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How to start a short story: 5 lessons from great writers
If anyone can teach us how to start a short story, it's authors famed for their skill in writing shorter tales. Read 5 examples of effective short story openings and what they teach us: 1. Learn how to start a short story from Faulkner: Create intrigue Neil Gaiman wrote: 'Short stories ...
July 22nd, 2019
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Plot structure examples: Creative plot lessons from stories
Concrete plot structure examples teach us how to structure a story with purpose. Read illustrative examples of well-known stories' plot structure, from children's stories to famous epics and novels: First: What is 'plot structure'? 'Plot structure' refers to the patterns the events of a st...
July 15th, 2019
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How to write romance that feels real
Learning how to write romance that feels real is important if you want readers to believe your love story. Read the following tips on how to write chemistry, compatibility, complexity and other key elements of real relationships: 1. Add chemistry to first encounters There are countl...
July 11th, 2019
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Writing first lines: 100 bestsellers' lessons
When telling a story, your opening sentence needs to be catchy, so readers continue. The best first lines of books show us the common devices authors use to grab our curiosity. We analyzed 100 New York Times bestsellers' first lines to share the following insights: 1. Introduce interesting ch...
July 9th, 2019
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Creative points of view in character writing: 5 examples
The different points of view - first, second and third person POV - each offer creative ways to convey your characters' voices and personas. Read 5 tips with illustrative examples from novels: First: POV definitions Point of view, often abbreviated POV, is a crucial element of fiction writ...
July 4th, 2019
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Writing background characters: 5 uses
In a novel, film or stage play, not every character needs to take center stage. Some characters play a minor role. Some add passing humour, obstacles, important advice or information. Read 5 ideas for writing background characters: 1. Try writing background characters for habitation Often ...
July 1st, 2019
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88 inspiring quotes about writing a novel
These 88 inspiring quotes about writing, divided into 8 categories, offer inspiration to finish writing a novel: 1. Quotes on finding an idea for a novel Before you write the first word down, before your characters come alive on the page, the initial idea for your novel has to seize your ...
June 27th, 2019
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Google Docs add-ons for writers: 6 of the best
Google Docs is already a useful free word processor. But these 6 Google Docs add-ons for writers will help you brainstorm, write and revise further: 1. ProWritingAid Billed as being βfor the smarter writerβ, ProWritingAid is a useful suite of editing tools for revising that messy first dra...
June 24th, 2019
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How do you write an outline for a novel? 7 easy steps
Many authors enjoy the creative freedom of not having any structure to begin. Yet writing a story outline has many benefits. A flexible plan makes brainstorming ideas, finding possible character arcs and other parts of the writing process so much easier. Read seven simple steps to write an outli...
June 18th, 2019
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Writing scene endings: 6 ways to entice readers
How you end a scene determines whether your reader will read another chapter immediately or not. Here are 6 tips for writing scene endings that entice readers to carry on (with examples): 1. End scenes with surprise When we find stories boring, we might say they were 'predictable'. Unpredictabili...
June 10th, 2019
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Grabbing attention with scene beginnings: 5 tips
Writing scene beginnings readers find compelling is a useful skill to develop. Here are 5 ways to write strong scene beginnings, with examples: 1. Start scenes with unusual events in motion Scenes that begin with 'business as usual' can be fascinating in their own right, if we tell them in...
June 5th, 2019
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Giving writing feedback: Improve your craft
Giving writing feedback is not often presented as a core step in becoming a better writer. Yet many distinguished authors were once (or still are) teachers, too. Here are 6 reasons why giving writing feedback improves your craft: 1. Giving writing feedback helps you problem-solve Problem-...
May 26th, 2019
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