’s take a closer look.
[Read more…] about How to Outline a Nonfiction Book
Last month, one of my Tuesday tip emails prompted a reader to contact me. She asked if I’d ever written about jealousy. She was referring to the jealousy we might feel when we look at the success of other writers in comparison to our own.
When I discovered I’d never touched on the topic, I decided it was time.
I can’t stress enough how unproductive and self-defeating comparing ourselves is. I struggled with this issue a lot during my childhood (having a twin sister made it easy) and on into adulthood.
[Read more…] about Success, Comparison, and Jealousy
(updated Jan. 31, 2023)
In a recent reader survey, several readers mentioned struggling with dialog, so today I’m pulling from the archive and updating it.
Dialog must accomplish 1 or more of 9 tasks, according to award-winning author Cecil Murphey. Perhaps that’s why it can be so difficult to write.
In real life we learn to recognize the voices of our friends and family.
But how do you recognize the voice of a story character when you never hear that voice?
Too often character dialog reads the same. But it’s important to give each a distinctive voice. But how?
[Read more…] about Dialog: Make It Work for Your Story
(Updated from a previous post)
Are you writing your first book?
Do you plan to indie-publish or seek an agent and traditional publisher?
Have you started building your author platform? Maybe you’re not sure what an author platform is.
I’ve heard many first-time writers say they want to finish their book first before they think about anything else. But if you do that, you are already behind in getting your book launched.
And often once the book is done, they don’t know what comes next.
If you’re planning on publishing a book, keep reading to discover what it takes to get that book from your head to the virtual bookshelf.
[Read more…] about How to get your book from your head to the virtual bookshelfUpdated August 2020
Many fiction writers struggle with what plot is and how to develop it, including me. We envision the end product and wonder how we’re going to get there.
Some writers develop their plot through first writing outlines (called plotters); some write by the seat of their pants (called pantsers). But much like a chef, our work has basic elements. The chef has meat, veggies, fruit, dairy, and spices. He combines these to create a delectable, unforgettable dish.
The writer has characters, goals, conflict, and setbacks, and blends them to create a riveting (best-selling, we hope) novel.
At its very basic, plot is characters attempting to reach goals, but who meet with conflict and setbacks along the way. Whether you are a writer who works with or without an outline, if these elements are missing from your manuscript, you do not have a story. So let’s look at how these elements fit together to build a plot.
[Read more…] about How do Plot and Scene Work Together? Part 1
In a recent survey of my blog subscribers, I asked how interested they were in learning about the business side of being an author. “Not at all, somewhat, or very.” Sixty-five percent said VERY.
So today is my first post focused entirely on being a business owner.
When you read the title of today’s post, how did you answer the question? [Read more…] about If You’re an Author, Are You a Business Owner?
Please welcome bestselling author and blogger Rebecca Livermore to the blog today.
As the author of Blogging for Authors, it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of blogging. I see blogging as a great way for authors to build their platform. However, this is easier said than done, particularly for fiction authors. Some of the difficulty is due to the challenging nature of coming up with blog post ideas. Sure, nonfiction authors have an abundance of things to blog about, but coming up with blog post ideas for fiction authors is a bit more challenging.
If you’re a fiction author and you’ve ever struggled with knowing what to blog about, keep reading to discover eight blog post ideas for fiction authors.
[Read more…] about 8 Simple and Creative Blog Post Ideas for Fiction Authors