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  • Category: "Start Your Novel"
  • Research for Your Novel

    Monday, September 5, 2016 Start Your Novel Permalink
    Cool article! Gives tips on how to research characters, plot and setting for your novel. | DarcyPattison.com

    Do you think that research is only for nonfiction writers? Wrong. Novelists must get their facts right, too. Here are some things I research. Characters: Research Psychology and Tropes I often research behavior from a psychologist's point-of-view. I want to know the typical stages of grief. Or what are some common character traits of a leader. What ...

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  • Scrivener: Sculpting a Story

    Monday, March 28, 2016 Start Your Novel Permalink

    Do you write your novels? Or do you sculpt it out of words? I've been working with Scrivener for about two years now, and on my current WIP, it's finally starting to feel normal. In fact, it's changed the way I work. Affiliate Link Before Scrivener My working method in the before Scrivener days was a mixture of outlining ...

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  • Start! Again. And Again. And Again. . .

    Monday, January 11, 2016 Novel Revision, Start Your Novel Permalink

    In their wise book about the nature of making art, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, David Bayles and Ted Orland say that people don't STOP writing. Instead, they fail to begin again. Beating the Holiday Stops by Starting Again Today, I'm trying to beat the holiday STOPS by starting again. And ...

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  • Find Your Novel Opening: Quickly, Efficiently–and with MORE Creativity

    Monday, June 15, 2015 Start Your Novel, writing life Permalink

    I’ve been fiddling with the opening of the second book of a trilogy, Blue Planets, for several weeks, trying to plot, trying to think of new and exciting ways to tell the story. I KNOW the story. It’s bringing it down to specifics that’s hard. Part of my problem is that Book 1 in this ...

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  • Openings: 5 Ways They Go Wrong

    Monday, January 12, 2015 Start Your Novel Permalink

    Openings are incredibly important. This was brought back to me recently as I was judging a contest. Those manuscripts that kept my interest for three pages were rare. Usually, they lost me by the middle of page two! Am I harsh? I don't think so. Grab the Reader with Your Opening Lines Noah Lukeman has it right in ...

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  • Never Visited a Place? You Can Still Writing About It – Here’s the Secret!

    Monday, November 24, 2014 Start Your Novel Permalink

    Two years ago, I wanted to write a story set in Campinas, Sao Paolo, Brazil. I had never been there. I only knew the name of two people who lived there. Yet, I could convincingly write about the setting. Here's the secret. Google Earth The free app, Google Earth, is immensely helpful to writers. I use the free, desktop version. View ...

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  • indie publishing
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  • Writing
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    • Novel Revision
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    • Characters
    • Plot
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    • Voice
  • The Creative Life
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