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Five Great Quotations about Editing
“It is perfectly okay to write garbage – as long as you edit brilliantly.” – C. J. Cherryh “PROOF-READER, n. A malefactor who atones for making your writing nonsense by permitting the compositor to make it unintelligible.” – Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” “I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” –…
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Writing Inspiration: Approach Story Sideways
If blocked while writing the opening of your story, approach the story sideways. Start in the middle or with a scene that is more fully formed in your head. A sculptor, after all, doesn’t have to start with the feet or the crown of the head but can begin at any portion of the statue. He…
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The ‘Thinking Step’ when Writing Your Book
If you’re putting your pen to paper or fingers to keyboard for the first time on a story, you really aren’t starting at all. You probably “started” writing the piece some time before – in your head. That “thinking step” is known in the writing process as brainstorming. It is where you come up with the idea for…
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How to Create an Index for Your Nonfiction Book
Sometimes after finishing a nonfiction book, readers want to review a specific concept or idea that appears on only a few pages of the volume. The table of contents probably is too general to give them the exact page numbers that they want to read. Instead, they turn to the index. Indexes offer alphabetized listings of…
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Sales Advantages of Writing Nonfiction Books
If you’ve got ideas for both a novel and a nonfiction book, you may want to write the latter first. If only from a sales perspective, nonfiction books tend to garner more sales than novels. According to a recent Gallup poll, 46 percent of Americans have nonfiction book on their nightstands; in contrast, only 35 percent…
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Use Stock Art to Create Cover Inexpensively
When creating a cover for your self-published book, you’ll probably need a single, striking photograph or illustration that draws in readers. Since you’re a writer, not a photographer or illustrator, this can pose a problem. Where will you get such an image? Purchasing stock art can be a low-cost effective solution. Stock art are photographs and…
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Four Writing Prompts: Vengeance
Good stories center on the clashing of characters’ goals and motivations. Sometimes a character’s goals and motivations arise from seeking retribution for an injustice either real or perceived. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on vengeance. Man vs. natureIn an act of revenge, a man sabotages a boat or a small plane, leaving…
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Be alert, get it right: Conscience vs. conscious
Every writer, in conscience, should know the difference between these two words. Conscience refers to one’s moral conduct. For example: Having to tell a lie wracked Tara’s conscience. Conscious refers to one’s perception or awareness – hence, you can be unconscious. For example, Cheri was fully conscious of what the judge’s words meant. Or Getting hit in the head with…
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Pit Story’s Hero Against Society to Create Conflict
Rather than take on another individual, the main character could find himself in conflict with an entire society. When the main character or small group of characters take on the greater culture – who usually are represented by a group of authority figures or “upstanding” citizens – the author is using a man vs. society conflict.…
