Your Protagonist Must Solve the Story’s Problem – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 12, 2025

Plotting Your Book: Your Protagonist Must Solve the Story’s Problem
Among the big mistakes novice writers make is they don’t allow their protagonist to solve the story’s central problem. READ MORE

200+ Writing Prompts That Lead To Stories
You’re stuck on what to write so check out some writing prompts to spur your creativity. But they don’t help you out of your writing rut…sure, there are some neat ideas, but none of them actually lead to a story. That’s because writing prompts all too often miss a key element: conflict. Conflict is the heart of every story, and without it you’re just writing a journal entry. My book Storystarters presents more than 200 writing prompts centered on exciting and interesting conflicts for your protagonist to solve. The prompts are divided among more than 50 topics and pit your story’s hero against nature, another person, society, God and himself in various scenarios. Don’t settle for prompts that at best make interesting writing exercises for middle school students – instead opt for prompts that will get you writing something publishable! SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Delete Bookisms in Your Story’s Dialogue
Ever notice when reading a story that sometimes an odd word appears when “said” would do? For example, “Well, I’ve never!” she blustered. If so, you’ve just come across a bookism. A term coined by science fiction writer James Patrick Kelly, a bookism is a long word that means “said.” READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: How to Select Artwork for Your Book Cover
If your book were being handled by a mainstream publisher, you’d have little or even no say about how your front cover looks. In self-publishing, since you’re essentially doing all of the work of an editor, marketing department head, and the publisher, you get all the say. As most of us aren’t artists or marketing experts, we’re often at a loss where designing a good front cover is concerned. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Promote Your Book with Television Interview
As a self-published author, you’d be wrong to think that landing a television interview is out of your realm. There are a number of local and cable programs always on the look for people to interview, so be sure to send them your media kit. You may want to do a little more research, though, about who exactly to target. Based on the book’s topic and genre, some programs will be more ideal than others for you. Seek out television interviews just as you would those for a radio program by sending out your media kit. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Offer Your Readers a Photo Gallery Page
If you’re serious about receiving media attention – either from newspapers and magazines or from bloggers and online journals – you’ll want to have a photo gallery page on your website. After you’ve been interviewed or if your book is being reviewed, that writer will want pictures of you that can be used with the piece. Readers also will enjoy taking a peek at these pictures. Putting a face to the author’s name is like knowing a little secret about the book. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Echoes of Danger” by Helen G. Huntley
An editing client of mine recently published a western romance, the third book in her Dreams and Secrets series. Echoes of Danger, by Helen G. Huntley, tells the story of Phoebe Hammond, who traveled west to Colorado to visit her sister – but Phoebe never told her husband she was going. After a grueling journey and an ambush that leaves her robbed and stranded by the side of the road, all Phoebe wants is to return home to New York.
Back east, Virgil Hammond is panicked by her disappearance. When his employer refuses to grant him leave, he quits his job and heads west, determined to find his wife. 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. 19, 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.