Tag: how to write a better novel

Whether as a substance check, a means to kick-off the writing process, or a vehicle to share your story with beta readers, agents, and publishers, there is a lot of value in a book synopsis.

Your life experiences — exhilarating and tedious, mundane and magnificent — should inform your written work. Channel your emotions and use descriptive details to make your story-world come alive.

Not only does keeping a journal of short fiction keep your creative writing muscles working, harvesting your short fiction might lead to your next great idea for a novel.

You can listen to your cast of characters at any stage in the writing process, but it might be especially useful near the end when most of the story is fleshed out. It can be a good check of your story logic and add a last ingenious layer of polish.

There are many ways to use chapters effectively in your writing, just make sure your design is never random and you're on your way to crafting the perfect chapter.

If you do the required scientific research, your novels will transcend storytelling and the “science” will imbue the books with a realism that will heighten your readers' enjoyment of your work.

Authors want to manipulate readers' thoughts — this is why we read, after all. We love getting swept away into new worlds, with new people and ideas. Getting a reader's thought map is a great way to hone this skill.