Top Posts of 2009

I’ve taken a look at my statistics and here’s the top posts on Fiction Notes for 2009, in order of popularity. Five of these are the first page of a series of posts on a certain topic. The other five are individual posts.

Novel Writing. 30 Days to a Stronger Novel. 30 one-minute creative writing tips [...]

working methods

Find a Working Method that Works for You
My current WIP novel is at a curious stage. I’ve finished two drafts and now have feedback from two readers. I collated all the critiques onto one printout and have made even more notes on these pages.
So, the creative writing problem has been how to proceed from here.

Joelle Anthony

by Joelle Anthony
The guest post today is by Joelle Anthony, whose first novel will debut in Summer, 2010: Restoring Harmony (Putnam)
It’s always sad to me when a writer tells me that they really need to finish their novel so they can get an agent because they’ve been at this for a couple of years and [...]

Outline scenes

This outline of a scene often helps me plan what to write for the day.

Generous Agents

The holidays and the end of the year are bringing out the generous nature of agents!
The 2nd Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge

Deadline: 7pm. EST, Thursday, December 11, 2008.
Who: Literary agent Nathan Bransford, Curtis Brown, San Francisco office
What: Post the first paragraph of your WIP and compete for the prize of a partial critique, query [...]

3 Writing Tips from the Season

Creative writing tips, courtesy of the season:

Peppermints! When you add sensory details to a story, the most common is visual details. The two most neglected are olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste). Flavors of the season are peppermint, cinnamon and cloves.

Gifts! Give your character something to hold in his/her hands. It’s one of the easiest and [...]

After the First Draft

I have a new Ebook available for free download.
After the First Draft
After the First Draft: 30 Fast, Easy Writing Tips to Help with the Second Draft is a reworking of the series of blog posts, 30 Days to a Stronger Novel. This version collects everything in one place and provides an easy reference.

Snooping on Characters

I’ve been reading a great new psychology book that should help in developing characters, especially the settings which reveal so much about a character.
Snoop
Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling, Ph.D. is a fascinating book by a psychologist who studies a person’s environment and what that environment says about you.
For example, in [...]

12 Days of Christmas Writing Tips

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
For the last few years, I’ve posted writing tips from Winter Holiday personalities. For example, Frosty the Snowman has 6 Top Writing Tips. This year, as our Christmas gift to you, we’ve collected these into one downloadable pdf.
Winter Writing with Kids
FREE download. 34 Writing Skills addressed. Celebrate the Season while Teaching Kids to [...]

Hook an Agent

Here’s a redux from Miss Snark’s archived website: how to write a great hook for a novel? You would use this short paragraph as you compose a cover letter or a query letter.
How to Write a Great Novel Hook
The indomitable Miss Snark suggested that you structure a hook for your story along these lines:
X is [...]