Most people read websites by scanning. That is, they don’t read every word but skim over the page, searching for words that are of interest to them. Once they find those words, their reading may slow to include every word, as if they were reading a magazine article or a novel. Indeed, website visitors readContinue reading “Web Text Demands Different Kind of Writing Style”
Author Archives: Rob Bignell
Great Writing Quotes by Author P.G. Wodehouse
I know I was writing stories when I was five. I don’t know what I did before that. Just loafed I suppose. I never want to see anyone, and I never want to go anywhere or do anything. I just want to write. I just sit at my typewriter and curse a bit. It hasContinue reading “Great Writing Quotes by Author P.G. Wodehouse”
How to Write a Press Release for Your Book
If you’re trying to promote your book, you’ll almost certainly want to write a press release. A press release is an article you send to mainstream media (such as newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations), bloggers and website editors to bring attention to some newsworthy event. In your case, that event may be theContinue reading “How to Write a Press Release for Your Book”
Consider Using The Journey for a Mythic Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 14, 2025
Plotting Your Book: Consider Using The Journey for a Mythic PlotOne of the most common plot forms in modern fantasy and science fiction novels is the mythic structure. Often called a quest, in the mythic structure the protagonist undertakes an expedition that carries some moral significance or deeper meaning. Typically our hero seeks some definitive object, which usuallyContinue reading “Consider Using The Journey for a Mythic Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 14, 2025”
Follow Heinlein’s Rules to Land Big Book Deal
Robert Heinlein
Great Writing Quotes by Author James Baldwin
One writes out of one thing only – one’s own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from this experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give. This is the only real concern of the artist, to recreate out of the disorder of life that order which is art. Talent isContinue reading “Great Writing Quotes by Author James Baldwin”
Three-Act Structure Offers Alternate Story Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 7, 2025
Plotting Your Book: Three-Act Structure Offers Alternate Story PlotOne common way to think about how a story is organized is the three-act structure. This approach dates to Aristotle, who stated that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. READ MORE Following a Writing Process for Fiction One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they’reContinue reading “Three-Act Structure Offers Alternate Story Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 7, 2025”
Anyhow, what about irregardless vs. regardless?
Despite what some writers think, the ir on irregardless is uneccessary. Regardless means nevertheless or nonetheless, as in “Regardless if rain is forecast, we still plan to go camping.” Irregardless has the same meaning and therefore, in the interest of efficiency, the ir is superfluous.
Play it smart: Don’t use 12 a.m./12 p.m.
Quick, is 12 a.m. noon or midnight? What about 12 p.m., is that midnight or noon? Don’t know the answer? Don’t feel stupid, most readers won’t either. And that’s a good reason to not use either term. Doing so is akin to including words from a foreign language that your readers wouldn’t know. Instead, useContinue reading “Play it smart: Don’t use 12 a.m./12 p.m.”
Add ‘Big Scenes’ to Give Story Some Oomph
Does your story’s plot feel flat, as if there’s not enough build-up to the final, fateful act? The story probably lacks big scenes. A big scene occurs when the story’s drama – which occurs because it is central to the theme – is powerful. Because of this, a big scene is more than just flashContinue reading “Add ‘Big Scenes’ to Give Story Some Oomph”