LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON

Tag: Publishers

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…