Writers don’t have trouble finding their own voice, but what about when you need other voices, as in character dialogue?
A conversation between two or more characters is almost as much about what they don’t say as what they do.
A writer must paint the scene with words and then find the right words for the character dialogue.
This is when two incredible forms of writing collide into a “must-read” copy.
All writers know the feeling.
You’re staring at a blank screen, and the words just won’t come.
Anxiety about the writing task that lies ahead puts a knot in the pit of your stomach.
Did you know that this anxiety can actually help you to become a better writer if you know how to challenge it positively?
What you need is affirmations for writers.
It’s not so simple a question, after all.
Genre norms do provide some clues for your novel’s word count. But when you’re writing a novel, you need more than that.
You need to know what your target readers expect. When they pick up your book, will they be disappointed if the spine is less than an inch thick?
Or are they likely to want something they can finish more quickly?
How many words are in a novel that most of your ideal readers are looking for? And where do you get this information?
You’ve written a novel or nonfiction book for a young adult audience. Or you have a fantastic idea for one.
The problem? You keep finding links to YA publishers who either don’t exist anymore or don’t accept unagented submissions.
You don’t currently have an agent. But you don’t think that should hold you back.
Welcome to our dead-link-free list of young adult publishers. We aim to make it easier to find the YA publishers most likely to love your book.
Because, with or without an agent, your well-written YA book deserves a chance.
Your book is ready for beta readers. And, whether it’s your first book or not, this is a big deal!
You’re wondering, though, where to find these beta readers, how many you need, and what questions you should ask them to get the most benefit from their time and attention.
We’ve been there, and you have our warmest congratulations and shared excitement!
With that, welcome to our list of helpful questions for beta readers.
I love to write, but I’m not so crazy about grammar.
Learning about words that dangle, split, and get misplaced isn’t my idea of fun.
However, as an English major in college, I had it drilled into my head that poor grammar revealed laziness and a lack of respect for the reader.
It’s the literary form of bad manners and exposes the writer as someone who isn’t serious about the craft.
If you’re an author, particularly a self-published author, you need to do everything possible to win your readers’ hearts and minds.
When they are distracted by grammatical errors or confused by the meaning of a sentence, they aren’t likely to buy your next book — or finish the one they are reading.
As tedious as grammar may be to those of us who just want to write, it is well worth a few minutes of your time to refresh the basics and make sure you don’t fall into one of the problematic grammar traps.
Every fiction writer knows that one of your most important characters is your story’s setting.
For fantasy and science fiction writers, that setting is usually a fictional world notably different from our own.
And just as you can use character development questions to make your characters come to life, you use world building questions to make your setting as real as the one your readers live in.
To get started, let’s clarify what world building is and what it isn’t.