You’d think writing a book about your life would be easy. You’re just sharing the stories of your personal experiences, after all. This isn’t an epic fantasy novel where you’re inventing whole new worlds to write about. Writing a memoir is just about remembering what happened, and then writing it down. Easy, right? Wrong. As anyone who has tried knows, …
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How to edit a book: the five stages of editing your novel needs
I made a short video series about my editing and revision process but never added it to my blog, so here it is: The 5 stages of self editing Once I’m done with a first rough draft, I go through a 5-step editing process to make sure my book is as good as it can be. Keep in mind, …
Read More »The six signs of weak writing (how to tell if your book sucks)
I made this video in the last few days of Thailand, while in the process of reviewing several dozen applications to write with me – to be fair, none of the samples we received “sucked” … some were infuriatingly “good”, but didn’t hold my attention, were too wordy, trying too hard, overwritten and distracting. I boiled it down to six …
Read More »30 Writing Tips from Charles Dickens That Will Help You Have a Merry Christmas
Last year we visited the Charles Dickens house in London, which is when we found out there was a 2017 movie about the author’s life called The Man Who Invented Christmas. I only watched it recently – it’s available on Amazon Prime – and then I watched it again and took notes. These are tips based on the movie; few of …
Read More »How to hire a ghostwriter for your book & average salary for ghostwriting jobs
We’re having a discussion in one of my Facebook groups, after someone asked how much they should pay to hire a freelance writer to do some ghostwriting for them. I suggested $500 for 50K. That’s not a lot of money, at all. Some people in the group are frustrated by people (like me) devaluing the work it takes to write …
Read More »Nanowrimo Prep: accountability and motivation for authors
For years I’ve been wishing for some kind of automated, daily accountability to keep me inspired and motivated – and I’ve heard a lot of other authors asking for the same thing. The problem is, writing can be a very personal goal, and sometimes it’s hard to self-motivate, especially if nobody else really cares about what you’re trying to do. …
Read More »A 24-chapter plot outline for your novel (FREE fiction writing template!)
A few years ago I made the Plot Dot (now free on Amazon!) – my simple 8 step outline for writing novels, with the major dramatic twists most stories need to hit. I always wanted a more in-depth plotting outline and cheatsheet, but there’s so many conflicting story structures out there… this week however, I managed to put together a …
Read More »Can you really write a GOOD book in a month?
Almost always, if an author isn’t selling, it’s because their page isn’t converting. You need 3 things to succeed, a great blurb, cover, and enough reviews to offset skepticism. I can help you fix those things; I can also help craft your pitch or hook – which is critical for your amazon page. I can also do keyword and category …
Read More »25 best book writing apps and software for authors (write faster with these amazing features!)
When asked about the best writing apps or software, I used to say, “Just use whatever you have and are comfortable with.” But recently I’ve been focused on upping my productivity and wordcount, so I’m testing everything to see if anything helps. Here’s a quick review of some of the things I think are cool, and what I actually ended …
Read More »147 ways to make money with your writing NOW (online writing jobs)
Like hundreds of other posts, I started this article in 2012 and only finished it in 2018. Why the gap? It took me six years to figure out how to make my blog profitable enough to start using it. I want to help you do it faster than I did. So here’s a massive list of tips and resources on …
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