The Difficult Second Book
If the first book was a whirlwind of inspiration, then the difficult Second book is like a rock band’s “difficult second album.” Reaching a consistent standard over three books isn’t easy. Especially if it’s a trilogy. …
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Want versus Need
In trying to write better characters, it’s taken me a while to define want versus need. Writing coaches bang on about these all the time, but what do they mean and why are they important?
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The Rules of Good Covers
You need to know The Rules of Good Covers. ‘Never judge a book by its cover,’ the saying goes. Truth is, everyone judges a book by its cover. And I have a whole series to design…
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The Pain of Editing
Nobody tells you about the pain of editing. How frustrating that ‘one last revision’ gets when you find another truckload of bad prose, poor punctuation and downright dumb dialogue. No one says the creative process is easy.
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A Strong Opening Chapter
A question or an obsession; how do I write a strong opening chapter? How do I hook the reader and keep them turning the page? I spend more time on opening chapters than anything else. Here’s my compilation of tips from writers and coaches from the last three years.
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Second Act Pinch Points
From Act One ingenue to Act Three veteran, your second act pinch points are the key. Character arcs simply don’t work without them.
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Writing Setting as Character
Inspired by Sanderson’s World Building class, we bring you writing Setting as Character. There are certain books where the setting is so key to the story, so rich and well defined, it becomes a character in itself.
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Calculating the MICE Quotient
Mary Robinette’s ingenious short story technique raised a reader question about calculating the MICE Quotient.
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The Art of the Book Blurb
Uncovering the art of the book ‘blurb’; that short text on the back cover and in the book summary that entices people to open the book and read. But what is it, and what makes for a successful ‘blurb?’
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Write What You Know?
A common piece of writing advice is ‘write what you know.’ But what I know, I don’t want to write about. Much better to make it up.
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