We all know that crafting believable characters with strong motivations is vital in fiction writing. But how do you ensure that your characters remain compelling throughout the course of your story? The answer is simple: make sure they all have strong character arcs. Below, we'll first discuss what exactly a character …
Broadly speaking, freelance writers fall into two categories: generalists and specialists. Generalists are open to writing content about any topic. One week, they might be writing about food and dining trends for a magazine; the next, they might be writing articles for a blog about dogs; and the next, they might …
Having recently published my first indie book to bestseller status, I've realised that there are some lessons best learnt in theory and others in practice. From market research and the ideal publication schedule, to fielding financial questions and overcoming anxiety, I've decided to share 15 of the lessons I've recently …
Fight scenes are common across a range of genres, from action, spy and thriller novels to fantasy and sci-fi. They're often a physical manifestation of the conflict that's driving your story – and they're great for keeping things exciting for readers. Whatever genre you write, knowing how to write an authentic, …
We've talked before about the importance of building your author platform. Mastering your online author presence is something all modern writers need to learn how to do – especially those who are self-published. An important part of that platform and online presence is an author newsletter. 'Wait a minute,' you're probably …
Throughout your freelance career, especially at the start, you'll find you experience periods of feast or famine: feast when you have more work than you know what to do with, and famine when you have little to no work at all. Today we're here to talk about what to do …
Before you hit the 'publish' button on your novel, there's one massive factor you need to consider: how to price your self-published ebook. Let's assume that you're relatively new to indie publishing – you might have published one or two titles previously, or this may be your first. Chances are, …
In our visual world of cinema and photography, setting often takes a back seat in novels. But even when constructed through words, visuals are a powerful story element. Whether creating a fantasy world from scratch or using the current world as your backdrop, it is important to work your setting …
