Tag: how to write a book
-
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,…
-
9 Surprising Things I Love about Writing (and One Thing I Hate)
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…
-
Making Fascinating Monsters on The Bibliosanctum
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…
-
How to Create Characters in 60 Seconds
When you create great characters, they walk onto the page and make your story unforgettable. They can bring every scene to life. But creating characters takes tons of time and effort, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. I’m here to show you how you can create an impressively good character in 60 seconds or less. Sound…
-
Introducing the Six-Figure Master Fiction Plot
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…
-
One Simple Trick to Write Everything Better
What if there was one single trick that could help you write better, faster, and easier than ever before? What if that trick could help you organize your thoughts, get started sooner, and finish every writing project, from a blog post to a novel? There is such a trick. And as a full-time writer, I…
-
How to Write a Novel This Year: 10 Free How-To Articles
Something like 92% of all New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure. If one of your goals is to write a novel this year, don’t let yourself become a statistic. Find out the answers to your questions and learn how to write your book. Since I joined the powerhouse faculty at Janice Hardy’s Fiction University,…
-
Create the Perfect Villain: a 6-Step Master Plan
In my last article on Fiction University, I laid out 6 Ways to Make Readers Fall in Love With Your Characters. If you’re writing a story or novel, pay attention. Because now I’m going to flip all of those techniques upside down. I’ll show you how to use the opposite of those exact same methods…
-
How do I get inspired to write?
Everyone has a unique way of getting inspired. I spark ideas by doing tons of research. The world we live in is so weird, it’s impossible not to get inspired. Before I wrote about the crystal magic in IT HAPPENED ONE DOOMSDAY, I went to plenty of lapidaries (rock shops), which are all over the…
-
How to Create the Perfect Writing Soundtrack
Before I became a full-time writer, I thought music was too distracting to play while I was writing. I thought I needed absolute silence. Then I got a job as a staff writer, and suddenly I couldn’t hear myself think. Stuck in the middle of a bustling open-plan office, I quickly discovered that if I…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 