http://www.novel-writing-help.com/novel-writing-blog.html Welcome to the Novel Writing Help Blog, the place to come to read all the new material (and updated old material) added to the website. en-us novel writing Tue, 15 May 2012 19:41:29 GMT Tue, 15 May 2012 19:41:29 GMT novel-writing-help.com http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plotting-a-novels-ending.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plotting-a-novels-ending.html If you have read the articles on plotting a novel's beginning and middle, you will have noticed that the two stages are quite different in nature. The ending is completely different again. Tue, 15 May 2012 16:29:48 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/create-character-profiles.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/create-character-profiles.html How hard you work on creating profiles for your fictional characters before you start to write is something only you can decide. Mon, 14 May 2012 16:21:50 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/publishing-a-novel.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/publishing-a-novel.html I have always believed that novel writing is its own reward. But publishing a novel, of course, is the real prize that awaits you. So how do you go about getting published? Mon, 14 May 2012 09:45:58 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/are-happy-endings-necessary.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/are-happy-endings-necessary.html The quick answer, of course, is that happy endings are NOT obligatory in fiction. It is your novel and you can end it in any way you like. Sat, 12 May 2012 16:11:40 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/literary-symbols.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/literary-symbols.html In the previous article on literary symbols, I pointed out that one advantage of symbolism is that it allows the fiction writer to say a lot with a little. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:32:01 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/symbolism-in-literature.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/symbolism-in-literature.html Theme and symbolism are two areas of literature that many writing guides barely mention - if they mention them at all. Why is that? Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:29:04 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/write-what-you-know.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/write-what-you-know.html If you have ever heard the advice to Write What You Know about, you should listen to it. It is one of the keys to making your fiction truthful and alive. Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:36:48 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-ideas.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-ideas.html Writing ideas are made up of four basic ingredients: character, plot, theme and setting. Don't fall into the trap of coming up with an idea for just one of these things. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:51:18 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/setting-ideas.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/setting-ideas.html Brainstorming for setting ideas is probably the easiest task facing you when finding ideas for a novel. You must have visited countless settings in your life. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:49:46 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/creative-writing-exercises.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/creative-writing-exercises.html I've noticed you don't provide any creative writing exercises at the end of each section. Do you think they are a waste of time or do you plan to add exercises in the future? Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:19:09 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/how-to-write-a-novel.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/how-to-write-a-novel.html The toughest part of learning how to write a novel is knowing where to start and how to keep on going to the end. This section of Novel Writing Help demystifies the writing process. Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:52:46 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/revising-a-novel-for-content.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/revising-a-novel-for-content.html So you now have a completed first draft sitting on your desk. The process of revising a novel is about taking the manuscript and turning it into something publishers will love. Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:51:53 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/narrative-writing.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/narrative-writing.html Narrative writing is writing that tells a story. Its sole purpose is to let the reader know what happens, from the novel's first event to the last. Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:23:54 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-quotes.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-quotes.html Writing quotes are a great way to learn how to write. I take pride in providing writers with the best literary advice available, both on this website and in the downloadable version of the site. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:17:48 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-fiction.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-fiction.html For some people, writing fiction is the easiest thing in the world. Armed with nothing but a pen and some paper, they write beautiful prose without even breaking a sweat. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:32:27 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/novel-in-a-month.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/novel-in-a-month.html I was disappointed when I read that you can't write a novel in a month. I was planning to do just that this coming Novemeber for National Novel Writing Month. Will I be wasting my time? Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:20:49 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-problems.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-problems.html What kinds of writing problems am I looking to solve in this section? Those very specific issues that every writer has to grapple with in their fiction. Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:23:40 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-about-sex.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-about-sex.html When you stop to think about it, writing about sex in a novel is no different in theory than writing about two characters sharing a meal in a restaurant, playing a game of table tennis, or wallpapering the living room. Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:23:05 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/planning-a-novel.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/planning-a-novel.html At what point do you stop planning a novel and begin writing a novel? There is no right or wrong here, but it is something you need to decide early on. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:54:09 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/creating-fictional-characters.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/creating-fictional-characters.html Creating fictional characters is a big subject, and something you simply can't afford to get wrong if you want your novel to be successful. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:21:36 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/omniscient-point-of-view.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/omniscient-point-of-view.html The third person omniscient point of view is most associated with nineteenth century novels. Its advantage is is the total freedom it offers a writer. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:49:37 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/story-themes.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/story-themes.html The very mention of story themes is enough to strike fear into some writers' hearts. Actually, though, themes in a novel are simple because they don't require much work on your part. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:44:41 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-ideas.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-ideas.html Finding plot ideas for a novel is easier than you might think. Once you have read the simple technique below, you will never be short of ideas for plots ever again. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:36:29 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/character-ideas.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/character-ideas.html The chances are that your imagination is already chock-full of great character ideas. If you don't have any ideas for characters yet, don't worry - they are simple enough to come by. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:35:18 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/developing-a-plot.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/developing-a-plot.html You might think that the best way of developing a plot in a novel is to start at the beginning and work your way through to the end. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:18:14 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/first-person-point-of-view.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/first-person-point-of-view.html First person point of view is the default choice for many novel writing beginners. Not only is it thought to be the easier viewpoint to handle, it is believed to be somehow warmer, too. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:33:12 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-journal.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-journal.html I have been keeping a writing journal all of my adult life. With virtually zero time to devote to novel writing, my writing notebooks have kept me sane. Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:41:10 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-line.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-line.html Writing a gripping plot line means hooking the novel's readers on the very first page - and keeping them hooked. It's very simple to do, once you understand the key to page-turning fiction. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:44:56 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/novel-writing-software.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/novel-writing-software.html This is a novel writing software guide with a big difference. What's the difference? I am not affiliated with any of the writer's software products mentioned below. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:32:48 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/how-to-write-fiction.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/how-to-write-fiction.html Learning how to write fiction can be overwhelming at times - so many new things to discover, so many ideas bouncing around in your head, so many tasks to perform. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:31:38 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-opening-lines.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/writing-opening-lines.html Opening lines in novels are by far the most important sentences that any writer will write. I don't mean they are artistically the most important. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:37:26 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/passage-of-time-in-fiction.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/passage-of-time-in-fiction.html The passage of time that a novel has to span can vary wildly, anything from a single day to an entire century. And yet those novels might have precisely the same word count - 80,000 words, say. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:27:40 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/character-change.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/character-change.html When you think about it, a plot in a novel is ultimately all about character change. Without character transformation, there would be little point in writing or reading fiction at all. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:29:43 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-diagram.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/plot-diagram.html Let's face it, a typical plot diagram is worse than useless. It has a gently sloping line on the left showing the rising action, and a sharply falling slope on the right where the action drops. Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:18:19 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/setting-and-description.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/setting-and-description.html Setting and description are often put side by side in creative writing guides, and for good reason - a lot of the work you have to do on setting is all about helping the reader visualize it through strong, sensory language. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:21:52 GMT http://www.novel-writing-help.com/details-in-writing.html http://www.novel-writing-help.com/details-in-writing.html Using strong details in writing is what makes the difference between language that springs to life and words that remain flat and uninspiring. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:49:15 GMT