LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON

Category: For Writers

  • Want to Get Published? Read This.

    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 On average, they wrote about half a dozen unpublished manuscripts before they sold a novel.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…

  • Compelling Character Arcs in 4 Easy Steps

    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…

  • 5 Tips for Writing Critique Group Success

    Thinking about joining a writing group, or starting your own? A supportive and insightful group can help you become a better writer and put you on the path to getting published. But a disorganized group can squelch your enthusiasm to write and leave you feeling confused. To stop the writing group headaches before they began,…

  • 7 Keys to Irresistible Plots

    Is there a simple way to make the plot of your story irresistible, so that your readers keep turning pages, desperate to find out what happens next? Yes. Every irresistible plot contains seven key elements that help catch the reader’s attention and hold it to the very last page. These keys are so universal that…

  • Is Your Story Stuck? 5 Questions You Need to Ask

    Are you writing a novel or story and feeling stuck? Do you have the sneaking suspicion that your story went off the rails somewhere? Not sure what to do with your characters? Don’t worry. You can fix practically any story problem just by asking yourself five simple questions: 1. Who’s really driving the action in…

  • The Ultimate Guide to Character Motivation (Part 2)

    Why do heroes and villains do what they do? In Part 1 of this article, we explored Greed, Revenge, and Acceptance, three of the most powerful motivations in literature. Now, let’s find out how you can you can create fascinating characters driven by the need for Identity, Love, or Survival. I is for Identity Who am…

  • 7 Keys to Creating Bloodcurdling Monsters

    Science fiction, fantasy and horror stories are full of monsters. But one of the toughest jobs a writer has is coming up with creatures that are new and interesting. When I sat down to write my urban fantasy novel A Kiss Before Doomsday, I knew that the bad guys would be undead creatures. But today’s…

  • 6 Easy Steps to Planning Out Your Novel

    Even if you hate the idea of writing an outline or synopsis, you can still figure out a plan to help you finish your novel fast, avoid major revisions, and beat writer’s block forever. It’s surprisingly easy. Here’s how to do it. First, turn off your computer and set aside your notebook. For this exercise,…

  • 3 Secrets to Writing Vivid Settings

    There are three elements that make up every story: people, problems, and places. To form a good story, those elements need to be in balance, because each one affects the others. That’s why you need to put as much effort into the places in your story—your setting—as you do for your characters and your plot.…

  • 5 Books That Will Inspire You to Be a Writer

    Are you planning to write a book in 2020? Want some writing inspiration and wisdom from authors who have written dozens or even hundreds of stories and books? Check out my list of the five most inspiring books about writing over at Civilian Reader. P.S. Do you love free stuff . . . like books,…