If I had a plot that was all set in advance, why would I want go through the agony of writing the novel? A novel is a kind of exploration and discovery, for me at any rate. — Chaim Potok Who is Chaim Potok? – LEARN MORE Continue reading Plotting vs. Pantsing
Just as a painter paints, and a ponderer ponders, a writer writes, and a wanderer wanders – Roman Payne Continue reading On Writing: Roman Payne
You must finish what you start. – Robert A. Heinlein, Heinlein’s Rules Continue reading On Finishing Books: Robert A. Heinlein
How we tell stories seems to be a mysterious process that millions around the world want to be able to do, but 99.9% effectively fail. Why is it so hard for storyteller and audience to be one? What we communicate can change the lives of the writer and the audience. However, why stories matter and how to tell them better may not be as mysterious … Continue reading The Mystery of Storytelling: Advice From a Literary Agent (Julian Friedmann)
When I read a book, I put in all the imagination I can, so that it is almost like writing the book as well as reading it – or rather, it is like living it. It makes reading so much more exciting, but I don’t suppose many people try to do it. ― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle Continue reading On Reading Books: Dodie Smith
Isn’t it funny how your knees buckle in the face of disaster? How the world suddenly crumbles around you, leaving only the sudden, desperate focus on the one thing that went wrong? Suddenly all joy seems to have evaporated from your life and the only thing left is the inevitable, negative self-talk that we writers know all too well. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. I am … Continue reading 5 Ways of Coping with Writing Disaster
Our books are the deepest glimpses into our souls, the most raw and real anybody will ever find us. Melodie Ramone Continue reading On Indie Authorship: Melodie Ramone
Most of us indie authors are obsessed with writing more, either through forming a habit of writing more regularly or by driving up word count through learning how to touch type or through use of dictation software. I am really impressed by all of the many ways in which it is possible to increase productivity as an indie fiction author and I have tried some … Continue reading 1 Ninja-Trick-Free Technique You Can Use to Write More
Writing good dialogue can be tricky. As TV and comic book writing is increasingly influencing dialogues in novels, I thought I’d share this very topical Youtube video which I recently found very helpful to get my head straight on the topic.
And books, they offer one hope — that a whole universe might open up from between the covers, and falling into that universe, one is saved. Anne Rice, Blackwood Farm Continue reading On Books: Anne Rice
