So you’ve finished your painstakingly constructed novel manuscript, you’ve shown it to some friends and family, maybe worked with a professional editor or two, and the book is in the best shape you can possibly make it. At any rate, the story need not be completely...
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams. Arthur Dent, an ordinary Earthman, is catapulted into an intergalactic adventure with little other than his friend Ford Prefect, and a beat-up copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for companionship. Dent,...
A writer told me, “I think I’ll start out with self publishing my book because I’m new.” And I thought, “Of course authors get daunted by the prospect of getting published, and don’t know how to start.” There is a story that traditional publication is better. People...
Recently I’ve seen a number of manuscripts by talented new writers who are falling into a trap. Writers are overcomplicating their novels, often by choosing unnecessarily experimental narrative techniques, or by deliberately leaving out important plot...
You’ve heard you need to grab your reader’s attention with a compelling first page, but often I see writers who start their novel with action, but not tension. The difference is perhaps subtle, but very real. Tension is created when the reader sees a...
