Tag: literary agents
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How to Win NaNoWriMo Like a Pro
To win National Novel Writing Month, you have to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Sound impossible? Not if you break it down to a daily word count of 1,667 words. Heck, bump it up just a couple hundred words more and you can take Sundays off. Is it easy? No, but then again, I…
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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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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As I write this, my unpublished novel Cold Million is a finalist in the Colorado Gold contest, which is held every year by the incomparable Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.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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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,…
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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…
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When in Doubt, Check Preditors & Editors
Preditors & Editors Have you been approached by a literary agent who wants to charge you a reading fee, has pointed you to a private “commercializing” service or seems just a little bit TOO slick to be a good catch? It seems like the moment you decide you’re going to write a book, the sharks…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 