Create Flawed Characters

Create Flawed Characters

Don’t be afraid to get rough with your characters, even if—no, especially if—you love them. If you make their path too easy, your novel will suffer. Why? Because characters who are perfect, or who effortlessly overcome those plot twists, are boring. It’s a common slip...
Let Your Story Come to You However it Wants

Let Your Story Come to You However it Wants

Think of your story like a puzzle. We don’t put pieces together in a specific order. Some people dive in, some look for corners or edges, working inward. The full picture will come together eventually—just start building out the parts you can easily...
Trust Your Creative Gut

Trust Your Creative Gut

Writing one scene but thinking of another? You risk losing a great idea if you force yourself to work on one thing when your mind is itching to work through other ideas. Trust your creative gut and make a note that you’ll come back to the first scene or section...
Plan Your “Freebies” Early

Plan Your “Freebies” Early

Writers, you should start thinking about your marketing strategy early—even while you’re still revising. Cutting major chapters and scenes? Don’t throw them away! Save them in a separate file and clean them up to be bonus material on your site later, or a...
Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate

Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate

If an editor (or cover designer, illustrator, book formatter, etc.) seems out of your price range, don’t give up! Ask if they have another service that you could benefit from, or if they provide a “light” version of the service you’re...
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