Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Fiction Exercises: When You’re Not In The Mood To Write

Fiction exercises prime the pump: kickstart your imagination

Experiment with these fiction exercises from Commercial Fiction Secrets: Plot Your Novel In 60 Minutes Or Less. They’ll help you to get into the mood to write any scene you choose.

Do these exercises right within the typescript of your novel in Scrivener or MS Word.

And keep the exercises, because rereading them tomorrow or next week will trigger fresh insights and ideas.

Start by writing the phrase, then keep writing for a sentence or three (or even longer.)

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Writing a Novel: Begin It With A Bullet Or A Sunrise?

Writing a novel: try writing the beginning later

Ultimately, you write as you prefer. You may even change how you write from novel to novel.

Some of our authors who are pantsers write chronologically, but know that they’ll rewrite their novel’s first scene later. I do this.

The biggest discussion that evening however was between the authors who like to start with a bang, in the middle of the action, and the others: those authors who like to set the mood and introduce a character first.

Let’s look at two strategies for beginning your novel.

Will you begin with a bullet or a sunrise?

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Fiction Author: Keep Your Idea Factory Humming From Idea To Novel

Writing fiction? Everything starts with an idea

An idea can come from anywhere. Write them down; if you don’t, they’ll quickly fade because they’re ephemeral, like dreams.

Give your ideas time to gestate, but not too much time. Use the ability of your subconscious mind. As we said, the subconscious mind works in mysterious ways:

Your muse (subconscious mind) takes an active part in your writing. Give her time to do her part of the work.

Let’s look at how to manage your own idea factory.

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Fix Your Novel: From Dud To Fiction Bestseller

1. Remember suspense: aim to intrigue readers (keep readers wondering)

Another E.M Forster quote:

“Scheherazade avoided her fate because she knew how to wield the weapon of suspense – the only literary tool that has any effect upon tyrants and savages.”

SUSPENSE is the only literary tool which has any effect on readers too. Keep your readers wondering, always. Avoid info dumps: as soon as you spot them (they’ll proliferate in your first draft), move them to another file, out of your draft.

Here’s what I do.

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Struggling With Fiction Outlines?

Do you find outlining fiction a challenge? Many authors do.

Authors want to:

• Hook readers from the first page… This makes the first scene important; it freezes authors into endless procrastination;
• Avoid reader-boredom in the sagging middle of their novel, so procrastination strikes again.

Outlining fiction: the most important tip

Please don’t let your inner editor take charge, telling you what you “should” do.

Nothing comes from nothing.

Write.

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Self-publishing? 3 Reasons To Write Series Fiction

One author had published eight novels; the other eleven. It’s very, very difficult to build an audience which recognizes your books and is eagerly waiting for your next book — in other words, build a platform — when you write standalone novels.

Self-publishing: get visible — you’ll build your audience one reader at a time

A few years ago I read a study which stated that authors who headed bestseller lists year after year had published at least 47 books… and many of those books were in series.

Writing in series made the authors more visible.

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Journaling Is For Everyone: 3 Tips To Create More And Sell More

Maugham traveled, and journaled, then wrote novels and short stories inspired by his travels and journaling.

Some writing quotes from the inimitable Mr Maugham…

• The best style is the style you don’t notice.
• I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.
• If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.
• To write simply is as difficult as to be good.

Let’s look at how journaling helps you to create more and sell more.

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Self-Publishing Serial Fiction: 4 Answers To Popular Questions

Serial fiction: start with an idea which excites YOU

Over the years, I’ve discovered that a serial needs to start with an idea which gets me excited, so I’m eager to write.

In my experience, publishing a serial (a part-work, if you like) has more in common with publishing short stories than writing a novel. Although I enjoy it, I know that I need to keep my initial enthusiasm at a high pitch, so that publishing every two weeks won’t become a royal pain in the you-know-what.

If you adore an idea and you think it would work as a serial, you’re good to go.

Let’s look at the answers to some popular questions I receive about writing and publishing serial fiction.

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Writing Fiction: 3 Reasons To Write In Scenes

Generations of readers, over two centuries, have read Pride and Prejudice with pleasure. Jane Austen wrote the novel dramatically; she relied on her scenes. The Victorian novelists writing after Jane Austen could have learned from her elegant prose. (Here’s a link to the novel’s text.)

Austen begins the second chapter of Pride and Prejudice, like this:

Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it. It was then disclosed in the following manner.

The entire chapter is one scene — if you’re not sure how scenes work, read that chapter.

Let’s look at some reasons to write in scenes.

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Begin A Freelancing Career: Get Paid To Write Today

Want to get paid to write? Sell your skills

You can offer someone your writing services and get hired immediately.

A big tip: selling your time limits your income. There are only so many hours in each day. As soon as possible, write something you’ll sell, like a short story or a nonfiction book.

I mention short stories, because you can write them quickly, and they sell. When you create a product, you can make money 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Another tip: remember that professional writing is a business.

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