LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON

Tag: how to write a novel

  • How Do I Finish My Novel?

    Q:  Hi, I’m trying to write a novel about two people who meet by accident and then discover that they share an element of their two dark pasts.  I have a few general story ideas, but nothing concrete.  I know where I want to start my novel and where I want it to end, but…

  • What Is Copyright, Exactly?

    What is copyright? Want to protect your work against copyright infringement without convincing literary agents and publishers that you’re a complete amateur? (Or worse, a paranoid loon?)  Here are a few simple points to remember. Basically, copyright protects the embodiment of an idea in a tangible form.  That can mean a published book (or movie,…

  • Free Writing Websites

    Learn how to write a novel the right way. Wait, don’t tell me, let me guess — you, dear reader, want to learn how to write a novel!  (Well, the fact that you’re on a web site called “You Can Write A Novel” conveniently gives it away.)  I’ve always believed that when you want to…

  • Your 3 Writing Personalities: the Surprising Truth

    Can the E-Myth show you how to write a novel? In The E-Myth Revisited, bestselling author Michael Gerber doesn’t breathe one word about how to write a novel.  But the priceless wisdom in these pages might change how you think of yourself and your writing process. In a nutshell, the E-Myth puts forth the idea…

  • How To Revise A Novel

    Got writing questions?  Get answers! Q:  I have a writing question.  Actually, a rewrite question.  What do you do when you’re so sick of your novel that you just want to tear it into shreds?  I’m trying to edit my writing so I can send my novel out to literary agents and publishers.  I used…

  • Become a Pro Writer — One Hour at a Time!

    The more you write, the better you get.  That should go without saying, but discouragement can dim our perceptions, so I’m coming right out and saying it: Every hour you spend writing makes you a better writer.  I talk a lot about the learning curve of your first novel.  If you’re like most people, as…

  • How To Make A Disastrous Booksigning Event A Success by J.A. Konrath

    Author J.A. Konrath I happened across this writing article by J.A. Konrath recently at  Backspace, The Writer’s Place.  I remember reading it years ago, probably in Writer’s Digest somewhere.  Joe really knows his stuff when it comes to literary agents, publishers and how to write a book.  So check this out; it’s a great piece…

  • Defrag Your Writer Brain in 3 Easy Steps

    If you’re like me, ideas swirl around you all the time — stories, characters, settings, dialogue, and so on.  It sticks in your brain, so you write it down.  Before long, you have so many scraps of paper around you that a single gust of wind could turn you into a human snow globe. This…

  • Win Literary Prizes and Help Fight Diabetes

    Just a quick reminder that bidding starts Sunday for the Brenda Novak Diabetes Fundraiser.  This year, aspiring writers get a chance to win some incredible prizes.  Seriously, some mind-blowing stuff!  Like lunch with agents, editors and other Very Important People.  Or a chance to get your polished manuscript into the hot little hands of people…

  • Aspiring Writers, Take Notes!

    You can write a novel that seems absolutely perfect to you: the dialogue is tight, the characters are richly layered and the plot crackles with energy.  But you’ll still get notes, I guarantee it.  And that’s a good thing. Notes, by the way, are the comments you get from decision-makers (mostly literary agents and editors)…