Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Sometimes a scene we've written just doesn't feel right.  Something is amiss but we can't put our fingers on it.  Here's a method to figure out what might be wrong and how to fix it.  Also: we can get stuck in our thinking about the plot.  Where should the story go next?  What should we add?  Here are ideas on inventing plot points.Support the showBuy the master class.

A terrific way for writers to find inspiration is to hear legendary sentences from famous novels.  Here are a few.  Should we fiddle with fonts in our manuscript?   And slow motion is a powerful tool for our scenes.Support the showBuy the master class.

Can we use a spreadsheet to plot our novels?   Some authors do.   Here are thoughts about using Excel for outlining a story.   Also, most main characters in a novel tell the truth to the reader.   But some don't.   Sometimes an unreliable narrator is a strong tool for plotting.   Plus, should authors fiddle with the speed of time in our novels?   Hurrying time and skipping time?   Here are some techniques regarding the flow of time in our stories.Support the showBuy the master class.

How can we handle the dispiriting feeling that writing our novel is a huge, endless, and hard chore with completion far in the future, if ever?  Here are some thoughts about facing our big writing project.  Also mentioned are some sentence-by-sentence writing mistakes that are easy to avoid.  And this episode presents some specific words we can delete from our manuscript, and our story will magically be better.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

Creating a timeline can help us keep things straight as we plot and write.  Also, here's a discussion of authorial distance, which is the closeness or distance the reader feels from the scene's subjects.  And a list of ways to avoid sentence-by-sentence weak writing.Support the showBuy the master class.

For each scene, the perfect number of characters exists.  We'll talk about that number.  Too few, and we don't have a scene.  Too many, and the scene is like a subway at rush hour.  Also, here are some techniques regarding metaphors and similes, a skill that can make our writing more lyrical and engaging.   Please note: I will be out of the office next week, and so won't upload a new episode next Friday, but will return for a new episode the following Friday.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

How many words a day?  Too fast, and our story might be sloppy.  Too slow, and we'll never finish.  Here are some thoughts about our pace of writing.  And also; contrast is a critical tool for us writers.  How can we use it?Support the showBuy the master class.

Here are thoughts on how we might handle doubts about our writing abilities, the fear of failure.  Plus, more tips on facing the camera.   And: humor is a wonderful tool for writers.  Add some laughs to our stories.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

We shouldn't write about embarrassing stuff, and here's a list.  Also, here are techniques to rev up the middle of the novel, often the hardest part to write.Support the showBuy the master class.

Here's a strong way to make our sentences pop, to make our writing lively and energetic.   Also: how to keep the reader engaged by reducing disbelief and so making our story more real.Support the showBuy the master class.