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9 Common Mistakes New Writers Make
9 Common Mistakes New Writers Make

It’s impossible to achieve writing success without making a few (or many) mistakes in the process. Mistakes are a necessary part of improving your writing. However, many new writers will often make the same mistakes repeatedly when starting out. With that in mind, here are some common mistakes made by new (and experienced) writers. Read on to see if they apply to you!

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Tips for Writing a Powerful Character Arc
Tips for Writing a Powerful Character Arc

Ask a reader why they like a story and they are likely to mention the characters. Your reader must care about your characters. If you have boring characters, it doesn’t matter how engaging your story or how eloquently written, your readers will lose interest. Characters bring your story to life. And, it’s not just your characters themselves that make the story engaging, it’s the change they undergo throughout the story. This is the character arc.

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7 Things to Give Up to Achieve Author Success
7 Things to Give Up to Achieve Author Success

Often the key to success lies in subtracting rather than adding to your endless to-do list. Authors who achieve their goals have many qualities in common, including the things that they have given up and learnt to live without. So regardless of your definition of success, consider what habits and limiting mindsets are holding you back. Here are 7 things to let go of to reach your full potential.

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Where Do Authors Get Their Story Ideas?
Where Do Authors Get Their Story Ideas?

One of the questions writers are asked the most is ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ Generally, this question is met with a shrug of the shoulders, a rolling of the eyes or a flippant reply. Many authors find it difficult to articulate where their ideas come from because they arrive in such a variety of ways. The truth is story ideas are all around us, we just have to be open to the possibility of them.

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Writing the Middle of Your Novel: 6 Tips to Avoid a Sagging Middle
Writing the Middle of Your Novel: 6 Tips to Avoid a Sagging Middle

Many writers struggle with the middle. It’s at this point that your story is likely to wander off as you wrestle the two ends of your tale together. You may find yourself suffering from writer’s block as your characters reach a lull in the action or you’re simply unsure of what comes next. Luckily, this is a problem that has many solutions! In this article, we’ll look at what you can do to avoid a sagging middle.

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5 Tips For Writing a Compelling Memoir
5 Tips For Writing a Compelling Memoir

So you want to write a memoir? Good. The world needs to hear your story.

As an author, I can say from personal experience, embarking on the pilgrimage of telling a heartfelt account of my own life was one of the best decisions I ever made. Whether you are doing this for yourself or if you intend to publish your story, it’s worth writing. Here are 5 helpful tips on how to make your memoir a story that works, resonates and will be personally fulfilling for you.

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12 Ways to Get More Writing Done
12 Ways to Get More Writing Done

We all wish we had more time in the day to write. Perhaps you’ve felt despondent by the days, weeks, or even years being swallowed up by endless obligations that don’t allow you the time you need to work on your manuscript. Given that a thirty-hour day isn’t coming anytime soon, let's look at how you can make the better use of the writing time you do have.

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15 Tried & Tested Book Marketing Tips From Successful Authors
15 Tried & Tested Book Marketing Tips From Successful Authors

What gives you an edge in the highly competitive world of book marketing?

Often the best advice comes from writers who’ve been in the trenches, who have tried and tested book marketing methods and found what works. To help you get more from your book marketing efforts, we talk to 15 authors, including Taylor Jenkins Reid and Hallie Ephron, about the book marketing strategies they’ve used to build a successful long-lasting writing career.

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How to Plot Your Novel Without a Formula
How to Plot Your Novel Without a Formula

Many writers, whether complete beginners or seasoned authors, struggle with the question: “Should I use story structure to guide my writing?”

With story structure, you have a clear set of plot points and story beats to work towards—and for some writers, that is unacceptably restrictive. So the question becomes—how can you use story structure, without giving in to a formula?

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5 Questions to Plot Your Story & Begin Writing
5 Questions to Plot Your Story & Begin Writing

Nailing your plot can be problematic. It sounds straight-forward. After all, it’s just the telling of your story. The difficulty, however, is telling that story in such a way that the reader is enticed by the characters and compelled to find out what happens. That’s where plot questions come in. These 5 questions will help you plan out your story so you avoid common writing pitfalls and begin writing with a clear outline.

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Easy Instagram Photography Tips for Authors
Easy Instagram Photography Tips for Authors

Want to grow your author Instagram account? These tips will make it easy to take stunning photographs and build a reader-attracting Instagram feed in no time.

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7 Steps to Become a Successful Author
7 Steps to Become a Successful Author

Strategies for long-term author success. Ready to take your writing career to the next level? We look at the winning habits of best-selling authors to reveal their formula for a happy, successful author career.

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Writing a Novel during Quarantine? 7 Tips to Boost your Productivity
Writing a Novel during Quarantine? 7 Tips to Boost your Productivity

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has seen an abrupt and significant change in our daily lives. For a large proportion of us, this means self-isolation and more time at home. As this new reality sets in you may find yourself with more time on your hands. For some, it’s the perfect time to finally write that novel. The one you are always saying you’ll write someday. So, how can you maximize your writing productivity during quarantine without losing your sanity? Here are my top tips to make the most of your newfound time.

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6 Questions for Creating Strong Fictional Characters
6 Questions for Creating Strong Fictional Characters

All compelling stories begin with strong fictional characters. Plot is vital but it’s well-developed characters that make the events in your plot matter. Characters drive your story, creating conflicts and resolutions as they overcome obstacles and pursue their goals. They are the lens through which the reader experiences your story. Creating characters that become more than cardboard cut-outs, that breathe real life into your story can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are some key questions you can ask to ensure that your characters are well developed.

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6 Ways to Outline Your Novel
6 Ways to Outline Your Novel

James Patterson and John Grisham swear by it. Stephen King and Margaret Atwood are dead set against it. Outlining is not for every writer, nor is there one right way to outline your novel. As with all things writing, the trick is to find what works for you. To get you started, here are six tried and tested ways to outline a novel.

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How To Set Up An Inspiring Writing Space
How To Set Up An Inspiring Writing Space

‘Your writing room should be private, a place where you go to dream.’ – Stephen King

Where do you normally write? While your salary and lifestyle might not allow for an idyllic remote writing retreat that doesn’t mean that you can’t make your writing space a productive sanctuary.

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A Last-Minute NaNoWriMo Action Plan: Write a Novel in 30 Days
A Last-Minute NaNoWriMo Action Plan: Write a Novel in 30 Days

With just hours to go until thousands of writers around the globe pick up pens, dust off their laptops and attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in the space of 30 days, you might find feeling more than a little unprepared. This article, my slightly-stressed out future novelist friends, is for you! There is no time to waste so let’s have a look at how you can pull together a last-minute plan to get you across the NaNoWriMo finish line. 

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How to Handle a Bad Writing Day
How to Handle a Bad Writing Day

Some writing days are going to more productive than others. On some days the words will flow, on others it’s like trying to cut down a tree with a herring. If you don’t make your word count for a day don’t beat yourself up. On some days you'll inevitably struggle to write anything down, the plot will seem to be falling apart and writing anything will feel like a chore. Every writer has days like these. Days when we feel like giving up. Here’s how to continue to love your writing, even on days when nothing seems to be working.

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5 Ways Writers Can Get Motivated - And Get it Written!
5 Ways Writers Can Get Motivated - And Get it Written!

As a writer, you know how satisfying to have a flash of creative inspiration and feel that you just can’t type the words fast enough. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen every day. The reality is that you’re going to have days when you don’t feel motivated to write at all. Learning to say motivated is a valuable skill for any writer to learn. After all, if you waited around to feel 100% motivated before you write anything then your book may never get written. So let’s look at what you can do to stay inspired to write.

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How Authors Find Time to Write
How Authors Find Time to Write

Think you don’t have time to write? Think again. The truth is even the busiest person can find time to write, be it as little as ten minutes a day. Many famous authors including Anne Rice, Toni Morrison and Harper Lee wrote their books while holding down full-time jobs and many authors continue to write while juggling family commitments. The truth is we all have the same amount of time in a day and it’s up to us what we do with it. Here are six ways authors fit writing into their lives. 

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7 Ways to Write Faster
7 Ways to Write Faster

Whether your goal is to release more books, complete NaNoWriMo or get that first draft down before the idea evaporates, almost every writer would love to write faster. To make writing a viable career, you need to produce quality books regularly. And while a well-written book can take time, there are some habits that can help you speed up the process, without losing any of the quality.

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Are You Letting Perfectionism Stop You From Writing?
Are You Letting Perfectionism Stop You From Writing?

Having high standards can be a positive trait, pushing you on to continually improve your work. Perfectionism, on the other hand, involves setting unrealistically high (or completely unattainable) goals leaving you feeling depressed, frustrated and anxious. If perfectionism is preventing you from making progress, try the following tips.

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How to Cure Writers Block for Good
How to Cure Writers Block for Good

It happens to almost every writer at some point and many successful authors have suffered the frustrating inertia of writer’s block. Yet it's very existence continues to be highly contested, with many authors arguing that writer's block is simply an excuse for not writing. Others say it's another name for paralyzing self-doubt and anxiety. Regardless of how you define it, how do you start writing again when you have come to a standstill? We look at some of the best strategies around to get you moving again.

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7 Simple Strategies to Achieve your Writing Goals
7 Simple Strategies to Achieve your Writing Goals

Struggling to make progress with your writing? Lacking motivation or find yourself procrastinating rather than doing the work? Sticking with writing goals can be challenging. Especially given that writers are often working in isolation with self-imposed goals and schedules. In this post, we look at 7 simple strategies to hit those writing goals.

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Free Downloadable Backgrounds for Writers
Free Downloadable Backgrounds for Writers

In need of some mid-year writing motivation? We’ve made a bunch of free downloadable backgrounds to keep you writing. Just one glance at your phone and you’ll know that you need to put it down and pick up that pen!

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Self-Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing: Which One is Right For You?
Self-Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing: Which One is Right For You?

Self-publishing or traditional publishing? It’s one of the biggest decision you will make as an author and while both options have their advantages and disadvantages, it’s important to make the best decision for your author career. In this post we’ll take a closer look at the pros and cons of each.

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8 Author Newsletter Ideas to Thrill your Readers
8 Author Newsletter Ideas to Thrill your Readers

Stuck for what to include in your author email newsletter? An author newsletter can be one of the most powerful tools in your book marketing toolkit but it isn't always easy to create enticing content. In this post we'll be looking at some content ideas that your readers are going to love receiving.

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Easy Email Marketing for Authors: Getting Started
Easy Email Marketing for Authors: Getting Started

Email marketing remains one of the most effective forms of book marketing. It offers a direct connection to your audience without relying on ever-changing social media platforms or third parties. It can drive author website traffic, increase awareness of your work and boost book sales. It’s versatile, low-cost and able to be automated.

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6 Authors Who Prove it's Never Too Late to Have a Writing Career
6 Authors Who Prove it's Never Too Late to Have a Writing Career

One of the biggest myths of writing is that you have to start young in order to be successful. Yet not all authors beginning penning masterpieces in their teens. In fact, some of the most successful authors have benefited from being ‘late bloomers’. Here are six famous authors that begun late but ultimately left their mark on the literary world.

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5 Essentials for Building your Author Platform on Social Media
5 Essentials for Building your Author Platform on Social Media

Let’s face it:  Most authors know that they should be growing their audience on social media but they are unsure about how to go about it. There are a number of marketing tactics you can use to generate interest in your work. Many of them free. All of them easily accessible. Here is what you can do to grow your social media today.

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