Plotting Your Book: Don’t End Novel with CliffhangerOne of the new writing trends among self-published authors is to end their novel on a cliffhanger. The idea is that this will generate interest in purchasing the author’s next novel, which is a sequel. Unless readers know they’ve picked up a trilogy or a book in a storyContinue reading “Don’t End Novel with Cliffhanger – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 9, 2025”
Author Archives: Rob Bignell
Great Writing Quotes by Author Uri Shulevitz
An author must learn the principles of good storytelling only in order to write better from the heart. Don’t misuse the pencil and don’t torment the paper. As I kept on writing I realized that the “what” came before the “how”…what I had to say was the most important thing and how to say itContinue reading “Great Writing Quotes by Author Uri Shulevitz”
Editing Tip: Don’t Worry About Being Satisfied
Having trouble with a passage? Simply write something different in the spot that bothers you. Even if you’re not satisfied with what you’ve just written, don’t worry about it. In a week, re-read the passage. Does what you’ve written now sound fine or does it still need revising? ______________ My name is Rob Bignell. I’m anContinue reading “Editing Tip: Don’t Worry About Being Satisfied”
Should You Write a Happy or an Unhappy Ending? – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 2, 2025
Plotting Your Book: Should You Write a Happy or an Unhappy Ending?When writing the climax your story, you’ll need to decide if the ending will be happy or unhappy. How should you choose which one to use? READ MORE Writing Tips: How to Create Your Story’s SettingAll too often, writers give their story’s setting short shrift.Continue reading “Should You Write a Happy or an Unhappy Ending? – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 2, 2025”
Great Writing Quotes by Author Marla Frazee
The more personal and heartfelt the story is for the author and/or illustrator of the book, the more universal the emotion that can be gleaned from it. Picture books are an emotional medium. They need to make us feel something. Every word, every character in a picture book must count. What I had to doContinue reading “Great Writing Quotes by Author Marla Frazee”
Five Rules for Spelling Possessive Nouns
Most writers know that an “apostrophe s” is needed to show possession or ownership. Where that apostrophe goes, however, changes depending on whether the word is singular or plural and if it ends in s or not. If the noun is singular and does not end in s, place the apostrophe between the word’s last letter and the apostropheContinue reading “Five Rules for Spelling Possessive Nouns”
How to Come Up with Characters’ Names
One of the most important decisions you’ll make as a storyteller is the names if your characters. If the names don’t ring right with readers, it can wear on them despite that the rest of your story is exceptional. Consider that the primary male character in a romance novel typically has a very strong, masculine name,Continue reading “How to Come Up with Characters’ Names”
Identify Elements of Good Diction
The most interesting character facing a significant moral decision in a fast-paced plot and exotic setting will appear bland if the words used are wrong. The vocabulary choices and ways they are arranged to create a sense of style is known as diction. Consider the diction in this passage: At first, they thought it wasContinue reading “Identify Elements of Good Diction”
Constructing Your Story’s Main Character
Typically a story is about a single character who overcomes some problem. This player in your story is called the main character. Common examples are Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” John in James Baldwin’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote.” Main characters usually are the hero of the story. The tale often isContinue reading “Constructing Your Story’s Main Character”
How to Properly Punctuate ‘et al.’
One of the most common abbreviation mistakes that new writers make, especially when penning academic papers, is the Latin phrase et al. Part of the problem is that we don’t know Latin; another part is that neither do our computer spell checkers. Et al. means “and others”. Et is Latin for “and” while alii is Latin for “others”. In modern English, we don’tContinue reading “How to Properly Punctuate ‘et al.’”