A vivid setting makes your fiction more believable. It can also build the mood of your story, creating, mystery, suspense and even conflict. You can create vivid settings with some hard work and diligent attention to detail. Let’s try building a memorable setting ourselves. We’ll start with a simple setting and see if we can bring…
The Golden Age of Self-Publishing
If there was ever any doubt about this being the golden age of sef-publishing, these statistics should demonstrate what a great time it is to be an author. Hugh Howey, author of the bestselling, indie-original science fiction series Wool, has published a report on independent author earnings from ebooks sold on Amazon. Here are some…
Ten Effective Tricks for Marketing Your Book
Publishers spend little or no money marketing new authors these days, which is a great reason to publish your own book. On-demand printing services such as amazon’s createspace.com provide a nearly free way to get into print and sold through amazon.com. Best of all, you’ll make ten times as much on each copy as you…
How To Write an Autobiography: Three Approaches to Writing Your Life Story
Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours? There’s no greater gift to share with your loved ones than the story of your own life. Whether you want to share your special moments with friends, family members, future generations, or the general public, it’s definitely worth the time to record the important events of your…
Writing Your Novel: Create a Character Pyramid
Build your characters like a pyramid, viewed from above. Your readers should focus first on your protagonist, who is at the top of the pyramid. Develop a multi-page character sketch for the protagonist before you write anything else. Be sure to include the protagonist’s flaw, because overcoming that flaw to solve a problem is what…
Tips for Writing a Novel: Know the Difference Between Plot and Story
Have you always wanted to write a novel, but didn’t quite know how to get started? Or perhaps you had an idea-—maybe even a dream—that inspired you. You sat down to write, began typing with passion, but then got stuck. Sound familiar? If so, it’s not surprising. That’s happened to nearly all authors, especially when…
Ten Simple Tricks to Perk Up Your Writing
The ultimate measure of you as an author is the competence with which you write. There are a few simple things you can do to perk up your writing. If you get into the habit of following these techniques, you’ll be amazed at the difference they make. Best of all, most of them are specific…