Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Writing Fiction: 3 Tips To Do It Your Way

Writing fiction without rules

Questions:

• I don’t know how to…
• But what if…
• I can’t write (something or other)…
• Someone said that…

To repeat: do it your way.

Every novel and short story you write is different. The only real “rule” is that you keep writing, any way you can.

Let’s look at some ways in which you can do it YOUR way.

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Writing A Book: 3 Ways To Get Started And Keep Going

Writing a book: how to get words onto the computer screen

A veteran author suggested that the problem could be high expectations. We’re not happy with the words we write. We want them to be great words.

She says that when she sits down to write, she’s happy with anything she can get onto the screen. “I don’t care about writing well. Words are all I want. Be happy with whatever you produce.”

Here are some ways to get started writing a book.

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A Writing Journal: 3 Tips To Ease Stress And Improve Your Writing

A writing journal: how often should you write in it?

A writing journal helps you to:

• Dump your feelings of helplessness and isolation into it (journaling is therapeutic);
• Feel in control: once you rid yourself of negativity and despair, you’ll become inspired;
• Become a force of positivity to everyone around you. Misery is toxic.

The question I get most often about journaling: “how often should I journal?”

That depends on you.

If you’re stressed, journal your thoughts and feelings. You’ll be surprised that when you dump your junk into your journal, you’ll be calmer. Moreover, you’ll begin to see the benefits of your situation.

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Book Marketing Your Way: Devote Time To Marketing Every Day

If your sales are lower than normal, don’t panic. Do a little marketing every day, then you’ll be ready when things pick up and people return to work and their normal lives.

Try an option you haven’t tried before

Why not try new marketing ideas?

Try Instagram, it may work for you

Instagram works for many authors; remember to engage:

The best way to help yourself, is to help others. “Influencer” bookstagrammers have spent years building their audience, one reader at a time.

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Freelance Writing: Stay Creative And Rebuild Your Business

Spend time writing each day, even if it’s only ten minutes.

Your freelance writing focus: what did you write today?

Writing is therapeutic, so make sure that you write, whether or not someone is paying you for your writing immediately.

This might be the time to:

• Start an income-generating blog;
• Write and self-publish your first novel;
• Build an online group for writers in your area or city;
• Develop a new specialty;
• Study something new, so once things open up, you’ve got a new string to your bow.

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Achieving Your Goals: Life Has Changed, So Change Your Goals

Review your goals: are they still achievable?

Chances are that your goals are still achievable, in some form. If they are, create new deadlines and plans. Keep them flexible. If you’re still on lockdown, then you won’t be able to put your plans into effect immediately.

Many of the staff at the marketing agency where I work have been furloughed. Our clients are struggling to stay viable.

When we get back to work, we’ll need to develop new strategies for our remaining clients—and find new clients too.

Can you radically change your goals?

If you’re jobless, you’ll need to change your goals.

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How To Incorporate Brilliant New Ideas In Your Fiction

It’s usually best to complete a first draft, then revise and edit. But what if you get compelling ideas and want to incorporate them immediately?

Perhaps you’re writing a mystery. Halfway through the novel you decide that your killer is now the housemaid, rather than the butler. Instead of continuing with the first draft, you decide that you’ll go back and rewrite from the beginning.

When you’re writing fiction, be flexible

Every novel and every short story is a new adventure for fiction writers. You make hundreds of choices in every writing session and must trust your intuition. It’s all you have.

It’s best to be flexible. Let’s look at your options.

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Writing Fiction: 4 Tips To Build Narrative Drive (Suspense)

Writing fiction made easier: leave out the boring bits

Narrative drive is all about EMOTIONS.

Specifically: curiosity and worry/ anxiety.

I’m sure you’ve heard authors recommending that you “leave out the boring bits” when you’re writing fiction. In the immortal words of Elmore Leonard:

Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them.

These tips will get you started implementing narrative drive in your fiction.

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Self-Publishing And “Real” Publishing: Tips For New Authors - peneloperedmont.com

Self-publishing—the big question: is it “real” publishing?

An aspiring author in the group asked: “Self-publishing’s not real publishing, is it?”

Some years ago now, there was a stigma to self-publishing. That’s gone. Today many bestselling authors self-publish their books.

A good portion of our group’s members are unpublished and want the dream: to be traditionally published, so that they can see their books in their local bookshop.

Let’s look at how to get started; you can choose your publishing model later.

Start by thinking about your genre (category.)

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4 Tips To Help You To Begin Your Novel

One writer, a former freelance writing student, said she’s tried writing fiction during NaNoWriMo, but hasn’t published a novel yet.

She wants some help. “How do I write a good novel? What’s the secret?” She asked.

Writing fiction: start writing

The only secret I know is: start writing. Keep writing. Every novel you write is different. As long as you have a story you’re telling and keep writing, you’ll do well.

Initially, focus on your story. I encourage my students to write a blurb as soon as possible for this reason. Story and plot are different things. Start with your story. Your plot is what your characters do to achieve the goals of the story.

(More on story and plot below.)

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