Outlining your novel doesn’t have to be hard. But when was the last time you sat down to write with the confidence and true belief that you knew exactly what story you were going to tell? Where do you start your first novel? If you’re like I was, you started writing with no idea where your story was headed. Believe me, two books and almost 500,000 words into that “process” I had to stop and re-evaluate my strategy. Now, be...

If you're new to fiction writing, this book's for you! Are you tired of dreaming about writing a novel—waiting for the novel in your head to magically appear? Tired of being told to “write a little bit a day every day?” How’s that advice working for you? It’s not, is it?  If it was, your novel would be written already. But I hear you—writing fiction isn't easy. When I first learned how to write a novel, that “helpful” information … wasn't. I went...

Can’t take the first step in becoming an author? Afraid you’ll suck at writing? Have you ever…  Heard that little voice inside your head, whispering that your writing sucked? Simply felt too terrified to start writing? Had the wind knocked out of your sails—been critiqued by a “well-meaning” person—and decided that they were right and gave up? Read and read motivational books on writing only to ...

Congratulations! You just finished writing your first novel! “Now what?” If you’re like I was, that was the first question you asked yourself.  Do you remember what I said last time? In Nine Day Novel: Writing?  Steve, I totally remember: You said, “Bravo! Pop champagne and…”  You remember that part after the champagne about calling someone, right?  Your Editor—the Last Line of Defense.

Self Publishing is Hard! Does the KDP dashboard feel like the control panel of a jumbo jet?  Does getting your book self published to CreateSpace feel like you're lost in space? ...been there, done that, so let us show you the T-shirt! The first time we self published a book to KDP, we were so afraid to make a mistakethat it took hours. Then came the errors and the publishing, republishing and republis...

A special 10th anniversary edition of Roy Peter Clark's bestselling guide to writing, featuring five bonus tools.Ten years ago, Roy Peter Clark, America's most influential writing teacher, whittled down almost thirty years of experience in journalism, writing, and teaching into a series of fifty short essays on different aspects of writing. In the past decade, Writing Tools has become a classic guidebook for novices and experts alike and remains one of the...

Discover how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage your audience with this ultimate guide to writing.When it comes to writing bestsellers, it’s all about the plot. Trouble is, plot is where most writers fall down—but you don’t have to be one of them. With this book, you’ll learn how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage readers—one scene at a time.Celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alders...

Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:Help you choose the right type of outline for youGuide you in brainstorming plot ideasAid you in discovering your charactersShow you ...

Daily exercises guaranteed to spark your writing!The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to finish every one of your writing projects. Written by celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson, this book guides you through each stage of the writing process, from constructing compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. Alderson also helps you get into the habit o...

Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories?Why do some stories work and others don’t? The answer is structure. In this new guide from the author of the acclaimed Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story’s major events, but will also provide you with an unerring...

First-time fiction writers often get stuck in the middle of writing a novel mainly because they do not have an outline they can stick to. Outlining a novel before writing is essential for carrying on with a story of 80,000 words or more.This book includes ten questions after answering which you will be have the entire outline of your novel in front of you. You will have built your protagonist, antagonist, major characters, setting, plot, theme, narrative POV and genre of your novel...

A distinguished novelist and critic inspires readers and writers with this inside look at how the professionals read—and writeLong before there were creative writing workshops and degrees, how did aspiring writers learn to write? By reading the work of their predecessors and contemporaries, says Francine Prose.As she takes us on a guided tour of the tools and the tricks of the masters—Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Kafka, Austen, Dickens, Woolf, Chekhov—Prose discovers why these wr...