Category: For Authors
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When everyone keeps telling you to make an outline
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Sara Beth WilliamsThere are many different ways to outline and this list is certainly not exhaustive as authors tend to create their own method out of multiple methods. Here are 5 methods I’ve tried that can help you effectively outline a novel plus some bonus ideas.
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How to finish your manuscript in 3 steps
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Sara Beth WilliamsThat’s right. 3 steps. You’re probably reading this thinking I’m off the wall crazy. So let me explain. The ideas that influenced one of my first complete novels, which I finished (first draft anyway) in 2014 and will debut in 2018, came to me in 2004/2005. I wrote several prologue…
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How I turned a boring chapter into something meaningful
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Sara Beth WilliamsHappy Valentine’s Day! It is my hope that you truly focus on the positive today. My mom taught me at a young age that Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love, but about showing love to friends and family. She gave us gifts every year, and it…
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When you have little time to write: 4 tips
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Sara Beth WilliamsI’m married with two little girls who love to demand my attention. Sometimes I feel like I have three kids (we have a cat who’s equally demanding for attention. I’ve never met a cat so demanding. You thought I meant something else didn’t you? Maybe I did…lol) IF you feel…
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5 tips to combat Writer’s Block
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Sara Beth WilliamsEvery writer encounters writer’s block. That dreaded moment while working on your work in progress when you hit those “doldrums” There are countless ways you can beat writer’s block and many authors/bloggers have written their own lists of advice prior. Here are just a few tips I’ve pulled from…
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What makes a great story? The little things
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Sara Beth WilliamsWhat makes a great story? Plot. What drives plot forward, besides a strong, identifiable goal? Character conflict, Misunderstandings, High Stakes) You could have nailed all of these things, but your story could still bore people to death. What else makes a story shine and rise above others? The little things. What…
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10 words to eliminate from your manuscript
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Sara Beth WilliamsThere are multiple words I search for and delete from my writing as much as possible, during my editing process. Here are my Top 10 There are certainly way more than 10, but it depends on your writing style, how long you’ve been writing, and to some degree, your…
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5 Reasons why writers should read
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Sara Beth WilliamsWriterly Debate #1: To read or not to read This should not be a debate, but somehow, it has turned into one. Reading, to me, is essential if you are a writer. If you are not a writer, reading is STILL essential. People who do not read are missing out…
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How to take your writing to the next level Part 2
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Sara Beth WilliamsRealizing or recognizing poor writing issues and bad habits is easy. Resolving the issues on the other hand, is like playing Chutes and ladders. You feel like you’re on the right track and then, you step on the wrong square and WHOOSH! down you go back to where you began.…
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7 things that will doom your novel (& How to avoid them!)
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Sara Beth WilliamsThis Reblog is an extremely informative, (and humorous) post from The Writer’s Dig. Guest post by James Scott Bell. If you have any motivation at all to write a novel, or short story, or anything intended for publication, whether self-publishing or traditional publishing, then, please check out this list. The 7 things…