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How the future will impact your fantasy story characters
Understanding the long-term cause and effect of events in your fantasy world will help you also give readers a more complex and vivid mental picture. Your novel will be grounded in a vivid, complex history. Here are some thoughts on creating a fantasy world that conveys a strong sense of time an...
December 6th, 2015
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Doris Lessing's top 10 tips: How to explain to readers
How do readers respond to having plot points, character choices or other story elements explained to them? Not well. If a reader finds your voice condescending, chances are they will abandon your book. How to explain to readers entails giving them just enough information without telling them too...
December 2nd, 2015
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7 essential rules for writing dialogue
Dialogue can serve a number of purposes in fiction including developing character, building suspense and advancing plot. If written well, it engages readers and increase their identification with characters. Here are 7 rules for writing dialogue: Make your dialogue imitate life...
November 30th, 2015
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How to start drafting a book: 7 steps
Writing a book is a wonderful process of discovery and revelation, but it is also daunting, especially if you're attempting the process for the first time. Here are 7 steps to start drafting a book: 7 steps to start drafting a book 1. Set a motivating date2. Lower the stakes3. Break your b...
November 23rd, 2015
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Helpful writing quotes: An A to Z of authors' advice
This week we’ve put together an A to Z of our favorite authors’ helpful writing quotes, categorised by subject from ‘anti-hero’ to ‘YA’. Use the links below to jump to your favorite section. Share on social media and let us know in the comments section which are your favorites: Jump to Sectio...
November 20th, 2015
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Get plot right: Lessons from 7 bestsellers
If you want to build a large readership it's crucial to get plot right. If you look over bestseller lists, you might think that the secret to writing a best-selling novel is to have written one before. Yet here are some books from the past dozen years or so that broke out for their writers and s...
November 12th, 2015
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7 ways to stay motivated during NaNoWriMo
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? November's annual write-a-thon sees hundreds of thousands of aspiring writers attempt to write and finish their novels. If you are determined to be one of the few aspiring writers who succeed, it's important to find consistent sources of mo...
October 29th, 2015
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End writing procrastination now: 7 steps
What if you could stop procrastinating now and start or finish writing a book? We recently asked you what your largest writing challenges were. Many of you responded that procrastination keeps you from fulfilling your dream of finishing a novel. In this post you can read 7 steps to take to end w...
October 22nd, 2015
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Build confidence in writing: 21 motivating quotes
What are the major challenges aspiring writers face? This is something we've been asking you in a poll on the blog recently and your responses have been informative and interesting. Many writers list confidence in writing as a challenge, so without further ado here are 21 quotes that will help y...
October 19th, 2015
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What is good writing? 7 factors that make fiction great
You want to write fiction that your readers will fall in love with, but what is good writing, exactly? These are seven elements of fiction that readers love: Engaging, compelling fictional characters Your characters don’t always have to be likeable, but it helps if they are, and they ...
October 15th, 2015
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On writing well: 9 celebrated authors' insights
All fiction writers want to write well. Here are 9 famous authors on writing well and mastering the art of fiction: Remember to write for yourself It can be tempting to be over-anxious about what you imagined audience might think, rather than focusing on what you want to write. ...
October 8th, 2015
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How to find book ideas: 15 easy methods
Story ideas lie waiting in the unlikeliest (as well as most obvious) places. If you're wondering how to find book ideas, these 15 methods will help: How to find novel ideas: Try Burroughs' 'cut-up' method Get story ideas from music Find inspiration in interesting facts Do physica...
October 5th, 2015
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