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.
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True story: When I was 17, I met an African storyteller.
He traveled to distant parts of the world, collecting oral stories and writing them down for posterity. He was my first real-life writing teacher.
His feedback helped me get started as a writer. Within a couple of years, I had sold my first magazine article. I’ve been writing ever since.
I got a chance to talk about that experience (and a bunch of other sometimes-funny, sometimes-humbling stuff) on the ever-excellent Nerds That Geek website. Check it out.
P.S. Want a chance to win one of my new books for free? Get my author newsletter.
How do writers create fascinating monsters?
For me, it’s a many-layered process that involves thinking about where a monster came from, what it’s after, how it thinks, and what happens when it encounters the heroes.
I actually got the chance to dive deep into the monster-creation process and explain how to do it step-by-step, thanks to the marvelous Mogsy over at Bibliosanctum, the super-fabulous speculative fiction blog.
You can read my guest post here.
P.S. You can also get access to your own monster-making workbook when you get my author newsletter.
Ever wish you could write a novel in just a matter of weeks . . . and then sell it for good money?
Lester Dent did exactly that. In fact, he wrote his first novel in just thirteen days.
You read that right. Thirteen days.
Over the course of his career, he wrote nearly 200 novel-length stories. He crammed the pages of pulp fiction magazines with stories cranked out under various pen names. During the Great Depression, while legions of writers were starving, he boasted that he made $18,000 a year with his writing. In today’s terms, that’s more than $250,000 a year.
He often wrote a book-length story every month, using a “master plot” formula of his own devising.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your hands on that top-secret recipe for success? You bet it would.
So here it is. Continue reading
James Persichetti, Developmental Editor at Lost Hat Editorial Services
For every brilliant manuscript that grows into a best-selling novel, untold thousands of others get dumped into the recycle bin. What’s the crucial difference between them?
Ask Jamie.
Over the years, James Persichetti has seen more unpublished manuscripts cross his desk than most people could read in a lifetime. He started out at the incomparable Nelson Literary Agency (Bird Box, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, etc.).
Now, he’s launched Lost Hat Editorial Services, a boutique editing business that helps writers like you succeed. Here he is, in his own words, to tell you how to find the right editor, polish your book to perfection, and avoid the biggest mistakes aspiring writers make. Continue reading
Wait, are these stories AC or DC?
It was a real honor to have the chance to sit down and talk with Electric Spec about what makes short stories so relevant today. As writers, short stories give us the opportunity to connect with readers in ways that novels don’t. Besides, talking about how to write short stories is just plain fun.
Also, for probably the first time ever, I talked about the science fiction stories I discovered when I was 12 years old that made me decide to become a writer.
If you enjoy an engrossing science fiction or fantasy short story (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), then you need to check out Electric Spec. For over a decade, these fine folks have been putting out some of the best speculative fiction out there. Give them a shot.
When you’re in the middle of writing, don’t stop. Except for coffee.
It happens to every writer: you’re writing along when suddenly you need to go back and change some fact or detail.
Because if you don’t fix it, the story won’t make sense. Should you stop writing at that moment to go fix it?
Nope. That could kill your momentum.
Here’s a better idea. It’s called a retcon, and comic book writers have been using it for decades.
Retcon is short for “retroactive continuity” and it means that you’re stating a new fact that changes what’s come before.
In other words, you’re changing the past.
This is a term I first encountered in the massively entertaining and informative book Writing for Comics with Peter David. (Mr. David, by the way, has an impressive list of comic writing credits, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Supergirl, Hulk, Star Trek, and tons of others. He knows what he’s talking about.)
Just for the record, the lace doilies were not my idea. Now you know.
Hey, this is cool. Join me over at Word Cafe for an interview where I reveal everything I know about:
• Building a full-time career around writing, as a novelist and a copywriter — and what a copywriter does, exactly.
• How my first book from a New York publisher actually started out as a short story — and how I grew it into a novel.
• The pros and cons of being a hybrid author (both traditionally published and self-published).
• What my fiction writing process looks like. (It’s both crazier and more straightforward than you might think).
• And, of course, my top piece of advice for writers.
Read the complete interview here. >
P.S. Also, I’m giving away a few autographed paperback books to my newsletter subscribers. Don’t miss out. Click here to subscribe to my author newsletter. >
I first met Anita when she worked with my literary agent, Kristin Nelson. Anita is a freelance editor who helps writers bring out the very best in their novels. She was kind enough to share her editing insights, including why you should never let a rejection letter get you down, and why joining a critique group can not only improve your writing, but also save you money – and help you get published. Here’s Anita with all the insider info about editors. –L.
Anita Mumm, founder of Mumm’s the Word Editing & Critique Services
The easiest way to describe a developmental editor’s work is that it focuses on the big picture: Does the plot work? Are the characters the kind of people readers want to spend an entire book with? Is the dialogue smooth or stilted? Is the voice appropriate to the genre and audience?
Developmental editing means making sure the foundation of the novel is sound, and that all of its parts come together in a meaningful whole.
Useful advice for writers, brought to by Fiction University.
Attention writers:
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. And I’ll show you how.
Click here to read the free article on Fiction University.
Her best customer is on fire, and a magic carpet is careening out of control. Can Dru save her friends—before it’s too late? FREE with author newsletter.
Can Dru solve a cryptic riddle, stop an angry Chinese spirit, and resist heaps of amazingly tasty dumplings – before an evil army of fiends conquers the world? Amazon
When a handsome mechanic with glowing red eyes pulls up in a possessed black muscle car, Dru’s world is turned upside down. Can her magic save the world—before his curse destroys it? Amazon
Sorcerers are disappearing off the streets. Greyson is missing. Hellbringer is on the loose. Can Dru stop the prophecy before legions of undead rise to consume the souls of everyone on Earth? Amazon
Can Dru save Greyson’s soul, salvage her friendships, and find the apocalypse scroll in time to stop doomsday? Amazon
Can Dru escape seven soul-devouring wraiths and safeguard the apocalypse scroll forever—before the undead break the seventh seal? Amazon
Surrounded by criminals, can a con artist with a heart of gold find an ancient spider before it steals his memories — and his life? Amazon
When supernatural evil stalks the noir streets of 1947 New York, private detective Jazzy St. Clare is on the case. Ancient curses, dark sorcery and bloodthirsty fangs are no match for Jazzy’s killer wit and panache.
Laurence MacNaughton is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories. His work has been praised by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, RT Book Reviews, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews. He lives in Colorado with his wife and too many classic cars.
