BETTER NOVEL PROJECT

@betternovelproject

"Deconstructing Bestselling Novels, One Index Card at a Time." Hi, I'm Christine Frazier: writer. compulsive doodler. lover of literary patterns and their creative applications. I post my research at www.betternovelproject.com and share writing tips on pinterest. Grab your very own #amwriting sticker here. For information on word counts in the entire Harry Potter Series, Twilight Saga, and The Hunger Games trilogy, download a copy of my free e-book: 65 Bestselling Word Counts Target your novel's word count based on the most popular lengths for your genre!

300 posts

Posts

Happy #NaNoWriMo! (and Other Writer Problems)

Hi there! It’s November– National Novel Writing Month! That means I suddenly have an uptick in search traffic, which is always a much-needed kick-in-the-butt to get me inspired to write! Here are some updates on what’s going on in my writing life. 🙂

Happy NaNoWriMo!

I’m doing it this year– it happens to be perfect timing with my current outline. These are my posts on NaNoWriMo if you are one of…

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What's Genre without Characters? (Review of Blackout and All Clear)

I recently realized with surprise that both of my favorite novels were set World War II (City of Thieves and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay). I’ve been wondering if it is actually WWII that makes a story interesting to me, or whether that war just provides a fantastic backdrop for the exploration of good and evil.

I decided to keep reading in the genre. At my local book store, I…

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Getting Started Writing with the Master Outline

I’m writing today just to check in and tell you how my novel’s going.

I’m happy to report that it’s going!

Here’s how I got started switching gears from researching the master outline to actually using it.

I began by re-reading four posts to help define my story idea.

1. The Case For Blurring the Lines Between Good and Evil

I took the chart from the Good vs. Evilpost and filled it in with…

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The Hero's Journey Gets Weird (Mini Review of The Hike by Drew Magary)

The Hero’s Journey Gets Weird (Mini Review of The Hike by Drew Magary)

After reading City of Thieves, I was re-energized about my writing. I was so excited that I started breaking down the introduction and first chapter and comparing it Chapters 1 and 2 of the master outline.

But then I realized I had fallen back into my old habit– switching my focus to analysis, where I am “safe,” instead of the unknown world of actual story writing. So, I pulled the plug on that…

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The Novel I Wish I Had Written

The Novel I Wish I Had Written | Better Novel Project

I AM EXCITED ABOUT WRITING AGAIN.

I’m excited because I just found the novel that I wish I would have written…do you ever feel that way?

For me, it is City of Thieves by David Benioff.

I can’t stop thinking about this book.

This is an adventure story that takes place during World War II in Russia.

Lev is the awkward coming-of-age hero and Koyla is his charismatic and sidekick/mentor. In the…

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Summer Updates *waves hello*

Hello! I hope you are having a fabulously productive summer. I wanted to drop in with some updates on what’s going on in my world.

Writer’s Digest! Better Novel Project was included in Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers 2017. I’d like to send everyone who nominated me a massive thank you! And if you are planning on going to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference (August 18-20 in NYC),…

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The Hero vs. The Secret Good Guy (or "How to Chase Your Hero Up a Tree and Pelt Stones at Him in 9 Steps)

You may have heard this old writing advice about how to structure a story:

Act One, chase your hero up a tree; Act Two, pelt stones at him; Act Three, get him down again as gracefully as possible. [source]

Our bestselling authors take that quite literally: Both Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen get stuck high in the air while bad guys* “pelt stones” at them from below.

This post is a follow-up to

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The Top 10 Posts from Better Novel Project 2016

Happy New Year! I hope your New Year’s resolutions are going well, whether they be to read a crazy number of books this year, or to write a steady number of words per week, or to limit the number of minutes on twitter each day!

Here are Better Novel Project’s Top Ten Posts from the past year, based on pageviews.

TEN…How to Write a Fight Scene (in 11 Steps)

NINE… Day-by-Day NaNoWriMo Outline:…

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The Best Kinds of Tea for Writers

The Best Kinds of Tea for Writers | Better Novel Project

I want to drink less coffee.

I understand that statement might be considered heresy to other writers. But, since I am finding my morning coffee ritual to be a little too time-consuming/expensive/addicting, maybe a few of you feel the same way

Switching to tea required a little research on my part so I could (1) avoid the dreaded caffeine-withdrawal headache and (2) stay awake! It only seemed…

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Day-by-Day NaNoWriMo Outline: Characters & Themes Cheatsheet

Last November, I created a 30-Day NaNoWriMo outline by pulling out 30 key scenes from the master outline. (As usual, my research for those scenes is based on the common structural elements of Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games.)

That outline is totally scene-driven, and can be used from Day 1 to 30 of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for your own story.

This year, I thought it…

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Illustrating a book? Know your rights to protect your work.

Illustrating a book? Know your rights to protect your work. | Better Novel Project guest post by Attorney @KathrynGoldman

This is a guest post by Kathryn Goldman, an intellectual property attorney who wants you to become the CEO of your creative career. She has built a framework strategy called CP²: Content Protection for Creative Professionals to help creative professionals reach that goal, one manageable step at a time.

Today Kathryn will talk to us about how an artist can protect illustrations when working with a…

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INFOGRAPHIC: Similarities of Star Wars: A New Hope & The Force Awakens

You’ve probably heard people cite to Star Wars: A New Hope – Episode IV as an example of “the hero’s journey.” And by “people,” I mean heavyweights like George Lucas and Joseph Campbell themselves.

And maybe you noticed that Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Episode VII felt very familiar to the original.

I thought it would be fun to look a little deeper at the similarities of A New Hope and The…

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Write a Fight Scene: Hero Fends Off an Attack to Protect Friend

I promised to revisit the topic of how to write a fight scene!

Last time we broke down a fight scene with the villain that ends when the hero is rescued by another character. Today let’s flip it around and look at a fight scene that ends with the hero rescuing a friend. This is an attack by a weaker bad guy.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry and Ron fend off a troll attack to…

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I think I missed sharing this one! Thanks, Rebecca! #Repost @literarybex ・・・ This is the most adorable! Thanks @betternovelproject #amwriting

#amwriting #repost

This audiobook made for the best road trip drive ever. #amreading #bigmagic

#amreading #bigmagic

Not even this tank of a cat will keep me from writing! Working on a #campnanowrimo guide by request. Notice the cat bed on the left to prevent this very situation! #amwriting #catsofinstagram

#catsofinstagram #campnanowrimo #amwriting

Another #amwriting sticker finds its forever home! From @saramwrites on twitter: It's so cute :) and a perfect fit! #amwriting Get yours today! Link in bio (click #amwriting gear) 🤗💕🖥

#amwriting

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