Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing.  Here are the ten most common mistakes new writers make, mistakes that are often prospect killers.   Also, how does Kristen Hannah work?  And: maybe the best way to learn how to write a novel.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 learn many techniques to improve our fiction writing.  Is there one big thing we should think about first, the most important element?  Yes, and we talk about it here.  Also, avoiding mixing up the grammatical person and the point of view.   How William Faulkner worked.  And; making a direct connection between our hero and the reader by showing kindness.Support the showBuy the master class.

Here is a technique--it's magical--to make our sentence-by-sentence writing instantly stronger; avoiding qualifiers.  And how to use good dialogue tags so the reader hears the dialogue rather than the clunky tags.  And important tips regarding back-story.Support the showBuy the master class.

Naming our story's characters is fun but there is a big technique involved, which we talk about in this episode.  Also; the iceberg theory of writing, and the story framing device.  Plus, examples of showing rather than telling about characters' moods.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.

It's critical for us writers to make multiple simultaneous submissions.  Here are some thoughts on why it's so important.   And I mention a wonderful but counterintuitive technique that makes our dialogue smoother.   Also: the importance of a scene playing out minute-by-minute, without time skips.Support the showBuy the master class.

Where can we turn when wondering about whether we should continue reading a novel?  Right here, for some thoughts on reading.  Also, here is a discussion on big mistakes we might make when creating our story's setting, and how to avoid them.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.

Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic.  Here are thoughts on why we might not want to give our novels downer titles.   Also, why we should avoid words that when too close together echo poorly, creating a distracting dissonance.   And how we writers can practice.Support the showBuy the master class.

Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story.   Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab readers.  But there are right and wrong ways to use details, and we'll talk about the difference.  Also, how should we handle back-story, politics, and society in our story?  And a goofy pop quiz.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.

For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story.  Here are thoughts on the clear window.  Also, how George Orwell worked.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 are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the present tense?  And the past tense?   Also, a reminder about the importance of setting.  And I get on my high horse about writers needing persistence regarding submissions.Support the showBuy the master class.