by Carolyn Dennis-Willingham
We all know that the first sentence or two in a novel needs to, not only grab a reader’s attention, but flip them out of bed, melt them into their recliners, or make them forget the lasagna in the oven.
Like you, I’ve written so many first lines for my novels, I could add them up and the page count would be the same as the novel itself.
They, editors, agents, writing experts say:
Continue reading How to Sharpen the First Sentence in Every Chapter
by Richard Risemberg
There are many ways to become a good writer, but one of the best ways to become a great one–besides giving yourself a thorough grounding in the mechanics of language–is to get over yourself. The fact of the matter is that, even though you’re writing the book, the book is not about you. This is especially true of fiction. You write about the things you know…but no one really knows themselves, because who, after all, can be objective about the ultimate in subjectivity?
Continue reading Getting Over Yourself: Advice for Novelists
Throwback Thursday is a series where we take a look back at some of AWP’s most popular posts. Enjoy!
by Christopher Slater
Whenever a person reads what someone else has written, there is always an expected level of judgment. The reader is going to judge whether the topic of the writing is something that they are interested in. They will judge the writer’s ability to express themselves or to describe a situation, act, person, or object. The reader will ultimately judge whether the writer’s work brought them any satisfaction.
All of this is expected and probably required if writing is to have any meaning. However, do you ever judge the writer as a person based on the content or style of their writing?
by Yvonne Blackwood
You’ve probably heard Christopher Hitchens’ quote many times, “Everyone has a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay.” You have searched the recesses of your mind and concluded that this quote does not apply to you; you have a book in you and it must be written. The idea is frustrating you because it’s a children’s story and you have no clue where to begin.
Fear not! You have come to the right blog.
Continue reading How to Write Children’s Picture Books: Where Do Ideas Come From? (Part 1)
by Amanda L. Webster
How do you know what point of view is right for your story? Honestly, the degree of intimacy your story requires is completely up to you. It comes down to artistic choice. Whatever POV you choose, the important thing is to keep it consistent to avoid confusing your readers.
Head-hopping is one of the many distractive elements of writing that can remind your reader that she is reading, thus pulling her out of the story. To avoid head-hopping, if you need to switch POVs, you should include some sort of visual indicator to tip readers off to the fact that a POV switch is about to take place. This could be as simple as providing a new header that includes the name of the POV character to let the reader know a POV switch is coming.
Continue reading Stop the Head-hopping: Picking the Right POV for Your Story
Hi all!
I’m pleased to announce that A Writer’s Path Writers Club has partnered further with Liam J. Cross Writing & Editing to offer free editing services exclusively for AWP Writers Club members.
AWPWC offers lots of free things, such as free blurb coaching, free book promotion, etc., but now we can bring editing into the fold, which, as you all know, is incredibly crucial to writing and publishing.
I’ve negotiated a situation where Liam will offer editing for free in 5,000 word portions at a time at no cost to members.
by Jennifer Kelland Perry
Nearly five years ago, I posted an entry to my blog about how I had recently begun writing a novel. How excited I was to tell you of my ambition! And how I’d loved and appreciated the likes and the supportive, enthusiastic comments that little post generated!
Little did I know, then, what lay ahead.
Since the inception of that creative project, my first full-length novel, my path has had a few twists, turns and bumps. One of the biggest and most significant was undoubtedly when I decided, after conceiving a plot, creating the characters and developing an outline, to give up on it.
Whaaa?
Hello everyone! Fall is here, so it’s time to take a look back to check out the top writing tips posts of this past summer. Feel free to click any of the links below to give it a read. Results are calculated by page views.
