Self-help books exist to solve readers’ needs. Here’s a vital strategy to ensure yours is irresistible.
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Athletes expect to practice to sharpen and grow their gifts. Here's why writers need to adapt the same mindset.
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I don’t know much about numerology but 2020 just feels good, doesn’t it?
As creative people with things to say, I declare 2020 the year we choose to abandon perfection and fear. Instead, let’s focus on creation, expression, trusting instincts, and following our inherent need to write.
No ifs, whens, or buts—just butts in seats.
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Ever try to read a story and find yourself thinking, I seriously don’t care what happens to these characters?
Maybe you’re a chapter in and already getting antsy, your mind drifting to dinner options. Or worse, bored on the very first page. If so, it doesn’t matter how amazing it gets because the writer is about to lose a reader.
Likability equals reader investment. No one voluntarily hangs with—and I’d argue that’s what pleasure reading is—someone they don’t care about (yet). It applies to heroes and villains and all the desirable real-life shades in between.
How then do you hook readers’ interest and empathy early on?
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Everyone knows to capitalize names. I mean “patrick” looks so weird that spellcheck tried to automatically fix it. But it’s very common to get tripped up when we’re talking about Mom and Dad.
Or is it mom and dad? My Mom? Our dad?
What should be simple can leave you second-guessing or using inconsistently.
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As readers, there’s no better feeling than when we can’t put down a book.
But how do you keep readers invested in your work? How do you get them to tune out everything else and gladly get lost in your words?
Here’s a shortlist of vital ways to hold readers’ interest. And they don’t apply to thrillers only, as every work should be thrilling in its own way. Otherwise, the placed bookmark will simply note where the reader moved on.
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Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, titling your book can feel:
Easy (“I’ve known the perfect title since Day One.”)
Challenging (“There’s a working title but it doesn’t feel quite right yet.”)
SUPER HARD (“Kill me now—this is impossible.”)
For most, it falls between challenging and hands-up despair. Why do these few words create such turmoil when you’re able to otherwise craft entire books? It’s because a title is the work’s most hardworking calling card.
And while a bad cover may turn off a prospective buyer/reader, a bad title can bury your book.
No wonder it feels like a lot of pressure.
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I know it’s hard. It’s a little scary to put yourself and your words out there.
As creative people, thoughts and ideas are often pulling us in every direction…except forward. Sometimes we just need a little push.
Read MoreEven the most camera-shy should get with the picture. Like an appealing cover and a strong book title, a quality author photo is an essential part of the publication “package” for both indie and traditionally published authors in most any format or genre.
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Writing a strong query letter is a necessary part of procuring a literary agent. But sometimes that one all-important page can feel, well, overwhelming.
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As daunting as it can seem, most literary agents and acquiring editors are open to discovering new talent. And a big part of that is reading first novel manuscripts. Unfortunately, first novels too often share writing tics, quirky choices, or downright clichés. These common missteps can hurt your chance of being the brilliant gem in their inbox.
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Writing simply often gets a bad rap. It's viewed as "dumbed down" or creatively limiting. Why should someone feel sad when they can be in a state of melancholy?
Read MoreHere's a simple but often overlooked rule to creating believable characters in your fiction.
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