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Category: How to Write
How to Get Past Fear and Procrastination and Write Your Novel
Anyone who tells you that writing a novel is easy has probably never written one. Here are the five most common statements I hear from people who are struggling to write a novel: I don’t know where to begin. I’ve written a few chapters, but I can’t figure out where to go from here. I…Continue reading How to Get Past Fear and Procrastination and Write Your Novel
Revision: first draft vs. final draft
No one writes a perfect story, essay, or novel the first time around. That’s where revision comes in. The first draft contains everything you wanted to say. The final draft contains everything you needed to say—those things that are essential to the story. The first draft is likely to have more abstractions, while the final…Continue reading Revision: first draft vs. final draft
How To Write a Novel: 10 Steps
Do you want to write a novel? Begin with these 10 steps. The first thing you need to know about writing a novel is that there are no easy answers. The second thing you need to know is that there’s no magic formula. Every novel demands its own structure, its own pace, its own way…Continue reading How To Write a Novel: 10 Steps
How to End a Story
Stories are like relationships: the beginning is always so much fun, and the ending is fraught with turmoil. When I sit down to start a story, the first sentence just sort of comes to me. The second sentence too. If I’m lucky, the third swiftly follows. The inimitable short story writer Kate Braverman once visited…Continue reading How to End a Story