“Why shouldn’t truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.” – Mark Twain “The good ended happily, the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” – Oscar Wilde “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.” – Stephen King “Fiction is not a dream. Nor is itContinue reading “Five Great Quotations about Fiction”
Author Archives: Rob Bignell
Writing Problem SOLVED: People Keep Interrupting Me while I’m Trying to Write
Every time you sit down to write, inevitably you end up saying, “If only no one were around!” Distractions from emails to “Can I have a cookie?” and from phone calls to “Honey, could you help me with this?” always seems to keep you from spending your writing time actually writing. Well, no more. If youContinue reading “Writing Problem SOLVED: People Keep Interrupting Me while I’m Trying to Write”
Promote Your Book at Writing Conferences
Another way to promote your book is through a public appearance at a writing conference. Writing organizations, colleges and other groups offer a wide variety of such programs. Typically, they help writers develop their skills, learn the industry, and make connections. There are number of ways you could make a public appearance at a writing conference:• WorkshopContinue reading “Promote Your Book at Writing Conferences”
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Many Famous Books First were Self-Published
All too often self-publishing gets a bad rap as a last resort of authors whose writing wasn’t good enough to be accepted by one of the Big Five publishers. Never mind the long explanation of how big corporate publishing actually is something new, a product of the past century that worked then because the economics ofContinue reading “Many Famous Books First were Self-Published”
Writing Prompt: Take Your Story Forward
Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: Stories consist of many different bits: dialogue, the main character doing something, that character’s thought, another character doing something to the main character, a description ofContinue reading “Writing Prompt: Take Your Story Forward”
Heart of the Matter: Core vs. Corps
A whole group of writers seem to misunderstand the significant difference between these two similar-sounding words. A core is the central or most important part of something: The puppet government was corrupt to its core. A corps, however, is a division of military personnel, usually those who have a specialized function: The Marine Corps landed on the beaches shortly before dawn.Continue reading “Heart of the Matter: Core vs. Corps”
Give Your Story Oomph! with Narrative Drive
Ever read a story before bed and find it so gripping that you stay up far later than you should just to find out what is going to happen? If so, you’ve been a “victim” of narrative drive. Narrative drive is the force that makes a reader feel that something is about to happen. The moreContinue reading “Give Your Story Oomph! with Narrative Drive”
Five Great Humorous Quotes about Writing
“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” – Red Smith, sportswriter “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” – Elmore Leonard, novelist and screenwriter “The wastebasket is a writer’s best friend.” – Isaac Bashevis Singer, author “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ yourContinue reading “Five Great Humorous Quotes about Writing”
I Don’t Need Permission to be Called an Author
Authors who haven’t published often like to think of themselves as an “aspiring author,” an “aspiring novelist,” or an “aspiring writer.” They act as if by not being published they are somehow lesser than someone who actually is. The truth is you’re an author the moment you commit ink to paper or keystroke to computer screen.Continue reading “I Don’t Need Permission to be Called an Author”