Tag: how to write a novel
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Win NaNoWriMo in 10 Minutes
Believe it or not, how you spend the next ten minutes of your writing time might determine whether you win or lose National Novel Writing Month. I’m not kidding. There’s one single thing that you absolutely must do if want your novel to have any chance of seeing it through to “The End.” And you…
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Writer’s Piggy Bank of Story Ideas
Insert story ideas here. Not too long ago, I sat down to start writing a brand new novel. Always a pulse-pounding moment. Except this time, I was ready. Coming up with story ideas on the fly can be simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. Luckily, I’ve learned a trick to keep the excitement level high while still…
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How to Be Your Own Book Editor
Last time, I talked about how to get (and handle) constructive feedback on your novel without losing your mind. If you haven’t read that post, go back and check it out. (Hey, why not? It’s free!) Now, here’s how to be your own novel editor and rewrite your book manuscript like a pro. Ready? 1) …
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How to Get a Novel Critique and Love It
Anyone who has ever gone through the pain and joy of publishing a novel can tell you that writing a novel is just the first step. It might be the hardest part, but even after you type “The End” there’s still a lot more work to be done. You need to revise and edit your…
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How To Write A Synopsis the Quick and Easy Way
If you’ve ever tried to write a synopsis before, you know that it’s anything but quick and easy. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just sink into your beach chair, dig your toes in the sand and toss off your synopsis between sips from a coconut with an umbrella in it? Obviously, that’s not…
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What Is a Synopsis?
This is a popular question, mostly because everyone seems to define a synopsis differently. Is it one page or fifty? Does it give away the ending or not? Here’s what you need to know. A synopsis is a condensed description of your entire novel told in present tense. It’s similar to the back cover copy…
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Beat Writer’s Block in 6 Simple Steps
Q: I’m about five chapters into writing my first novel and I’ve reached a total impasse. I flat-out don’t know where to go from here. Everything started out so well, I had lots of story ideas and the pages were coming fast. But now I’m stuck, and I don’t know what to do. Should I…
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5 Fast Ways to Stop Editing Yourself
Write a novel on an AlphaSmart. Why not? Q: When I’m writing a novel, how do I stop myself from going back and fixing things? As I write, I’m afraid to even look at the screen because I’ll hate what I wrote. I keep my eyes focused on my desk instead, or on objects that…
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How to Win Writing Contests or Die Trying
As I write this, my unpublished novel Cold Million is a finalist in the Colorado Gold contest, which is held every year by the incomparable Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. The competition is stiff. I’m up against some of the finest undiscovered writers in Colorado. In fact, a couple of the finalists in my category are…
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The One Thing You Must Do to Get Published
As a writing coach, it’s my job to help people get a little perspective on their story problems. Recently, a client asked me to help him out with his first novel. He’d gotten halfway through and stalled out. I put together a laundry list of ways to fix his various story problems — and then…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 