Tag: how to write a novel
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Nail Your Genre in 3 Easy Steps
Last week, I talked about how you can write a novel in any genre, as long as you know exactly what that genre is. And believe me, you desperately need to define your book’s genre. As promised, here’s a nuts and bolts plan that shows you how to do it, in three outrageously simple steps:…
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Last Chance: Meet a Literary Agent and Help a School
Just a quick reminder that on Sunday, literary agent extraordinaire Sara Megibow (of the much-esteemed Nelson Literary Agency) is leading a two-hour writing workshop open to any fiction writer. And don’t think you don’t have what it takes. If you can write a novel, then you can get it in front of a literary agent…
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Want to Get Published? Know Your Genre!
You can write a novel in any genre you want, as long as you know what it is. To me, a “genre” is anything that comes with a certain set of expectations. If you tell me your story is a hard-boiled mystery, then I’ll know what to expect. If you tell me it’s a time-travel…
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Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Now Featuring Yours Truly
If you’re a Colorado writer, you owe it to yourself to check out Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a source of news, inspiration, critique groups, conferences and the occasional bestselling author. Editor extraordinaire Carly Willis puts together an excellent newsletter every month. If you’re a member (or thinking of becoming one), check out the March newsletter,…
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Feel the Invisible Robot Love
These days, most of our precious writing usually ends up online, where it is relentlessly scrutinized by robots. Not the sparky “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!” kind of robots, but invisible little computer gremlins that furrow through the internet, looking for text to gnaw on. That way, if you go to Google and search for —…
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Transform Your Hero and Get Published
I was just listening to a fantastic interview with the late, great Blake Snyder, author of the Save the Cat! books. One of the many insightful things he said was, “Tell me a story about a hero who transforms over the course of an adventure.” That’s something that I struggle with in my own writing. …
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Why Editors Are Just Not That Into You
Whenever I hear a writer complain that editors just aren’t “getting” her latest story, I suspect what they’re actually not getting out of it is emotion. As human beings, we like to sit around the campfire, literally or metaphorically, and tell each other stories. Stories enlighten us, inspire us, gift us with a new perspective. …
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I Want to Teach You How to Write a Novel
Over the last few years, I’ve met and interviewed a bunch of authors at different stages in their career, from the very beginning to the very top. In one case, I had the privilege of hanging out with a debut author the same day he discovered he’d hit the New York Times bestseller list. As…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 