Craft of Writing: Watch for Verb Tense Shifts
A common mistake among novice writers is shifting within their story so that events occurred in the now but then in the next paragraph happen in the past. This is a sign that the writer is changing verb tenses. READ MORE

Following a Writing Process for Fiction 
One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they’re following a process when writing a short story or a novel. These writers often say they write “from the seat of their pants.” Yet, every story goes through five basic steps if the author finishes and publishes it. Understanding those five basic steps can help authors identify why they’re having trouble writing a story. Maybe their story idea isn’t very good. Possibly they haven’t thought through the story enough. Maybe they’re not revising it efficiently. Following a Writing Process for Fiction describes the five steps of the writing process. Among the many topics covered include brainstorming story ideas, outlining the story, drafting it, revising your drafts, formatting, and how to troubleshoot your story to find which step you need to spend more time on. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Finding Writer’s Holy Grail: ‘A Place to Write’
One of the obstacles facing beginning writers is finding a place where they actually can write. Too often our responsibilities and modern civilization’s many distractions don’t allow for a moment – or place – of peace and quiet in our lives. Yet, just such a place where we can put our fingers to keyboard or pen to paper for a while is necessary if we are to write. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: How to Line up Page Numbers in Table of Contents
One of the most annoying problems self-publishing authors encounter when formatting their book in Microsoft Word is lining up the table of contents. Fortunately, it’s actually quite easy to do, an after you’ve done it a couple of times, you’ll have it memorized. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: What is Self-Publishing and Should I Try It?
What is self-publishing? How does it differ from mainstream publishing? Should you self-publish or go the traditional route. Longtime book editor Rob Bignell answers these questions and more. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Offer Readers a Sample Chapter Page on Website
If the book you’re promoting is the first one you’ve published, readers most likely will be unfamiliar with you or your writing. Further, given the vast number of other authors out there, a potential reader might decide to pass over you for another one who is slightly better well known or who has more writing credits to their name. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Senior Agent” by William Rose
A recent client has published his book that I edited. William Rose’s Senior Agent is a firsthand expose of discrimination, widespread dishonesty, and retaliation within a federal law enforcement agency. The book reveals how experienced agents, particularly older employees, are subjected to age discrimination and workplace retaliation, often as a means to push them out of the government. At its core, Senior Agent illustrates a modern-day Metian Dilemma, where employees who challenge authority must choose between submission or fighting a war – which they likely will lose – against a system where the government has all the advantages. 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 May 26, 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.

Craft of Writing: Pep Up Your Writing: Replace Overused Verbs
Even when using active verbs, sentences still may sound flat. More than likely, that’s because those active verbs are also overused. READ MORE

How to Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue in Your Story
One of the most important tools in your writing kit is dialogue. It can help develop your characters, move the plot forward, increase tension, and establish a scene’s mood. Unfortunately, sometimes novice writers write dull dialogue. Like a flat tire that slows your vehicle to a near stop, so dull dialogue can quickly bring your story to a near halt. My guidebook Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue is all about helping beginning writers better understand how to pen conversations between characters. If you’ve already written a story and know the dialogue is weak, the tips in this book can help you diagnose and fix the problem. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: How to Create Suspense in Your Story
Conflict – the competition a character faces as attempting to achieve a goal – always is the core of a story. But a good story is more than just a fight between a hero and a villain or an inner monologue in which one struggles what to do. Good storytelling involves suspense, that tension in which the reader is uncertain how the conflict will be resolved. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: 22 Awesome Tips on Formatting Ebooks
When self-publishing, formatting your ebook often is a challenge, especially for first timers. Here are some tricks, hacks and tips for ensuring the process goes smoothly. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Why You Need to Market Your Book
It’s the rare book that somehow goes virulent and captures the public’s attention and admiration all on its own. Indeed, more than 900 books are published daily in just the United States alone, so no matter how good yours is, the odds of it even being noticed are nil at best. The reality is that indie authors and those who self-publish need to market their own books. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Use Hashtags to Sell your Book on Facebook
These days hashtags are ubiquitous on social media platforms. Most social media now use hashtags (sometimes simply referred to as tags), and Facebook is among them. READ MORE

“Hot Scenes” by Michael J. Sahno
A recent editing client, Michael J. Sahno, has published his fifth novel, Hot Scenes: A Satirical Novel About Sex, Cinema, and the American Double Standard. Aghast at American cinema’s descent into boundary-pushing violence, famed Hollywood director J. Edgar Schnatz decides to move in the opposite direction-a celebration of sexuality. But making the world’s first mainstream adult film comes with its own unique set of challenges, from finding a willing cast and sufficient financing to getting that all-important NC-17 rating. Hot Scenes is a darkly comic satire in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Hunter S. Thompson, a novel about art, censorship, and the particular kind of chaos that follows when someone in Hollywood actually means what they say. 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 May 19, 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.

Craft of Writing: Turn Passive Passages into Active Writing
So you’ve written a scene packed with action, ripe with conflict, and filled with tension – but every time you read it, the writing feels flat. The problem may be that you’re writing in passive rather than active voice. READ MORE

How to “Show Don’t Tell” 
Read any writing tip article or book, and one piece of advice you’re sure to see is “Show don’t tell.” For many new writers – and even established ones – showing rather than telling is downright confusing. Just what does an editor mean when she notes “Show don’t tell” on your manuscript? Mastering Show Don’t Tell looks at how to identify and fix all the places where telling – or exposition – rears up in your writing: backstory; info dumps; backfill; vague descriptions; irrelevant character details; emotional states; motivational tells; narration; summarizing; poorly written dialogue; and more! BUY BOOK

Writing Tip: Place Dialogue Attribution in Right Spots
During my years of editing, I’ve found that dialogue often gives beginning fiction writers trouble. In an effort to make clear who is speaking, the writer often ends up slowing the story’s pace and making for a clunky read. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Commonly Asked Questions
Here are the answers to a few questions about self-publishing that I often receive from clients and readers of this newsletter. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Finding Writer’s Holy Grail: ‘A Place to Write’
One of the obstacles facing beginning writers is finding a place where they actually can write. Too often our responsibilities and modern civilization’s many distractions don’t allow for a moment – or place – of peace and quiet in our lives. Yet, just such a place where we can put our fingers to keyboard or pen to paper for a while is necessary if we are to write. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Potential Locations for Book Presentations
Once you’ve decided that a public presentation is a good way to promote your book, you’ll need to find some spots to hold your event. Identifying those locales can help you determine what kind of presentation (book signing, topical presentation, etc.) you’ll make and place you on the path for contacting the right people to set up such an event. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Common Sense Inventing” by Roger Brown
I edit nonfiction as well as fiction manuscripts, and one of the former that I recently handled was Roger Brown’s Common Sense Inventing. Written for inventors, the book delivers a practical, no nonsense approach to getting your product licensed and on the market that works. Roger Brown is a successful national award winning Serial Inventor with numerous products on the market. Most of them he invested less than $100 and in some cases as little as $10. Using only an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and a sell sheet, he found success in the toy, tool, kitchen, eyewear and nuclear industries. This book is a practical guide that explains how you can do the same without going into debt. 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 May 12, 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.

Craft of Writing: Scour Fragments from Your Writing
Fragments should be used rarely. While they can be used for rhetorical effect, for that to be successful, the fragment needs to stand out from the rest of the text – and it won’t if your manuscript is full of incomplete sentences. READ MORE

Writing Advice: Mastering Point of View
For beginning writers, point of view often is the most difficult element to master. Without really understanding the role point of view plays in storytelling, aspiring authors frequently select the wrong one. Sometimes they prefer to write or read a specific point of view, so they just go with that, even though it’s not the best choice for their story. My book Mastering Point of View addresses those and many other issues writers face with this element of fiction. It examines the three main points of view – first, third and second – and the different forms each one can take. It looks at when using a specific point of view is to a story’s benefit and when it’s to the story’s detriment. It also discusses how to select your viewpoint character and why a consistent point of view is vital. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Strengthen Story with Man vs. Himself Conflict
Perhaps the most profound conflict a character can face is coming into conflict with himself. Conflicts in which the protagonist faces off against other individuals or society often result in characters that represent ideals and concepts. But the character that first must deal with his own foibles to overcome a villain or oppressive values has learned something. He has grown as a character and become a better human being. Ideally, your readers will grow with this character, making his triumph more lasting in the readers’ minds. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Create a Document to Build Your Ebook Cover
Just as construction workers follow blueprints, so should you when creating your ebook cover. Begin by establishing the cover’s size. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: How to Avoid Copyright Infringement
Though you’ve finished writing your book, it still might not be ready for self-publication, if only for legal reason, specifically copyright infringement. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: How to Improve Quality, Sales of Your Next Book
There’s no doubt that marketing and the quality of a book’s content go hand-in-hand where book sales are concerned. Yes, marketing can turn a bad book into a success and clearly a lack of marketing can mean a great book goes unnoticed. But at least in the case of the former, even a bad book eventually will suffer as customer reviews pile up against it. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “The Glorification of Sarah Furano” by Sammy Juliano
A long-time editing client, Sammy Juliano, has published his latest novel, The Glorification of Sarah Furano. In this fourth novel of his critically-praised northern New Jersey series, a vow made in a 1901 Jersey City tenement echoes through five generations to reach Sarah Furano’s son: Never be weak again. 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 May 5, 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.

Craft of Writing: Vary Syntax to Give Writing Flavor, Texture
When writing, you’ll want to vary the syntax, which is the pattern of the sentence’s words – that is, the order of the parts of speech within a sentence. READ MORE

Writing Tips: How to Create Your Story’s Characters
Successful stories require characters who face some challenge or conflict. While coming up with such story ideas is easy enough, many writers struggle with ensuring their characters are interesting so the reader will want to follow them on their journey. My book Create Your Story’s Characters is all about making that process easier for writers. It examines how characters fit among a story’s basic elements then discusses the different kinds of characters. Next, it hones in on those types of characters that make great protagonists – three-dimensional, dynamic characters who gradually grow so that by the end of the story they are better, wiser people who can overcome the challenge they face. Lastly, it looks at some common pitfalls that beginning authors stumble into when creating characters. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: There’s No Need to “Want” to be a Writer. Simply Write.
All too often, struggling writers sabotage themselves without even realizing it. They do this by labeling themselves as an “aspiring novelist,” or as a “wannabe writer.” Perhaps they even say stuff like “I wish I were a writer” or “Someday I’ll publish a book.” Such terminology highlights not the writers’ vision but their failure. Rather than focusing on what they are – writers – they concentrate on what they are not – unpublished. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Five Tips for Taking a Book Cover Photo
The truth is you’re probably a better photographer than you realize. We live in a very visual society, and with the advent of avatars, selfies, and Instagram, we constantly take photos. Still, there are some basic guidelines that professional photographers follow that you’ll want to consider when taking a photo for your book cover. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: How to Arrange a Public Book Reading/Signing
Just because you’ve published a book, don’t expect to get invitations to do book readings. You’ll have to arrange them yourself. The good news is you’ll find a lot of venues will be willing to have your speak. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: 6 Tips for Authors Creating a Marketing Campaign
Trying to start a campaign to market your book? Here are six great tips for doing so. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Under the Broccoli Canopy” by Barbara Peterson
A recent editing client of mine has published her first book! Under the Broccoli Canopy, by Barbara Peterson, is an imaginative, young adult fantasy where the peaceful flow of forest life—festivals, friendships, and the quiet wisdom of ancient trees—is interrupted by an imminent, unsettling danger. In this extraordinary forest, animals talk, roots whisper secrets, and butterfly fairies sent by Mother Nature disperse healing mists to mend animals and plants after hard winters. 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 April 28, 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.

Craft of Writing: Eschew Clichés Like a Toxic Waste Dump
A quick way to strengthen your writing is to replace (or just avoid altogether) overused expressions and phrases. Such expressions and phrases are known as clichés. They include terms such as “avoid like the plague”, “beat around the bush” or “kiss of death.” READ MORE

Writing Tips: How to Create Your Story’s Setting
All too often, writers give their story’s setting short shrift. Setting – the place and time of your story – can establish mood, tone and milieu. It can drive conflict in a story and develop your character. It can highlight themes and even be a “character” in your story. My new book, Build Your Story’s Setting, aims to help writers think of their story’s place and time in ways that elevate the tale to a new level. It begins by defining setting and its role in a story. From there, it moves on to the craftsmanship of describing a setting. Lastly, it looks at incorporating setting into your story’s plot and using it to reveal character while establishing theme. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Writing Heals My Heart Like No Pill Ever Could
All too often in our modern day and age, we attempt to cure every ailment with a pill or capsule. That might be fine for our physical aches and for the most serious of mental illnesses, but it’s not so wonderful for the moments when we just feel down or stressed out. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: If Using MS Word, Don’t Place Tabs in Your Ebooks
When formatting your manuscript for conversion to ebook, don’t use the tab key to indent paragraphs. Doing so usually results in your manuscript being declined for publication…or worse, being accepted for publication while looking like a mess. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: How Self-Awareness of Your Writing Process Boosts Your Creativity
Looking at how published authors of novels and nonfiction books and other writers, such as journalists, write their books, there does seem to be a general writing process that every one of them uses. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: 45+ Fantastic Marketing Ideas for Authors
Looking for some great ways to market your self-published book? From article directories to web widgets, here are 45 of them! READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Ossuary of Dreams” by Robert Grains
German horror writer Robert Grains delivers 25 fantastic tales set in H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu universe. Originally written in German, I edited his English language translation. It has been a big seller in my wife’s bookstore. 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 April 21, 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.

Craft of Writing: Improve Writing’s Texture by Avoiding Repetition
One of the quickest ways to ruin a story’s texture is to repeat the same word between sentences and paragraphs. READ MORE

Make Sure the First Page of Your Story is the Best it can Be 
My writing guidebook Write Your Story’s First Page looks at the 11 must-have components of your story’s first 250 words. These include starting in the middle of your story, writing a killer first line, introducing your protagonist, and more. Being aware of what readers need and expect from the first page of the book – even though they often aren’t aware themselves of those elements – is vital to ensuring you make the most of your story’s opener. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: What is Point of View in a Story?
Every story has an angle or perspective from which it is told. This perspective is called point of view. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Why Does Your Book have Two Title Pages?
Why do books have to have both a half-title page and a title page? It’s a holdover from the 1800s. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: What You Need to Self-Publish Your Book
Once you’ve decided to self-publish, you’ll need to make sure that you have all the materials necessary to get through the process. Unless you’re living off the grid, you probably have everything. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Add Contact Page to Your Book’s Website
Another page you’ll definitely want to have on the website promoting your book is a Contact page. This page provides information about how to reach the author or whoever is responsible for handling your communications (executive assistant, agent, manager, etc.). READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Moses Whitbeck and the 102nd NY Volunteers During the War of the Rebellion” by Chris Whitbeck
After the Civil War began, the 102nd NY Volunteers was organized. Among the volunteers was 21-year-old farmer Moses Whitbeck. For the next three-and-a-half-years, Moses and the 102nd would travel to and fight at Harper’s Ferry, Antietam, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, traversing more than a dozen states in the nation’s bloodiest war. Following years of meticulous research, Moses’ descendant – great-great-grandson Chris Whitbeck – has reconstructed the 102nd’s epic journey, which I edited. 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 April 14, 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.

Craft of Writing: Stop Weighing Down Passages with Adverbs
Adverbs are words that typically describe a verb (Though they also can describe adjectives and other adverbs, which can be a real symptom of a bloated passage.). READ MORE

How to Devise Your Story’s Plot
When writers come up with a great story idea but don’t know how to develop it, usually the problem is one of plotting. Understanding story structure – i.e. plot – would be extremely helpful in developing their story. My book Devise Your Story’s Plot is all about understanding the basic rules for constructing your story. It examines plot’s role in storytelling, the importance of conflict in plotting, and the five traditional elements of a plot. It also looks at some common plot pitfalls. The structural guidelines outlined in the book work for any genre, whether you’re writing a serious literary piece or penning in any of the escapist genres from romance or science fiction to mystery or fantasy. By the end of this book, with a little imagination tossed in, you should be able to construct an impressive plot. The book is available in paperback, audiobook and Kindle ebook. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Draw Readers into Story with Great Opening Lines
Among the most important words in your story are the ones that begin it. Those words should get the reader to ask, “What’s going on here?” so he keeps reading. In a short story, the author usually only has a couple of sentences to make this happen; in a novel, a couple of paragraphs typically is the limit. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: First Sketch then Build Your Ebook Cover
Before designing your ebook cover, sketch what it will look like. This is the blueprint that you’ll follow. Creating a sketch to follow as you gather the materials needed to bring your design to fruition means you’ll save yourself time by not having to redo work if you’ve just pantsed it. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Tips to Ensure a Successful Book Reading/Signing
As developing your story, maintaining a sense of tension is vital. Without dramatic tension – a feeling of uncertainty in the reader about how the main character will solve (or even if he will resolve) the central problem – the story will be flat and vanilla. Creating tension involves controlling the story’s pace. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Develop Marketing Plan to Increase Sales
Marketing your book can become a full-time job that yields few immediate results. This cuts into your limited writing time – and you still need to work, raise your family, and maybe even attend school. The best solution is to develop a marketing plan and then limit your work on it to a few minutes a day. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Blissfully Unremarkable” by Tom Sodergren
A recent editing client of mine, Tom Sodergren, has published his first book, “Blissfully Unremarkable: A Taste of the Mid-Century Heartland, from Hot Dish to Cold Oleo.” A memoir of sorts, it is humorous culinary and cultural romp through the mid-century heartland, a tale of how the lessons learned by Great Depression children became instincts that they carried over to parenting in the 1950s. A chapter from the book was runner-up last year in the Preservation Foundation’s annual nonfiction writing competition. 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 April 7, 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.

Craft of Writing: Ditch the Begin Fallacy
One way to tighten your writing is to eliminate the begin fallacy. This occurs when the writer introduces an action to the reader by saying “began to,” as in “My nerves began to calm.” 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 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!” Fortunately, there are a lot of steps you can take to avoid writing time interruptions. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Do I Need to Buy a Barcode when Self-Publishing?
When purchasing an ISBN, you’re often asked if you also want to purchase a barcode for your self-published book. Do you need to buy one? READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: 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. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: How to Construct Your Email Marketing Message
Once you’ve decided on a topic for your email marketing campaign, you’ll need to craft a message. This is where the hard work begins. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Bessie Howard, Virtual Sorceress: Her Amazing Adventures through Time and Space!” by Gib Check
About three years ago during covid, Gib Check used his spare time to write a middle grade novel that had been floating in his head for a long time. After I edited the manuscript, Gib published his tale about science whiz Bessie Howard, who has her life all figured out: college at a prestigious university where she’ll learn to be a cyberneticist. But one day while playing a virtual reality game with her friends, something strange happens – she’s teleported to wherever the game is set… the Age of Dinosaurs, the Battle of Gallipoli, the Civil War, Mars. As she tries to figure out why this is occurring to her, unscrupulous powers at Ultra Tech catch wind of her ability and seek to learn how it’s happening for their own personal gain! 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 31, 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.