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Author: theryanlanz
Author of The Idea Factory. I also blog about writing tips, methods, and best practices.
10 Commonly Misused Words in Writing
by Laura Blackhurst The English language is one of the most complex in existence. With more words than any other language in the world, it is no wonder even native speakers don’t get it quite right all the time. Here’s a quick run down of my top ten most misused words. Some… Read More 10 Commonly Misused Words in Writing
Coming Up With a Unique Book Title
by Doug Lewars You most certainly can judge a book by its cover and most of us do on a regular basis. We may not judge very well but we most assuredly do it. Think how often you’ve walked through a library or bookstore without any particular book in mind and selected one… Read More Coming Up With a Unique Book Title
Help! My Characters Are All Too Similar! 5 Tips to Make Them Distinct
by Roz Morris I’ve been asked this question twice recently–in a conversation on G+ and by a student at my Guardian masterclass the other week. In both cases, the writers had encouraging feedback from agents, but one crucial criticism: the characters all seemed too similar. And probably this wasn’t surprising because of their story… Read More Help! My Characters Are All Too Similar! 5 Tips to Make Them Distinct
5 Ways of Balancing Your Writerly Life
by Michael Cristiano One of the biggest challenges I have as a writer has very little to with writing and very much to do with time and motivation. After spending eight hours at a 9-to-5, writing often gets left out of the weekday equation, especially when other commitments like personal upkeep, maintaining relationships,… Read More 5 Ways of Balancing Your Writerly Life
Do Your Characters Worry About Money?
by Andrea Lundgren It’s a topic that, in real life, we think about more than we’d like to admit: how much we make, how much we can spend, and how we can make more money all has a place in our thoughts.
3 Major Types of Rewrites, and the Big Mistake to Avoid with All of Them
by Lauren Sapala One of the first things a writer learns is about the power—and the challenge—of the rewrite. For those writers who assume that everything Ernest Hemingway wrote flowed perfectly out of his pen on the very first try, the illusion is shattered. The more experience a writer gains, the more they… Read More 3 Major Types of Rewrites, and the Big Mistake to Avoid with All of Them
How to Apply the Principles of Fast Learning to Become a Better Writer
by Rafal Reyzer You’ve heard that to become proficient at any specialized skill, you need at least 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This view has been popularized by Malcolm Gladwell through his book The Outliers. The 10k rule has since been debunked, and we intuitively know that improvement doesn’t take so long. However,… Read More How to Apply the Principles of Fast Learning to Become a Better Writer
5 Things You Should Know About Authors
by Ashlee McNicol Being a writer is no easy feat. You stay up late, wake up early, and repeat. You spend hours and hours creating fantasy worlds with characters that you love like your family, watching them experience miracles just as easily as pain, and grow like your own kids.
How to Feel Like Writing Again
by Ryan Lanz We’ve all felt it at one time or another. The story loses its shine and you’re left with a half-completed story. Why does this happen, and how do you continue? For a lot of writers, this is the mid-point of the story, but truly, it can happen at any point.… Read More How to Feel Like Writing Again
