What is a Scene and a Vignette in Fiction? – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 1, 2025

Plotting Your Book: What is a Scene and a Vignette in Fiction?
A major division of a story is a scene, in which a dramatic action occurs, usually involving the same characters at a single locale. Stories typically consist of several scenes, all of which correspond with the opening, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. READ MORE

Marketing Tips: How to Build Your Author’s Website
You need a website if you’re a serious author. A website is the hub where readers can go to find out about your books, a little about you, where to find you on social media, how to contact you, and more. Fortunately, you can construct a website for very little cost right in the comfort of your own home. My book Build Your Author’s Website explains how, using easy to understand, practical explanations. It covers such diverse topics as finding a Website host, deciding what your website will look like, pages needed for your website, share buttons, pictures, your website text’s readability, and driving traffic to your website. The tips here come from an author and professional editor who began building websites more than two decades ago and has advised hundreds of his writing clients about the process. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: How to Create a Memorable Protagonist
Often the secret to writing a good story is to create a memorable protagonist. After all, usually the most relatable element of a book for readers are the characters. Readers will see something in the protagonist that matches who they are or who they wish to be. Indeed, years after forgetting the story’s plot and its message, readers will remember the characters and their best lines. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: DRM: To Enable or Not to Enable
When self-publishing your ebook on Kindle, you’ll be asked if you want to enable “Digital Rights Management.” If you enable it, the Kindle version of the book will include coding that makes the copying of it more difficult. The goal is to eliminate piracy. Authors, publishers and editors hold very different views about the value of DRM, with some recommending it and others advising against it. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Watch for Verb Tense Shifts in Your Writing
A common mistake among novice writers is shifting within their story so that events occurred in the now but then in the next paragraph happen in the past. This is a sign that the writer is changing verb tenses. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Promote Book with Goodreads Author’s Page
A number of websites exist where readers go to find more great books by sharing their thoughts about what they’ve just read. For the moment, Goodreads appears to be the most popular of those sites. Because of this, savvy authors have set up their own pages on Goodreads – not just because they’re voracious readers but because doing so is a good way to promote their own books. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Geo Girl Maxine” by Ann James
A long-time editing client, Ann James, has published her latest children’s book, “Geo Girl Maxine.” Maxine –known to her friends as “Geo Girl” – has a passion for geography that sets her apart. While others might yawn at maps and landforms, she finds adventure in every continent, ocean, and river. Determined to share her excitement, Max dreams up fun ways to get her friends interested in the wonders of the world. 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 July 8, 2025. 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 400 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.