Tag: writing a novel
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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As I write this, my unpublished novel Cold Million is a finalist in the Colorado Gold contest, which is held every year by the incomparable Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.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…
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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…
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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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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…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 