Tag: writing advice
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Writing Advice for Teens
Recently, I received an email from a teen writer who had decided to write a novel, but she was struggling to find the time. Between school, homework, music lessons, and other commitments, she didn’t know when she would actually be able to write. But she was smart to ask for help. She had three specific…
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7 Ways to Master “Show, Don’t Tell”
“Show, Don’t Tell” is probably the most often-repeated writing advice in the world. It means that you shouldn’t dump a load of information in the middle of the page, because it will stop your story dead. But it’s easy to fix that problem, if you know how. Here are seven different ways that you can…
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Why I Became a Writer (And It’s Not Why You Think)
Do you ever wonder if maybe we make crucial life choices based on completely misunderstanding the world around us? One of the most common questions I’m asked in interviews is: What made you decide to become a writer? I tend to talk about reading and storytelling as a kid, playing with an old typewriter, that…
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What an Editor Really Does — and Why You Need One
I first met Anita when she worked with my literary agent, Kristin Nelson. Anita is a freelance editor who helps writers bring out the very best in their novels. She was kind enough to share her editing insights, including why you should never let a rejection letter get you down, and why joining a critique…
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Top 3 Questions of Aspiring Writers
I’m always happy to answer questions from aspiring authors. This week, I got some tricky ones: Q: How do you know when to end one chapter and start the next chapter? A: You end a chapter as soon as the lead character either achieves their goal or fails. The best place to end a chapter…
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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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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…
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What Aspiring Writers Can Learn from Instant Coffee
Anybody who has ever worked in advertising (like yours truly, natch) knows how tough it is to tell a good story while you’re trying to promote a product. I could bring up the time I had to write about a certain brand of high-end skater hoodies (yes, hoodies, as in a sweatshirt with a hood…
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Meet a Literary Agent AND Help Kids Read — No Foolin’!
Listen up, true believers. Think you can write a novel good enough to get published? Find out this Sunday! Literary agent and celebrated book genius Sara Megibow (of the incomparable Nelson Literary Agency) will lead a two-hour writing workshop open to any fiction writer. (That means you!) Aspiring writers from all over have benefited from…
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Nail Your Genre in 3 Easy Steps
Last week, I talked about how you can write a novel in any genre, as long as you know exactly what that genre is. And believe me, you desperately need to define your book’s genre. As promised, here’s a nuts and bolts plan that shows you how to do it, in three outrageously simple steps:…
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 