Monthly Archives: February 2015

Pacing, not walking. How to write a novel–part 39

Have you ever picked up a book, tuned in to a TV show, or sat down to watch a movie and found yourself bored or disappointed because nothing happened? For a novice writer, or one with a limited number of fiction sales, … Continue reading

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How long should a story be? How to write a novel–part 38

It depends. Although the question isn’t nearly as stupid as, say, “How tall is a battleship. True or False?” In traditional publishing, manuscript length has some generally agreed upon standards. The most common of these are: short story, novelette, novella and … Continue reading

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Enough dots already! How to write a novel–part 37

Someone asked me recently why I wasn’t on Twitter. I almost said, “because I’m already on bourbon.” But then I thought that would be a little too snarky, even if it was true. The real reason is more basic. Based … Continue reading

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Are We There Yet? How to write a novel–part 36

Quite a few of the writers I know have a tendency to edit their work beyond death and well into the hereafter. There’s certainly no shame in wanting your work to be as good as you can make it. That’s a tremendously noble … Continue reading

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Gettin’ Unstuck, con’t. How to write a novel–part 35

Assuming your plot works, and you have enough subplots to carry the load when your primary storyline begins to buckle, you might still be roadblocked by character issues. You wouldn’t be the first writer to discover your protagonist isn’t everything … Continue reading

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You’re stuck? Too bad. How to write a novel–part 34

Where did it all go wrong? Your story was cooking along nicely right up until– Hm. Somehow, somewhere along the way, something happened–either to the plot or your enthusiasm. Maybe both. Or maybe it was something else, some wrong turn, loose end, or … Continue reading

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