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How to make a story stand out: Market-ready writing
A big part of building an audience for your fiction is knowing how to make a story stand out in a crowded market. There is so much advice that says write ‘what you know’ and ‘write what you love’....
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Writing a fantasy novel: 34 must-visit websites
Writing a fantasy novel involves many considerations: Worldbuilding, avoiding clichés of the genre, using popular elements such as magic originally and more. These 34 must-visit fantasy writing...
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Writing a novel: 8 writing tips from Ursula K. Le Guin
The esteemed fantasy and science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin has often provided great advice for writing a novel. In interviews, public speeches, essays and her writing manual Steering the Craft,...
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How to end a story: Write satisfying closing chapters
If you have ever enjoyed a book or movie right up until the ending spoiled it for you, you understand the importance of knowing how to end a story effectively. Here’s how to create the right ending...
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The unreliable narrator: Creating surprise in your story
The unreliable narrator is a useful fiction device for creating surprise in your story and avoiding predictability. Here are some ways that unreliable narrators can be used to shape a novel’s form or...
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Lessons in how to write books from film adaptations
‘The book was better’ is a complaint you will often hear from book lovers about screen adaptations. This is understandable: There’s only so much that the cinematic, visual medium can capture of a...
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Genres of writing: How to choose your story’s vehicle
Genres of writing serve multiple purposes. Classifying a book by genre signals to potential readers whether your story fits their reading interests. When a book has an identifiable genre, publishers...
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How to write a romance novel: Choosing subgenres
If you want to learn how to write a romance novel, it’s important to familiarize yourself with genre’s many subgenres. After deciding whether you want to write category or single title romance novels,...
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How to find book ideas: 15 easy methods
Knowing how to find book ideas doesn’t come naturally to every writer, but if you are out of fresh story iedas there are many ways you can jog inspiration and make the process of coming up with novel...
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On writing well: 9 celebrated authors’ insights
All fiction writers want to write well. Here are 9 famous authors on writing well and mastering the art of fiction: Remember to write for yourself It can be tempting to be over-anxious about what you...
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9 ways to improve focus for writers
Finding the focus to write can be as big a challenge as finding the time, and in some cases, writers think they need more time when in fact what they need is more focus. Here are nine ways to improve...
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Get plot right: Lessons from 7 bestsellers
Wouldn’t it be great to write a bestseller? If you want to build a large readership it’s crucial to get plot right. If you look over bestseller lists, you might think that the secret to writing a...
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Doris Lessing’s top 10 tips: How to explain to readers
How do readers respond to having plot points, character choices or other story elements explained to them? Not well. If a reader finds your voice condescending, chances are they will abandon your...
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How to find time to write: 12 writers’ insights
The recent poll on the Now Novel blog reminded us of one of writers’ greatest challenges: finding time to write. Not knowing how to find time to write often simply means not prioritizing your writing....
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Structuring a novel: 7 vital elements
Why is structuring a novel crucial? It puts in place the footholds you need to reach the finish. There are so many different ways of approaching structure in a novel that it can seem overwhelming....
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Novel writing: How to create strong mood
Have you ever read a great horror or thriller novel and felt a pervasive sense of the eerie or ominous? How did the writer create that mood? Mood is an aspect of novel writing that is often...
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‘Can I write a book?’ Yes: 7 resolutions that will help
The start of a new year is a great time to set goals and start writing in earnest. Maybe last year you were uncertain. Maybe you found yourself asking, ‘Can I write a book? What if my story idea...
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Best book writing blog posts of 2015
It’s always fascinating to see what readers have enjoyed most on the Now Novel blog. We’ve been looking through our most-shared and most-viewed articles to find out what your best book writing blog...
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How to write a chapter: Structuring your novel successfully
What is a chapter? A numbered or titled section of a book. Many aspiring writers have questions on how to write a chapter. How long should chapters be? What is the best way to start or end them? Why...
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How many words are in a novel? Finding the right book length
How many words are in a novel, on average? It’s a question aspiring authors often ask. Book lengths vary widely. Every now and then a true doorstopper is published. Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 (which runs...
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