Word Magic
Writing fiction for self-publishing authors, as well as aspiring authors
Readers want what they want, so when you’re writing fiction, it’s easy to make mistakes which annoy readers. That said, don’t despair. You can fix most mistakes easily. Writing fiction: the biggest mistake Before we look at common errors, let’s look at the biggest one: failing to capitalize on success. Sadly this is horribly common. One of my students wrote … Read more
If you’re writing fiction, it’s no wonder you’re stressed. You’ve created an entire world, and you’re keeping it in your head. Sadly, your 30th novel takes as much organization as the first. However, experience helps. With experience, you accept the stress and realize it’s normal. With any luck at all, you’ll find ways to get organized and manage the chaos. … Read more
Here’s a quick writing tip: if you’re writing fiction, start by deciding how many words your novel, novella, or serial needs. For efficient writing, deciding on a word count eliminates many uncertainties. As you may know, I mentor authors. Last week, an author contacted me about her romantic mystery. After writing a few thousand words, she was ready to give … Read more
Inspiration and motivation are short-lived. Fiction exercises help when you’re unmotivated, or think everything you’ve written is pure junk. Perhaps you’ve developed a resistance to writing: you may be avoiding a scene you know will be emotionally challenging; or you’re doubting your plot. Try the two exercises below, but consider creating your own exercises too—create your own collection. Fiction exercises: … Read more
If you love writing fiction, and want to do it full-time, why not consider ghostwriting? Writing novels, short stories, and novellas not only improves your craft, but it gives you an income too. Not sure how it works? How does fiction ghostwriting work? It works much the same as other freelancing. A client approaches you with a project brief, that … Read more