Writing Fiction: What’s Your Big (Or Little) Idea?

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Thinking about writing fiction? Here’s a secret. Start with the idea. When we read fiction, we may be bored… Or we’re living through an unbearable life event and need to escape for a while. Perhaps we enjoy stepping into another world. Whatever a reader’s reason for reading your novel, they read for entertainment. When you’re writing fiction, you’re an entertainer … Read more

Write Fiction And Publish It, In 8 Hours

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Do you wish you could write fiction? Currently I’m working with a group of authors to write and publish fiction in eight hours. One of the authors, who’s been working on a novel for a couple of years, decided that she wanted to work on her novel during the class. The group’s focus is on completing a project in eight … Read more

Write A Cookbook (Even If You Can’t Cook)

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Recently a writing student told me she wanted to write a cookbook, but she couldn’t get started yet: she needed to master cooking first. After all, if she couldn’t create a recipe, she couldn’t write a cookbook… Could she? That got me thinking about the elements of great cookbooks. Yes, they contain recipes, but they also contain something else which … Read more

Motivation Monday: The Trap Of Productivity For Writers

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I’m a huge fan of everything productivity-related, especially productivity for writers. I can click my way around the web for minutes and hours on end, devotedly researching—hoping to find one magic strategy or trick. Here’s why: writing is hard work. When you’re researching, you’re not writing… However, you’re blithely certain that one day, really soon, you’ll find something which will … Read more