Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Red herrings--false clues--are used in most all stories in all genres.  Here are the right and wrong ways to insert red herrings into our stories.  Also, here's how we can show--reveal--much about a character by describing a setting.  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.

Kurt Vonnegut said we should "Start as close to the end as possible."  What did he mean?  How can we do so?  Here are thoughts on this famous piece of advice from a legendary novelist.  Also, avoiding the word "not" to give our sentences more energy.  And Orson Scott Card on creativity.Support the showBuy the master class.

Is your writing time becoming a grind?  If so, here are some things that may reduce the grind and maybe even make  writing fun.  Also, here are thoughts on how we might write a sentence that is a timeless truth told in lovely language, an immortal sentence that will live forever.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 writers should consider giving readers what they want.  Well, what do they want?  Here is a discussion of the five things readers want in a novel.  Also: the dual timeline plot structure.  And F. Scott Fitzgerald's seven tips on writing.Support the showBuy the master class.

Thoughts are interior, in our minds.  But there are ways to show--to give evidence--that reveal to the reader what our character is thinking.  Also, here is an important ingredient that many writers forget when describing a character.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.

The three most important words in our fiction are, "Story, story, story."  But we can also shoot for lovely, musical language that makes each sentence and paragraph a pleasure to read.  Here are thoughts on how to add music to our sentences.Support the showBuy the master class.

In his famous ten rules of writing, Elmore Leonard says that we shouldn't write things readers tend to skip.  What are those things?  How can we avoid writing them?  Also, should our story have  theme and, if so, how can we present it?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.

What do Ernest Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, and Elmore Leonard have in common?   Powerful stories, yes.  But also lean and forceful sentences.  Here's how they do it.  Also: in our plotting,what's an acceptable coincidence and what's a weak, story-ruining coincidence?Support the showBuy the master class.

After months and month if writing, we'll near the end of our story.  Our novel is almost finished.  Here are things we should consider as we wrap up our story.  Also, for many of us editing our own story isn't as fun as writing.  Here are thoughts on how we can make sure we edit enough, and how we know when to quit editing.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.

Why should almost all of our story be scenes rather than summaries?  Here's how we can avoid summaries and instead write moment-by-moment real-time scenes in our fiction.  Also: here are perhaps the most beautiful sentences ever written in fiction.Support the showBuy the master class.