We produce weekly video interviews with bestselling independent or hybrid authors and discuss their book marketing strategies to reach readers, engage and retain them. We also offer writing, editing, and book promotion tips. And sometimes, we even talk about the future of the book publishing industry!
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I wish someone would create a video for structuring a Literary Fiction short story, and use examples from modern published stories from The New Yorker, Harpers, The Atlantic, and other Literary Reviews.
My creative writing professor always would say not to underestimate the value of short stories or other writing styles for that fact. Many novels are really just a collection of short stories that blend together under a main plot point linking them. Also, if you ever get stuck, write a chapter as a scene or act - it's a fun form of writing. Then, rewrite the scene as a chapter or two, but do this from either the main characters' perspective or audiences' perspective depending on your narrative style. I'm not sure if this is helpful for others. But, it's been super helpful for me when I write. Really, any form of creative writing can help. One assignment we were given was to write a poem about our day , where we were, or a specific emotion we had recently. Then, the follow-up assignment involved us drawing on the previous assignment as source material for a short story.
This is interesting. I have been working on a memoir and doubting whether or not I want to share some particular aspects of my life. Strangely, I was mulling this over and asked myself, “Would it be possible to write my book as ‘ fictionalized truth, ?” So I googled it and you popped up! Thanks!!!
Thank you for not saying it was just 5-7-5. If you want to be a stronger poet, learn to write haiku. You learn conciseness of image and transformation in a packed space. All your poetry will Improve learning haiku.
As a reader, I've come to realize over time that character driven books are what engage me the most. Even if its an interesting plot I still struggle to care about the story if the characters have no depth.
i had heard of "Chapbooks" before but didn't know what they were for or why it was necessary to produce one. Thanks for the information. Now I know why I should write one and how to use one.
Nice job. Scrivener is driving me nuts. I like simple and Reedsy seems the best option. Not as many bells and whistles, but, for me, that's no problem.
Hm, so are there books where the narrator is a separate character from the protagonist? Does he have his own personality? Can that happen by accident? And I don't mean books where the narrator tells the story, e.g. Let me tell you about Sir Robert Melonhead, he was a notorious pirate.
As much as I love writing advice, I find a lot of it too prescriptive. She says, 'If you want your character to be afraid, don't put them with their family on Christmas morning.' But why not? That might actually be scarier than anywhere else because you EXPECT everything to be calm and happy with your family on Christmas morning. It would be the last place and time you would expect a serial murderer to sneak into the house and kill everyone in sight. But not only has that happened in real life, it would be a terrifying, unexpected turn in a work of fiction. "The work of good fiction is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed." In my opinion, at least.
Couldn't agree more! I’ve seen many people get clarity through focused goal-setting. Over 60% of people struggle with setting and sticking to goals because they lack specificity. This often stems from vague intentions and a lack of actionable steps, which can lead to frustration and lack of progress. Without clear, defined goals, it's easy to get off track and lose motivation. I faced this myself, and after experimenting with various methods, a friend suggested Habit10x. Their program helped me create and stick to focused goals with the support of accountability partners. Found them through a recommendation!
Many great points. Brava. But there are too many jarring edits here in the video. I actually had to abort viewing. I'll come back when I'm more patient and relaxed.
Ive got an ugly but effective process. I work all week for the weekend. And when im feeling particularly distressed I start journalling. And then I dont stop until I have exhausted myself of my own misery. This weekend, I've drafted a quarter of a Gothic Fiction and two short stories. A few poems. And several drafts of a love letter. Im focusing in on the gothic novel now. I want to finish it. I dont write often but when I do I write a lot. Journalling is good for the soul. I guess you could call my style experimental "stream of consciousness."
I'd never noticed the dog barking thing and didn't think I had one in my literary WIP. But I searched the manuscript for "dog" and lo and behold, I do have one! 😂
The title of your video is a little misleading. Really this is just an over view of the do's and the don'ts that countless others have already covered.
Once I found out it’s creating the folders as you go along, it just makes it more complicated but easy at the same time. It also automatically compresses files to save space, which is helpful cause I start projects and return to them months or even years later.
