#professional author

[quinnandersonwrites]

PSA for aspiring writers:

Tension is one of the most important elements in a story.

I do some pro-bono editing in my spare time to help new and struggling authors, and I keep coming across manuscripts that have nothing driving them until nearly the end of the first act. I was wondering why I kept setting these books down and not picking them back up again, and then I realized it's because I have no burning desire to know what happens next because there is no tension.

To clarify: I don't mean the characters aren't fighting enough or the stakes aren't high enough. The world doesn't need to be ending in chapter one for readers to move on to chapter two. Tension can be created out of almost anything. Is your character worried about a big project that's due at work? That's tension. Do they have a nerdy hobby they keep hidden from people they don't know well? That's tension. Are they cooking dinner for their crush tonight and concerned it won't be edible? That's tension! Even if it's resolved in one chapter, it still made readers wonder what was going to happen next.

In the manuscript I'm reading right now, the main character inherited her grandmother's bakery. I thought, 'Ah, so she's going to be worried about filling her grandmother's shoes.' But no, she feels no pressure. So then I thought, 'Okay, maybe the business is struggling.' But no, the business is doing fine. So then I thought, 'Maybe she's going to have to master a tricky recipe.' But no, she nails them every time with minimal effort. So I thought, 'Maybe the grandmother will try to insist that everything is done the way she wants it even though it's not her bakery anymore.' But no, the grandmother isn't even an on-page character. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.

I love me some low-angst stories, but if your characters aren't getting to the main conflict for a while, they still need to be driven by something. What are they worried about? What are they missing? What could go wrong? These are questions to keep in mind as you're writing, and remember: tension can be as big or as small as your story needs, but your story does need it.

[songscloset]

Novelist?

Welp. That was a hard week, but very worthwhile. I wrote about 40,000 words in 5 days and finished a solid first draft of a novel. I’m very pleased by what I’ve done, but I’m also very tired.

Next up, speed learning Affinity Photo to make a cover for the book - and the series it’s the beginning of. What fun. 

Also, I’m facing starting a newsletter, re-starting my blog, and writing both a short novella to give away with newsletter subscription and also the following novels, so that it’s acutally a series and not just a random one-off. 

Also, I have to do the laundry.

[alexbgd]

“It's been three days since I've been stuck here in this basement. Nothing to eat. No one to talk to. I might die just of boredom. The only thing keeping me alive is this diary which I found today when I was looking through some drawers. But something strange is happening. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but I keep seeing this pretty girl and this creepy man everywhere. The girl is always by the staircase, watching me. The man is all the way on the other side.”

[merrybond]

What Makes You Feel Like A Real Author

What Makes You Feel Like A Real Author

The Writer’s Well Podcast has done it again. They’ve asked an incredibly fascinating and thought-provoking question: What makes you feel like a real author?

They asked this of each other—the two hosts Rachel Herron and J. Thorn, as well as one of Rachel’s friends, Sophie Littlefield. Sophie recalled the first time she was published—a short piece in “True Confessions” Magazine. She went out and…

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[nealflitherland]

In Case You're Wondering, Novels Really Are Easier To Sell

I love reading short stories. I've always enjoyed the art form, and I treated both collections and anthologies as a kind of sampler platter....

Something for all my fellow writers out there looking to maximize their market shares.

[nealflitherland]

10 Things You Can Do To Sell More Books

If you're an author, then you have two goals in life; write books, and sell books. As you've no doubt noticed the first is usually a lot eas...

Something for all my fellow authors who are looking to up their sales. These are the things that I’ve done that have gotten me results, so I thought I’d spread the word.

[nealflitherland]

The myth of the "Big Break" is one that's hard to give up. After all if you're just in the right place at the right time you too can be rich and famous! While it's mostly a myth, there are ways that you can help yourself get discovered.

My fellow authors #4 is the most important one I've discovered in my career thus far. Try it out and see if it helps you.