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Suspense in books: 6 ways to grow anticipation
Suspense in books is essential if you want to keep reader's rapt with anticipation, whatever your genre. How can you give readers that tightrope-walking feeling? Try these 6 suspense builders: How to build suspense in books: Show ambiguous action Add urgency Foreshadow uneasy situat...
June 22nd, 2020
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Development of characters: 6 intriguing ways we change
The development of characters is a topic blog readers and Now Novel members often ask us about. Creating an interesting, dynamic character arc is easy when you're aware of the many ways people change. Here are 6 interesting ways people change, plus tips to craft a compelling, engaging character ...
June 15th, 2020
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40 writing topics to inspire your next story
Getting inspiration through writing topics and prompts is one way to find your next story idea. Here are 40 creative writing prompts and topics organized by genre plus ways to come up with your own to find your own writing style and writing process. You might want to play around with these promp...
June 8th, 2020
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How to write love stories: 7 romance novelists' wisdom
Successful romance novelists offer many insights into how to write love stories that hook readers. Read 7 quotes that give insights into telling great love stories: How to write love stories according to romance writers: Decide on a primary conflict Write romance you want to read Su...
June 1st, 2020
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Building a bold narrator's voice: 5 methods
Building a memorable narrator’s voice is challenging. Try these 5 methods to fill your narrator with personality: 1. Suggest age via chosen language When the narrator is not involved in the story, is more of a passive observer, it’s fine not to give your narrator their own distinct persona...
May 26th, 2020
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Writing your best short story: 7 ideas
The best short story anthologies and collections show us how a brief snapshot can excite us, move us, surprise us, make us laugh. How do you write the best short story you can? Read 7 ideas: How to write the best short story possible: Learn from the great short story writers Choose an int...
May 18th, 2020
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Direct characterization: 6 tips for precise description
Introducing and describing characters are key parts of the storytelling process. Read 6 tips for describing characters using direct characterization, with examples: Tips for direct charactization: Write clear and concise introductions Give specific context Use precise adjectives Give mean...
May 11th, 2020
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Writing cozy mysteries: 7 clues for coziness
The cozy mystery takes a gentler, character-focused approach to crime. Read 7 tips for writing cozy mysteries: What are cozy mysteries? Cozies are a subgenre of crime fiction that became popular during the 20th Century. In this subgenre: Adult themes associated with classic 'hard-bo...
April 28th, 2020
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Writing a heroic journey: 8 tips for epic arcs
The heroic journey is a classic story format. We find heroic quests in all genres. The relentless detective quests for the truth in crime fiction. The fantasy hero quests for knowledge, healing or restored harmony. The plucky whistle-blower quests to bring a corrupt official to justice in a poli...
April 20th, 2020
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Lyrical writing: 5 tips for crafting richer prose
Lyrical writing is writing that is song-like, poetic, or deeply evocative. Below we have 5 simple tips to write in a more lyrical style. First, though, let's define the lyrical style of writing. We've all read books in which the writing can be simply described as beautiful. The writing ...
April 14th, 2020
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Plot hole pitfalls: 7 tips to avoid and fix
A plot hole, like a glaring grammar or typographical error, takes your reader out of the story. Read definitions of types of plot holes, plus 7 tips to avoid and fix them: What is a plot hole? A plot hole in a novel, film, play or other story medium is a gap (as the word 'hole' implies) in...
April 6th, 2020
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Proofreader tips: 10 paths to a tidier draft
Many books - self-published and traditionally published - could benefit from having had further editing. Here are 10 proofreader tips for a polished draft: 1. Read sentences in reverse Reading from right to left isn't reserved for Hebrew and Arabic scholars. Reading a sentence from last...
March 30th, 2020
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