When you’re writing a novel, do you begin at the beginning? We discussed our favorite strategies for starting a novel at a recent writers’ group meeting. Most authors in the group said they write chronologically: they began at the beginning and write to the end. Several authors however ...
fiction writing
Writing Fiction: Start With People To Avoid Plot Disasters
In our latest writers’ group meeting, we talked about writing fiction and character creation and development. We’re back to our regular meetings, thank heavens. Sadly, our group’s been decimated, but we’ll build it up again. Start with plot or characters? That’s a topic which never ...
Writing Fiction: Find Great Ideas For Your Next Novel
One of the biggest challenges when you’re writing fiction is finding truly good ideas. We discussed finding great ideas in a recent writers’ group meeting. Several authors maintained that the perfect idea hit them after they’d started writing about a character who intrigued them. Some authors ...
Writing Fiction: Outlining Tips For Pantsers
In our recent writers’ group meeting we discussed writing fiction and the fraught topic of outlining. Those of us who are pantsers wince when we hear the word: “outline”. Pantsers don’t do outlines; we write by the seat of our pants. We feel guilty about that, so we experiment with outlines ...
Writing Fiction: A Quick Beginners’ Tip
Is there a trick to switching from nonfiction to writing fiction? The nonfiction author who asked this question in our online writer’s group was trying to write fiction during the lockdown. She found it tough. “There’s no flow to my fiction,” she told us. “It’s hard. I can get into a ...
Bullet Journal Your Fiction: 3 Time-Saving Tips
For new authors, writing fiction is unexpectedly chaotic and messy. A bullet journal helps you to get organized and saves time too. Perhaps you’ve seen others’ gorgeous bullet journals: they’re works of art. You can decorate your notebook if you wish, but when it comes to bullet journaling, ...
