The Fail-Graceful Method: On Writing a Salvageable Novel
The publishing world is not a friendly place. I hope I've impressed this upon you by now - this is an insular, name-driven world where...
dmjohnston3
- Nov 14, 2020
- 4 min
The Multi-Pass Method for Editing Fiction
So you've finished the first draft of the novel that's definitely going to be a bestseller, just like all the others. Get yourself a...
dmjohnston3
- Nov 10, 2020
- 6 min
How to Start and Finish Your Next Doomed Novel
So you've decided to write a manuscript. Good for you - you're starting on a noble path to disappointment that many other have already...
dmjohnston3
- Sep 30, 2020
- 3 min
5 Outlines to Help Structure Your Novel
Pressed for time? Listen to the post instead! Some authors can sit down and bang out a novel in a few sittings with no help at all,...
dmjohnston3
- Aug 19, 2020
- 1 min
Novel Writing: Master Post
Here are the collected novel writing posts as of November 10th, 2020. This post may be updated if new posts are added. How to Start and...
dmjohnston3
- Aug 12, 2020
- 4 min
Writing Voice: 7 Practical Exercises to Improve Dialogue
Dialogue is one of the hardest, most important, most rewarding aspects of long-form writing. Whereas many editors of short fiction...
dmjohnston3
- Jul 31, 2020
- 5 min
Developing Characters: A Relationship-Driven Approach
Last time we talked about novel writing, we looked at the overall plot and how one can derive it from character motivation. Today, we're...
dmjohnston3
- Jul 29, 2020
- 6 min
A Quick-Start Guide to Writing a Novel
Most of my advice posts center on short stories and flash fiction, but for many people these are just the first step. Everyone wants to...
dmjohnston3
- Jun 9, 2020
- 4 min
The Million-Word Novel: More on Long Novels and Word Count
I'd like to go into a bit more detail on novel length. The previous post was analysis, this is opinion. I've written several times on...
dmjohnston3
- May 28, 2020
- 2 min
The Ideal Novel Length: Finding the Best Word Count
One of the most frequently asked questions by authors seeking publications is "How long should my manuscript be?" It's a hot topic for a...