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Now Novel online writing groups: Improve your writing
Writing groups on the web are so popular because they provide a space to share work and get helpful feedback, wherever you are. This helps you stay focused on your writing goals. Unsure of whether or not you should join an online writing group? Here are five reasons why it could be the best choi...
September 11th, 2015
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Writing dialogue: 7 ways to write better conversations
Writing dialogue presents a unique set of challenges. A single italicized word can change the whole tone and meaning of an exchange, for example. Compare a person telling a questioner 'that's all I can remember' with 'that's all I can remember.' The difference in emphasis alters the meaning of t...
September 10th, 2015
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The unreliable narrator: Creating surprise in your story
The unreliable narrator is a useful fiction device for creating surprise in your story and avoiding predictability. Here are some ways that unreliable narrators can be used to shape a novel’s form or to surprise and build tension in the reader: What is an unreliable narrator? What is ...
September 7th, 2015
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How to end a story: Write satisfying closing chapters
If you have ever found a book spoiled by its ending, you know it's important to learn how to end a story well. Here are 8 pointers on how to end a novel. When you've written a draft ending, submit it for writing critique. 1. Decide the type of story ending you want Ending yo...
September 3rd, 2015
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Writing a novel: 8 writing tips from Ursula K. Le Guin
The esteemed fantasy and science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin has often provided great advice for writing a novel. In interviews, public speeches, essays and her writing manual Steering the Craft, Le Guin provides many insights into how to write better and master your prose. Here a...
August 31st, 2015
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Writing a fantasy novel: 34 must-visit websites
Writing a fantasy novel involves many considerations: Worldbuilding, avoiding clichés of the genre, using popular elements such as magic originally and more. These 34 must-visit fantasy writing resources will help you with every aspect from creating fantasy maps to naming your fantasy ...
August 30th, 2015
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The writing process: 7 steps to structure and success
'The writing process' - this is a term you might hear often, but how do you put in place a set of writing approaches that will help you finish your novel? Every writer has a process that works for them, and discovering the time, place, tools and other aspects of writing that work best ...
August 20th, 2015
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How to write a novel: Story beginnings, middles and ends
Learning how to write a novel involves mastering many skills - description, narration, crafting believable characters and more. Understanding how to writing engaging story beginnings, middles and endings is also key. Here are key tips on writing each of these three important parts of a book...
August 17th, 2015
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Creating fantasy worlds: Social critique
Creating fantasy worlds can be an excellent means for social critique because writers have the opportunity to imagine worlds that are entirely different from our own. This allows highlighting its quirks and issues through contrast and similarity. Here’s why it is important for writers to do so a...
July 30th, 2015
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Writing for all ages: why do adults read YA novels?
Depending on which survey you read, adults buy anywhere from 55 to 80 percent of YA novels, and they make a substantial number of those purchases for themselves, but why is YA fiction writing for all ages? Here are a few reasons along with writing tips that writers of all types of fiction can ta...
July 27th, 2015
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Writing confidence: Silencing the 'You can't write' voice
Like most writers, you may sometimes struggle with self-doubt. Yet step one in learning how to write a novel entails learning to differentiate between constructive (self) criticism and unproductive criticism. Even if you are critical of your own work, here are tips to boost your writing confiden...
July 21st, 2015
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How to pace a crime novel
If you want to write gripping, gritty police procedurals or other crime fiction, knowing how to pace a crime novel is essential. An effective crime novel must keep the reader turning pages while revealing enough information to make the narrative flow at a cracking pace. Here are some suggestions...
July 15th, 2015
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