One of my favorite places to hang out on the internet is Reddit, and they have a thriving community of writers spread across numerous subreddits (specialized topic boards). On the r/writing subreddit, a professional “reader” for a publishing company has been publishing a series of terrific tips. This week’s installment has to do with character arcs, but you really should go back and read all of his posts. They’re full of substance and really, really useful!

Research for a novel can be a double-edged sword. One the one hand, you can really get in-depth about the history and applicability of something or someplace, which helps shape your characters and the events happening around them.

On the other hand, you can get sucked down a research rabbit hole and lose a whole lot of writing time searching for tidbits.

Good research can really make a book, and it’s a fine line between really knowing the history of a person or place and getting bogged down on what’s essentially a small tidbit of information. So here are three research strategies that can help you get the job done: Continue reading →

I came across a really helpful spreadsheet tool based in Excel (courtesy of Julian Ionescu at FantasyScroll.com), for charting and outlining your novel. Here’s the link to the page explaining it in depth, but the instructions are right on the sheet as well.

If you struggle with getting the bones of your story in place before fleshing it out, this thing can be a godsend. Check it out!

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to do one of these, but I had to pass these along because there’s some solid advice here:

How To Promote Your Books But Keep Your Friends

Marketing Your Novel: Pro Tips From A Newish Author

How To Promote Your Book Without Being Annoying

What about you? Any marketing tips you’d like to add?

This is a huge infographic, so I’m putting it behind a tag. Fascinating stuff, though. Check it out: Continue reading →