People generally go one of two ways when they start working on their manuscript. Either they start adding in extra material until the manuscript is so bloated it’s bursting at the seams, or they strip it down in desperation and turn the work into a skeleton of what it...
If you want to write about a topic and can dumb it down (i.e., simplify) enough to appeal to an idiot (i.e., a curious reader), follow these guidelines.
Turning an idea into something other people will read and buy involves ten steps in three phases.
The challenge of writing good (even great) science fiction.
Writing a romance novel aimed at traditional publishing When you plunk down money or check out a title from a library, you expect certain reading parameters to be met. If you’re a prolific romance reader, you want to experience all of the emotional high notes at the...
You’ve finished a complete version of your manuscript after countless hours of work and mental effort. You’re ready and eager to thrust it into the next stage of actually become a published book. You’d like to think it’s about as perfect as you can make it on your...
How to write a family memoir Example: An Ordinary Tragedy An Ordinary Tragedy by Lori Hart Beninger explores memories, research, and interviews with family and friends to understand her brother's life of escalating crime. This intimate memoir profiles the dynamics of...
Before you begin writing your romance novel, review this romance writing checklist compiled by a published romance editor.
People read nonfiction books to be educated. History and technology, people and places, geography and archaeology, religion and meditation, biographies and memoirs, gardening and cooking---no matter the subject, nonfiction books help readers solve problems, examine...
How to keep your story moving by removing too much information (TMI) that is weighing down the action. **********When you are in the flow of reading, you can tell when the story slows down. What had been a fast-moving adventure becomes like wading through muck. Your...
What is a memoir --- and what is it not? It's not an autobiography It’s not a linear account of your life, beginning with the twinkle in your parents’ eyes, your kid’s first tooth, and every trial and triumph and exotic place you traveled to, or wish you had. In fact,...
How to Write a Villain Readers Won't Forget Writing a palpable evil character is harder than it looks. Even Stephen King gets it wrong every now and then. First you have to think up evil things for your character to do. Then you have to make the character frighten the...