Tag: planning

The Non-Linear Novel-Writing Approach

an author's busy brain courtesy of pixabay.comWriting is hard enough, and even harder when you’re really busy. How many times have you been doing something and a great scene pops into your head? It may have to deal with your current WIP (or sometimes even a sequel you haven’t thought about writing), or it may be a scene far toward the end of the book. Writers joke about the worst places inspiration can hit: the car, the shower, in a restaurant, out shopping, or the most common: in bed. If you’re like me, your characters are with you all the time — and sometimes it’s annoying. They sneak into your thoughts and create scenes that are amazing when you least expect it. Yeah, thanks, guys!

These fleeting scenes are the gold in your writing. They are raw, wild, and spontaneous. So what do you do about them? Continue reading “The Non-Linear Novel-Writing Approach”

Now is the Perfect Time to Plan Out Your Author Year

author goals for the new year paper-3042645__340 (002)It’s the new year, so we always hear a lot about resolutions around this time. While I’m not going to talk about resolutions, I do think the new year is a great time for authors to think about the year ahead.

“The whole year?” you ask. Yep. The entire year.

“But I don’t think like that,” you say. You’re a pantser and you like to see what happens.

Well, even if you like to be a pantser with your writing, it’s a good idea to look back at what worked last year, and plan ahead for the coming year. When I say plan ahead, I don’t mean you have to plan out every detail of your year. I do mean, you should jot down a sort of authorial blueprint that will help you accomplish what you want to get done this year.

What might your blueprint include? Continue reading “Now is the Perfect Time to Plan Out Your Author Year”

Authors: Do You Have A Business Plan?

business plan for authors business-idea-831053_960_720One of the hardest things about being an indie author is learning the business side of writing. You can be the best writer in the world, but if you can’t figure out a way to sell books and maintain those sales, then it’s going to be really hard to turn your talent into a career.

I’ve been published for just over four years now. I have over twenty books under my belt and I still have so much to learn. Over the past few months, I’ve set aside some time to really get my head around the business side of writing. I’ve somehow managed to wing it this far, but 2015 was a rough year for sales and I need to up my game.

So, this month, I decided to take the time to write up a proper business plan. I have found the task challenging, but also insightful. I hope it will keep me on track as I attempt to make 2016 my best year yet. Continue reading “Authors: Do You Have A Business Plan?”

Storyboarding for Novelists

save the cat by blake snyderStoryboarding is a plotting technique used by screenwriters, but it’s also popular with some novelists. I like it since I’m a planner, not a pantser. Storyboarding is not a rigid plotting device. The whole point of the board is that it’s flexible. The greatest advantage is seeing exactly how your novel is “built,” just as an architect refers to a blueprint.

Now, I realize that some purists eschew structuring their work according to a storyboard. That is fine for those who wish to write Litrachure. But as popular Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins once said, “I have always held the old-fashioned opinion that the primary object of a work of fiction should be to tell a story.” I feel the same way, and I don’t think storyboarding need adversely affect good writing. Continue reading “Storyboarding for Novelists”