An Outline is to a Story What a Map is to a Road Trip – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 1, 2024

Writing Motivation: An Outline is to a Story What a Map is to a Road Trip
Most published writers agree that inspiration is overrated. After all, inspiration can generate a story idea, a character, or even a scene, but it rarely generates a complete story. READ MORE

Writing Tips: How to Overcome Writer’s Block
There are many reasons people get it – their mind is preoccupied, the environment they’re writing in isn’t conducive to creating, the idea they’ve come up with isn’t particularly good, a lack of imagination or skill to develop the story, coming to the laptop with no idea to write about, and many more. My new book Overcoming Writer’s Block helps you understand the cause of your writer’s block then goes into detail on strategies for overcoming each one. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: How to Come up with Characters’ Names
One of the most important decisions you’ll make as a storyteller is the names of your characters. If the names don’t ring right with readers, it can wear on them despite that the rest of your story is exceptional. READ MORE

Writing Course: Devise Your Story’s Plot
When writers come up with a great story idea but don’t know how to develop it, usually the problem is plotting. Understanding story structure – i.e. plot – is extremely helpful in developing a story. Devise Your Story’s Plot is all about understanding the basic rules for constructing your story. It examines plot’s role in storytelling, the importance of conflict in plotting, and the five traditional parts of a plot. It also looks at some common plot pitfalls. The structural guidelines outlined in the book work for any genre, whether you’re writing a serious literary piece or penning in any of the escapist genres from romance or science fiction to mystery or fantasy. Length of course: 17 lesson readings and quizzes, 2-3 hours. Homework is up to the student. CHECK IT OUT

Self-Publishing Tip: Selecting Paper Quality when Self-Publishing
Ever read a paperback novel and find the paper tearing, as you turned the page a little too roughly? Or maybe while reading you wrote a note in the margins only to find you’ve left indentations on the next page? Fortunately, as going through the self-publishing process you can save readers of your book from such annoyances because you get to select the quality of the paper. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Ways Your Main Character can Ultimately Succeed
When reaching the climax of the story, the main character usually overcomes the main problem that he set out to solve. Still, this penultimate scene tends to play out differently from story to story so that no two tales that are truly original seem alike. That’s because there are a number of ways that the character might succeed. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Harness Your “Local” Status
One of your biggest selling points, especially if a novelist, is that you’re “local.” While that can only take you so far, you’d be foolish not to fully take advantage of it. A lot of businesses and institutions carry and promote “local” products or those about their region. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Fair to Midland” by Tommy Adamo
With all of the talk of civil war depending on the presidential election results, what if one came to be? My recent editing client, Tommy Adamo, tackled that topic in his novel Fair to Midland, which I edited a couple of years ago. From the back cover: “Within the confines of a confessional, an old man recounts the sins he committed during The War of Texas Secession in the late 21st century. … Warren, a recently discharged veteran of The War, shares many of the sentiments his fellow Texans possess and, much to the objection of his wife, joins a local militia. He begins his tale speaking of God, family and country, but as Warren describes the suspicious and unfortunate ends of those around him, the priest recognizes a more insidious nature to the old man and realizes they never stood a chance against Warren’s lethal vainglory.” CHECK IT OUT

$25 Off Your Next Edit!
For being a newsletter subscriber, please take $25 off your next edit with Inventing Reality Editing Service. When scheduling your edit, be sure to mention you’re a subscriber and give the email where you received this newsletter. Minimum order of $200. Offer expires Oct. 15, 2024. SCHEDULE EDIT

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of both aspiring and published writers and offers a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 350 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of a novel, the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, four children’s books, more than 25 bestselling hiking guidebooks, and even a book of poetry. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.