How to Write Your Story’s Penultimate Scene – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 29, 2025

Plotting Your Book: How to Write Your Story’s Penultimate Scene
In every story, there comes a turning point or an ultimate moment in which the situation has become so intolerable that the main character must take a decisive step and emerge victorious. This scene is known as the climax. READ MORE

Master the Craft of Writing
You’ve written a short story or a novel. You keep receiving rejection slips from editors and publishing houses … and now you’re not sure it’s good enough to self-publish. You know the story needs a rewrite, yet you don’t know how to improve it … besides, work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, and the kids demand your attention, so who has time? … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to achieve your dream of getting that story published. If you can, 7 Minutes a Day to Mastering the Craft of Writing is the book for you. This practical, how-to guide will take you step-by-step through improving your story and fiction writing skills – with just 7 minutes of work required a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to rewrite your novel or short story as you read this book, all the while getting the encouragement and motivation needed to keep you going. SEE BOOK.

Writing Tip: Avoid Card Tricks in the Dark when Writing
No one likes a show off. Unfortunately, one way novice writers slow their story is by saying “Look see what I can do!” When they use such authorial cleverness for no purpose other than to show off, they’re guilty of using “card tricks in the dark,” a term coined by American science fiction writer Lewis Shiner. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Your Acknowledgements and Dedication Pages
Many authors like to take a bow (or curtsy) to those who helped their book become reality. Many also like to honor someone special in their lives by dedicating the book to them. These names respectively appear in the acknowledgements and dedication. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Your Rx for First Draft-itis
Ever suffer from a bad bout of “first draft-Itis”? We all have. First draft-itis refers to the various flaws that everyone – including the author – during a first read of a manuscript all quickly agree should be corrected. In short, they’re common flaws that appear in first drafts. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: How to Improve Your Amazon Author Ranking
Among the challenges facing authors is ensuring their book frequently shows up whenever someone searches for a topic on Amazon.com. After all, if a potential reader searches for a Kindle ebook, say about nature, more than 75,000 titles are available for purchase. If your book is among the first few to show on the list, that’s a good thing, as it translates to more book sales. So how do you improve your “author ranking” to get your book higher on the list? READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Orchestra Friends: Squeals, Groans, Off-Beat Rhythms” by Fatrice Currie
Among the many types of books I edit are those for middle grade and young adult readers. Of those genre’s’ manuscripts that I’ve recently edited, Orchestra Friends: Squeals, Groans, Off-Beat Rhythms certainly ranks as one of the best. The book follows the tangled, chaotic lives of several kids in the high school orchestra, as they struggle to prepare for their school’s Extravaganza concert. 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 Aug. 5, 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.