Brainstorm First, Organize Later Writers want a story that is unlike any other. Brainstorming your scenes is a creative way to capture the essence of your story. The ideas go straight from your head into story scenes. Use old-fashioned 3×5 cards, tools like Scrivener, or just list them out in a document. Keep adding scenes…
Write Time Blog
Scene Editing to Grab Reader Attention
Check Your Scenes for Story Essentials Indie authors are feeling a big push to produce as much as possible in the shortest time. Get those books up! Sell more! At the same time your readers expect a great story rich in detail and emotional tugs. Sometimes when we rush to get the story done, those…
First Page Essentials
Hook Your Reader Now Image attribution eflon The first page of your book is that first impression that doesn’t get a second chance. Whether your reader is a bookstore browser or an agent, the first page is the introduction to the story. Key elements of that introduction tell the reader about the story. Tone –…
A Roman Tutor in the Time of the Ostrogoths
Nikolaos and Argolicus The tutor, Nikolaos, plays a main role in the Argolicus Mysteries. He sees the world from a different and more worldly perspective than Argolicus, often noticing things the cerebral Argolicus misses. His role is traditional and at the same time unusual for the period. Argolicus is a high-standing Roman citizen but he…
3 Shortcuts to Learning Story
Read to Write Reading is the inspiration for many writers to begin their own, writing career. For me it was reading and meeting an author when I was five. That’s what I want to do, was my childhood thought. Creating stories seemed like such a magical way to live a life. As an adult, the…
The Geni.us of Going Global
Invite Global Readers to Get Your Books Geni.us creates links that send someone to the Amazon store nearest them. If you have a reader in the U.K., and they click the link, they will be taken to Amazon.uk not the U.S. store. The same for Japan, or Germany, or India, etc. For example, people in 21…
Research Before You Write The Story
Before The Outline The first round of research is background material for your story. You may be looking for settings, hidden alleys, a great beach. While an online search, will give you generic information, there’s nothing like going to the place of your story. You will discover details that no amount of online searching will…
Author Business Tools
The Business Side of Being an Author The business side of of being an author can be bewildering, time-consuming, and frustrating. Gabriel Mercer presents ways to keep tract of expenses and income to generate a business profit and loss pre-formatted spreadsheets for you to download and use a straightforward explanation of UTMs, how to use…
Don’t Just Sit There! Start Your Novel Outline
Your Novel Outline Can Make You Invincible For a writer, nothing feels better than writing The End when your novel is finished. Beginning novelists can flounder around trying to make the first novel work. An outline can keep your story on track and make all the difference when it comes to writing your entire novel…
How To Make Each Scene Count in Your Story
Scene Checklists Scenes are the building blocks of your story. Each scene moves the story forward. As you build your story alternate between action and reaction. When you go through the first edits of your story make certain that all scene components are in each scene. You’ll take your reader by the hand to lead…