by Roxanne Rustand Learning to write a concise, appealing synopsis is extremely important. After you start selling, you’ll eventually be able to sell on proposal (a synopsis and three chapters) or perhaps on just a synopsis. There are many formats for writing them and this is certainly not the only method, but it has worked for me. Start with a …
Suspension of Disbelief: A Writer’s Goal
By Ane Mulligan Jim Rubart wrote a good piece for Novel Rocket about how authors write. He said: “I continue to read traditionally published books where I think the novelist is wasting words and keeping the reader from going deeper into the POV of the protagonist. Here’s what I mean: I frequently see sentences such as this: ‘He could hear …
Relying on the Reliable Narrator
by Christine Sunderland World War I (“the war to end all wars”), begun a century ago, seeded an era of cynicism, doubt that “civilization” was possible, that the savage beast could be tamed. England lost one third of their best and brightest young men. Despair and disbelief filled those who were left, a despair reflected in the arts and letters …
Writing Fiction, Sorting Out the Facts
by Rebecca DeMarino A challenge to writing fiction based on the lives of real people and events can be daunting, but not impossible. When it is set in a historical time period, sorting out the facts from lore, stereotypes and misconceptions can make it tricky (or sticky) however. I had concerns about writing a novel based on the real lives …
Boost Your Productivity with Four Top Tech Tools
by Laura McClellan As a not-yet-published newbie novelist, I don’t feel qualified to advise on writing techniques. But I am a diehard tech geek, always looking for tools that will help me be more productive. I thought I’d share four digital tools that have been indispensable to me as a writer. In no particular order, here are my current top …
Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About
by Cynthia Ruchti Like many authors, I wrote several novels before writing the first one that would be picked up by a publishing house. When working on what would become my debut novel, I didn’t-couldn’t-envision the path ahead. Celebrating this month’s release of my third full-length novel, fifth fiction work, eighth book in the past four years, I think back …
Social Engagements
By: Suzanne Kuhn, SuzyQ I often receive feedback from friends — those I know me both in real life and only through social media — about how much they have enjoyed getting to know me through my social media. I recently asked this question on my personal Facebook page: “Name one thing that you know about me solely because of …
7 Tips to Get More Comments on Your Blog
by Edie Melson Even today-with as many blogs on the Internet as there are-blogging is still a valuable part of building and maintaining an online community. But it’s rare for a blog to take hold and grow, if it’s not a place where comments proliferate. Almost no one likes to be lectured, and that’s what a blog can feel with …
The Upside of Rejection
By Brenda Anderson Rejection. A word most writers are intimately familiar with, a word filled with negative connotations. Merriam-Webster defines rejection as “the action of rejecting: the state of being rejected.” Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? In the midst of rejection, it’s difficult to find something positive, but I assure you, there is an upside. We learn from rejection: You’ve just …
Resurrecting Beauty
by Christine Sunderland I have long been fascinated with the relationship between beauty, truth, and goodness. One of the joys of being a novelist is that I can create characters who share my fascinations. So in my recently published novel, The Magdalene Mystery, a protagonist is devoted to truth in the media and correcting Internet lies. He is also fascinated …