Murder Your Darlings – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Feb. 24, 2026

Craft of Writing: Murder Your Darlings
To engage your readers – whether writing fiction or nonfiction – you’ll need to be utterly ruthless with your own words. In short, you’ll need to “murder your darlings.” READ MORE

“7 Minutes a Day…” Series Now on Audiobook!
Need to fill up some driving time or need something to listen to when folding laundry? The four books in my 7 Minutes a Day… series for indie authors are now all available as audiobooks! There’s a book each on writing a novel, the craft of writing, the self-publishing process, and marketing your book. SEE BOOKS

Writing Tip: 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

Self-Publishing Tip: Basic Guidelines for Self-Publishing Ebooks
Developing the paper version of the book first then converting it to ebook form is traditional. This approach need not be followed, though. There is a lot of logic to going with the ebook first, as the paper version requires much more intensive formatting. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Build Your Book into a Business
Rarely can an author make a living solely from book sales. However, authors can achieve their dream of independence by building a business around their books. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Generate Business with an Online Class
One of the best ways for authors to put their book to work for them is to create an online class based on it. For example, if you’ve written a book about how to draw, you could offer an online class on the same topic. Or you might branch out a little; a financial consultant who’s written a book about saving for retirement might deliver an online course on saving for your child’s college education. READ MORE

Client Spotlight“Valley of the Bears by Margaret Piscitelli
Can Queenie the squirrel, Buster the blue jay, and their new pal Bandit the raccoon rescue several brown bears and their cubs after an earthquake leaves them isolated? This is the third children’s book series for second through sixth graders that I edited and helped Margaret self-publish. 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 March 3, 2026. 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 425 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.


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