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Q: Is it legal to write a novel based on a true story, and use the real names of the people involved? A: Yes, but it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth. Since I’m not a lawyer, none of this…
Q: Hi! I’m currently writing a book, and I want to get it published, but I’m in high school and that makes things a lot harder. Could you please explain the basic process of how it would get published? A:…
Let’s face it, foreign words are cool. They can make your characters sound smarter, make exotic settings feel more authentic and even increase the dramatic tension in a scene. But before you start sprinkling a certain je ne sais quoi…
This past month I’ve gotten inspiring emails from all sorts of new writers, from high school students to retirees. One thing is clear: you’re never too old (or too young) to write a novel. If you’ve been thinking about writing…
Who doesn’t want to write a bestseller? While no one can tell you exactly how to get onto the New York Times list, we can always ask the people who have already made it. Here are a few pearls of…
Have you ever seen the phrase “Lorem Ipsum” and wondered where it comes from? I have, ever since ye dayes of olde when I did typesetting with rub-transfer Letraset sheets. For obvious reasons, we always ran out of the letter…
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally The recession might officially be over, but it’s still harder than ever to get published. If you’re struggling to write a novel, you might find yourself wondering if the odds are stacked against you. What…
Your book can live or die in seconds. Years ago, I used to be among the people who chose its fate on a daily basis, and by doing just one single thing, I could make someone 60% more likely to…
Teaching yourself how to write a novel is tough. Doing it without any kind of feedback is nearly impossible. Because writing is a solitary occupation by nature, you can sometimes feel like you’re operating in a vacuum. But you’re not. …
Q: I read an article that you wrote for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers about beating writer’s block and I have a follow-up question. You start out by determining who the story is about, but in your article it’s only…
I’ve talked to dozens of best-selling authors about their early years, before they were published. And the similarities between them are striking. On average, they wrote about half a dozen unpublished manuscripts before they sold a novel. (By the way, this is what I call the Myth of the First Novel. Because it’s hardly ever…
I’ll let you in on a secret: readers want your character to change. They know, deep down, that your character is unhappy with the status quo at the beginning of your book. Something is terribly wrong in your character’s life, and things can’t keep going on this way. Something’s got to give. Readers fervently hope…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 