Author: Jordan

Jordan Kantey is an editor, writer and writing workshop facilitator. He’s been helping authors develop their stories for ten years. He achieved his Honours in English Literature with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He has had poems published in several journals and an anthology. He blogs about writing craft and process at Now Novel and loves to help aspiring authors reach their goals.

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He has been interviewed about his writing, editing and coaching on YouTube.
He has also shared his writing skills on sites such as Writers helping writers.
In addition, he served as a judge for a number of awards. These include Page Turner Young Writer Award as well as the Elegant Literature’s Behind the Veil’s contest for new writers.
He showcased his writing talents with a five-star rated writing guide, How to Write Scenes: A Concise Guide to Scene Structure, which is available on Amazon.

Articles on the Now Novel blog:

7 writing productivity tools to work smarter

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Writing productivity tools and apps make it easier to structure your work and maximize what you get out of available writing hours. Here are 7 tools and apps that will help you finish a book this year:

Tags writing apps, writing productivity, writing tools

Writing links

10 of 2016’s best articles on writing

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Read our list of 10 useful and insightful posts on the craft and psychology of writing from the past year:

Tags writing blogs, writing tips

Writing links

Best writing articles: Top of 2016

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As the year draws to a close, we’re rounding up the most popular posts from the Now Novel blog in 2016 as well as some of the best writing articles for authors from around the web:

Tags best of 2016, best writing articles, link roundup

Writing Motivation Writing Process

7 ways to stop saying ‘my writing sucks’ and write a book

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4 Comments on 7 ways to stop saying ‘my writing sucks’ and write a book

‘My writing sucks’ is easy to tell yourself, but this is a story that all too often ends in writer’s block. Instead, use these 7 tips to find a way through self-doubt and just write your novel:

Tags improve writing, writing groups, writing process

Character writing

How to create a believable character: 8 tactics

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Believable characters are the lifeblood of great stories. Get inspired and start creating characters readers love using these 8 tactics:

Tags character development, character sketches, how to create a character

NaNoWriMo

Now Novel’s NaNoWriMo Hub: How to be NaNoWriMo Winners

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NaNoWriMo winners who reach the 50,000-word mark learn how to prepare, persevere and finish writing a novel under pressure. Use these resources to succeed and join their ranks:

Tags how to win NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo help

Editing Guest authors

Manuscript editing: How to cut words when your novel’s too long

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In this guest post by author, blogger and writing teacher Janice Hardy, Janice shares tips for cutting words when your manuscript is too long.

Tags cutting manuscripts, editing, guest author

How to start a book Narration Point of view

How to start a novel in third person: 7 tips

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There is no basic formula for how to start a novel in third person. Yet working with third person POV presents specific choices, challenges and advantages. Here are 7 tips for beginning a book in third person:

Tags how to start a story, POV, third person narration

Detective fiction writing Writing Genres

How to write a detective story: 7 keys to a killer whodunnit

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6 Comments on How to write a detective story: 7 keys to a killer whodunnit

The crime subgenre of detective fiction has many aspects that are key to a good story. Cause and effect are strong. Because every character is a potential suspect, we remember how important it is for every story character to have compelling motivations, public and private lives. Here are 7 keys to writing an effective detective novel or short story:

Tags crime fiction, detective fiction, writing genres

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