Books on Writing

Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres

Science and technology have starring roles in a wide range of genres--science fiction, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of technical subjects in literature, film, and television are pure fiction. A basic understanding of biology, physics, engineering, and medicine will help you create more realistic stories that satisfy discerning readers.

This book brings together scientists, physicians, engineers, and other experts to help you.

One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much.

All of us at Canterbury Writers are fans of this book.

Is your setting description pulling its weight in the story, or is it just sort of…there? Do more with your settings, activating their power to characterize the story’s cast, deepen emotional moments, deliver backstory without info dumps, and more. This guide does all this and more, in addition to providing you with lists of sensory description for over 120 modern locations.

One of the most powerful storytelling elements is your setting…but are you using it as well as you should? This guide not only lists sensory details for over 100 natural and personal settings, it provides options for conflict in each location and shows you how to build mood, steer the plot, and apply symbolism for deeper, more meaningful scenes.

When writing fictional characters, it’s hugely important to convey their emotions effectively so readers will be drawn in and become invested in those characters. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression was written to help writers convey the quality and depth of their cha...

Fascinating fiction starts with characters who make readers care. This Live Wire Writer Guide presents a simple, effective technique to sharpen your hook, charge your scenes, and amplify your voice whether you’re a beginner or an expert.

For a story to be filled with action, you must use verbs. It's a whole new way of thinking about characters.

Learn some tricks on how to structure and outline your story to create an engrossing story.

It may have been written for screenwriters, but the story structure that is presented seems to work for almost every story in existence. Get some solid advice to help with the pacing of your writing.

The first novel-writing guide from the best-selling Save the Cat! story-structure series, which reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriti...

This book is a set of tools: literary crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers and tongs. Use them to pry, chip, yank and sift good characters out of the place where they live in your memory, your imagination and your soul.

Award-winning author Orson Scott Card explains in depth the techniques of inventing, developing and presenting characters, plus handling viewpoint in novels and short stories. With specific examples, he spells out your narrative options–the choices you'll make in creating fictional people so "real" that readers will feel they know them like members of their own families.

Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts.

Point of view (POV) is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s kit, but it’s also one of the hardest to understand and master. Sandra Gerth explains the different types of POV found within fiction, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. She also explains common issues encountered when working with the different types of POV.

This book is only available in digital format only.

Blake Snyder, author of Save the Cat!® and Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies, is back with the book countless readers and students have clamored for.

This book fills in some of the things that were missing from the original, filling out the story structure model.

Crafting good fiction isn't an impossible feat. You just need a dose of fiction magic.

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

This book contains exercises for editing, along with worked examples, so you can compare how you would edit something against how the professional editors would do the same edits. It's a handy resource for one just learning how the editing process works.

In 2012, fiction author Monica Leonelle made a life-changing decision to learn to write faster. Through months of trial-and-error, hundreds of hours of experimentation, and dozens of manuscripts, she tweaked and honed until she could easily write 10,000 words in a day, at speeds over 3500+ words per hour!Write Better, Faster: How To Triple Your Writing Speed and Write More Every Day will help you kick your excuses and get more writing done. As part of the Growth Hacking For Storytellers series, it explores how to hack your writing routine to be more efficient, more productive, and have a ton of fun in the process!

Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers—but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.

This book contains clear exercises, developing on the ideas presented in the book.

Structure is Character. Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience. Story is what elevates a film, a novel, a play, or teleplay, transforming a good work into a great one.

This book is for developmental editing, but it is NOT an early craft book. This book assumes that you have some basic knowledge of storytelling. While it does define the terms, the way it is structured and presents ideas does require the more advanced writing knowledge. This book is for intermediate to advanced writers.

Feeling overwhelmed? Panicked?
Frustrated by trying to juggle life, writing and the business of being an author?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. Author Overwhelm is a common and not unsurprising side-effect of being an author today.

Beat Author Overwhelm with this informative, honest and
practical guide that’s full of tips and techniques to become more focused and less stressed. Together, we’ll help you form an action plan that’ll help you manage your time, social media, marketing and actually getting those words written.

The SPA Girls (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) are Cheryl Phipps, Wendy Vella, Trudi Jaye and Shar Barratt. Together, they host a popular weekly podcast, The SPA Girls Podcast, that features an honest, raw and often hilarious take on their own self-publishing adventures. Their mission is to deliver advice, resources, interviews and self-publishing best practices to help fellow authors succeed in this exciting new world.

For inspiration, advice and full podcast episodes, visit us at SpaGirlsPodcast.

The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Volume 2) explores more ways to activate story conflict and tension and serves up 115 more scenarios that lead to power struggles, lost advantages, dangers, threats, ego-related conflicts, and more. Use this guide to plot fresh challenges and story problems that will trip your characters up and force them to strive harder to win.

Deep POV takes the reader and places them inside of our characters—hearing their thoughts, feeling their emotions, and living the story through them. Compared to other writing styles, it builds a stronger emotional connection between the reader and our characters, creates the feeling of a faster pace, and helps avoid point-of-view errors and telling rather than showing.

This book provides a general overview of the concepts needed to develop the skills to write deep POV.

With articles written by a wide range of authors who write mysteries and thrillers, this book provides an overview of what it takes to write in this genre. Topics range from working with characters and plot through to publishing and legal concerns of the industry.

This book was reviewed by the BW Book Club in June 2023. The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.

There is a lot more to the Save the Cat! model than was ever published in that first book by Blake Snyder. In fact, Blake share more of his ideas on his blog that spanned 4 years of materials. This book contains some of his more important blog post, including some of the information that was missing from the original book.

Every story starts with a character motivated by a need and a goal that can resolve it. Physical obstacles, adversaries, moral dilemmas, deep-seated doubts and personal struggles…conflict keeps the plot fresh, challenges characters as they traverse their arc, builds tension and high stakes, and most importantly, keeps readers emotionally invested from beginning to end.

While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader's experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters' struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you.

This book takes writers through a series of exercises designed to encourage you to go deeper into your stories and creating emotionally engaging writing.

Powerful Character Arcs Create Powerful Stories Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It’s time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs.

Uncover the Secrets to Creating Characters Readers Will Never Forget Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the acclaimed Creating Character Arcs, showed writers how to identify the five most important types of character arcs and use them to bring your own characters to life.

Get some insights into the rise and fall of a story and how you might improve the passing of your own novel.

Discover the Proven Blueprint for Creating Stories That Sell! Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the award-winning Structuring Your Novel, showed writers how to create stories with strong and compelling plot structure. Now it’s time to put those lessons to use!

Learn some tricks on how to structure and outline your story to create an engrossing story.

Learn How to Make Your First Draft Easy! Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, showed writers how to embrace outlines in a way that makes the writing process fun, inspiring, and easy. Now it’s time to put those lessons to use!

It may have been written for screenwriters, but the story structure that is presented seems to work for almost every story in existence. Get some solid advice to help with the pacing of your writing.

The first novel-writing guide from the best-selling Save the Cat! story-structure series, which reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriti...

What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn’t the same as writing any other genre—something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don’t address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc—not the other way around.Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don’t care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a “beat check” when you’re revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about kissing books.

Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts.

What's the best way to write a "next level" novel? Some writers start at the beginning and let the story unfold without a plan. They are called "pantsers," because they write by the "seat of the pants." Other writers plan and outline and know the ending before they start. These are the "plotters." The two sides never seem to agree with each other on the best approach. But what if it's not the beginning or the end that is the key to a successful book? What if, amazing as it may seem, the place to begin writing your novel is in the very middle of the story? According to #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell, that's exactly where you'll find your story's heart and heat. Bell's "Mirror Moment" is the secret, and its power is available to any writer, at any stage of the writing process.

This book is your game plan for success. Using dozens of examples from his own work - including Dropshot, Tiebreaker and other popular novels - Jack M. Bickham will guide you in building a sturdy framework for your novel, whatever its form or length.

Blake Snyder, author of Save the Cat!® and Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies, is back with the book countless readers and students have clamored for.

This book fills in some of the things that were missing from the original, filling out the story structure model.

Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers—but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.

This book contains clear exercises, developing on the ideas presented in the book.

Structure is Character. Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience. Story is what elevates a film, a novel, a play, or teleplay, transforming a good work into a great one.

This book is for developmental editing, but it is NOT an early craft book. This book assumes that you have some basic knowledge of storytelling. While it does define the terms, the way it is structured and presents ideas does require the more advanced writing knowledge. This book is for intermediate to advanced writers.

Take advantage of the six most common transformational character arcs found in story. Use these beats to craft engaging stories.

There is a lot more to the Save the Cat! model than was ever published in that first book by Blake Snyder. In fact, Blake share more of his ideas on his blog that spanned 4 years of materials. This book contains some of his more important blog post, including some of the information that was missing from the original book.

Super Structure represents over two decades of research on what makes a novel or screenplay entertaining, commercial, original, and irresistible. Contrary to what some may think, structure is not a nasty inhibitor of creativity. Quite the opposite. Properly understood and utilized, structure is what translates story into a form readers are wired to receive it.

And it is only when readers truly connect with your story that they turn from casual readers into fans.

This book delves into the story structure model that James Scott Bell uses himself to write his novels... and it's slightly different to the traditional three-act structure.

One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much.

All of us at Canterbury Writers are fans of this book.

Powerful Character Arcs Create Powerful Stories Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It’s time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs.

Uncover the Secrets to Creating Characters Readers Will Never Forget Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the acclaimed Creating Character Arcs, showed writers how to identify the five most important types of character arcs and use them to bring your own characters to life.

For characters to come across as authentic, they need a past, the same as you or me. And, like us, part of their history includes painful experiences known as emotional wounds which generate fears, insecurities, trust issues, and make it difficult for them to take risks when it matters most. This guide will lead you to specific types of trauma (and the dysfunctional behaviors tied to them) so you can choose what your character’s vulnerability is, what it will look like on the page, and develop a character arc where they overcome the past…or succumb to it.

Every character has good qualities, even the bad guy. Attributes help your characters come alive on the page by revealing their identity, showing readers how they treat other people, and giving them a moral compass to live by. This guide does a deep dive on 100 positive traits to help you brainstorm unique combinations of strengths to help your characters bend the story to their will and win reader’s hearts.

Ready to explore your character’s dark side? Protagonist, antagonist, or someone in between—all characters have negative qualities that mess up their relationships, keep them from achievement, and stymie internal growth. This thesaurus digs into over 100 character flaws, how to show them through dysfunctional behavior and attitudes, and provides ideas on how they will cause problems in the story.

When writing fictional characters, it’s hugely important to convey their emotions effectively so readers will be drawn in and become invested in those characters. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression was written to help writers convey the quality and depth of their cha...

Body Trauma explains what happens to body organs and bones maimed by accident or intent and the small window of opportunity for emergency treatment. Research what happens in a hospital operating room and the personnel who initiate treatment. Use these facts to bring added realism to your stories and novels.

This book is a set of tools: literary crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers and tongs. Use them to pry, chip, yank and sift good characters out of the place where they live in your memory, your imagination and your soul.

Award-winning author Orson Scott Card explains in depth the techniques of inventing, developing and presenting characters, plus handling viewpoint in novels and short stories. With specific examples, he spells out your narrative options–the choices you'll make in creating fictional people so "real" that readers will feel they know them like members of their own families.

What makes a person commit a white-collar crime? Who is a likely candidate to join a cult? Why do children have imaginary friends? How does birth order affect whether or not a person gets married? When does mind over matter become a crippling problem?

Writer's Guide to Character Traits, 2nd edition answers all of these questions and many others. With more than 400 easy-to-reference lists of traits blended from a variety of behaviors and influences, you'll gain the knowledge you need to create distinctive characters whose personalities correspond to their thoughts and actions - no matter how normal or psychotic they might be.

Writers know that their characters and stories should be multi-layered and believable. Now here’s a simple workbook that uses the same knowledge that gives therapists insight into human behaviour to create fiction that hits the mark.

Crafting good fiction isn't an impossible feat. You just need a dose of fiction magic.

The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Volume 2) explores more ways to activate story conflict and tension and serves up 115 more scenarios that lead to power struggles, lost advantages, dangers, threats, ego-related conflicts, and more. Use this guide to plot fresh challenges and story problems that will trip your characters up and force them to strive harder to win.

Take advantage of the six most common transformational character arcs found in story. Use these beats to craft engaging stories.

While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader's experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters' struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you.

This book takes writers through a series of exercises designed to encourage you to go deeper into your stories and creating emotionally engaging writing.

When you choose a character’s job with care you gain a way to show-not-tell their personality, skills, interests, priorities, beliefs, and more. Plus, you can use it to generate conflict, provide a route to goals and dreams, and showcase key relationships. If you need a guide to finding and describing the perfect job for your character that will further the story, this is it!

Crafting good fiction isn't an impossible feat. You just need a dose of fiction magic.

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

This book contains exercises for editing, along with worked examples, so you can compare how you would edit something against how the professional editors would do the same edits. It's a handy resource for one just learning how the editing process works.

Don't sabotage your chances of selling your work to readers or publishers because the dialogue is unexceptional. Dazzle them with what the characters say. How to Write Dazzling Dialogue will give you the tools to do it.

This book takes you through examples from published works and shows you how dialogue works—and how you can make it better.

Is your setting description pulling its weight in the story, or is it just sort of…there? Do more with your settings, activating their power to characterize the story’s cast, deepen emotional moments, deliver backstory without info dumps, and more. This guide does all this and more, in addition to providing you with lists of sensory description for over 120 modern locations.

One of the most powerful storytelling elements is your setting…but are you using it as well as you should? This guide not only lists sensory details for over 100 natural and personal settings, it provides options for conflict in each location and shows you how to build mood, steer the plot, and apply symbolism for deeper, more meaningful scenes.

Want to create believable crime scenes and establish the facts that crack your case? Too many authors cut corners or ignore procedure when finding the evidence in their stories. This guide offers an accurate and accessible overview of crime scenes and the investigative process.

Want to add an autopsy that won't kill your story? Death swings its scythe in every genre, from family funerals to crime scenes to creatures that won't stay buried. This user-friendly, illustrated reference digs into all things posthumous and postmortem.

Want to add blood to your scenes without making a mess? Too many authors get squeamish or sloppy about including the red stuff in their stories. As a research guide, Blood Spatter presents an accurate and accessible gateway into the world of blood spatter and its analysis.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills, get some insight into some the skills that these characters develop to evade detection, escape capture, and to hide the bodies of those they are forced to kill.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition, get some insight into some of the various skills that these characters develop to survive in the wild.

Not everything you see on your favorite crime show is accurate. In fact, a lot of it is flat out wrong. Police Procedure & Investigation helps you get your facts straight about the inner workings of law enforcement. With a career in law enforcement that spanned nearly two decades, author Lee Lofland...

Just because you don't have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner doesn't mean you can't learn your way around a crime scene.In Forensics, award-winning author and TV show consultant D.P. Lyle, M.D., takes each area of forensics—from fingerprint analysis to crime scene reconst...

Discover Deadly Doses to Kill Off Characters

The readers of your crime and mystery stories should be trying to figure out "whodunit"—not wondering why your facts don't make sense. If you want to kill off characters with something poisonous, you need to know how a villain would gain access to such a...

When it comes to writing weapons, most authors shoot from the hip—and miss. The Writer's Guide to Weapons will help you hit your target every time. Firearms and knives have starring roles in a wide range of genres—crime, thriller, war, mystery, Western, and more.

Body Trauma explains what happens to body organs and bones maimed by accident or intent and the small window of opportunity for emergency treatment. Research what happens in a hospital operating room and the personnel who initiate treatment. Use these facts to bring added realism to your stories and novels.

Whether you’re planning your first novel or revising your fourth, you’ll discover lots of concrete ideas here for taking your fiction up a level or two, captivating readers, and gaining fans. Both published and aspiring authors of fast-paced, popular fiction will find these tips indispensable for plotting a riveting story and creating compelling characters, then writing a gripping opening and designing suspenseful scenes.

With articles written by a wide range of authors who write mysteries and thrillers, this book provides an overview of what it takes to write in this genre. Topics range from working with characters and plot through to publishing and legal concerns of the industry.

This book was reviewed by the BW Book Club in June 2023. The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.

Get an insider's look at who a forensics investigator actually processes the evidence that they collect. This book delves into the techniques used for finding finger prints, ballistics with firearms, DNA criminal analysis, toxicology, and much more. This book is designed for crime writers who want to get the little details right.

While the book is focused on the techniques and procedures used in the UK, many of the techniques presented do spread across the Atlantic to the US.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills: Combat Edition, get some insight into how these characters fight.

Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres

Science and technology have starring roles in a wide range of genres--science fiction, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of technical subjects in literature, film, and television are pure fiction. A basic understanding of biology, physics, engineering, and medicine will help you create more realistic stories that satisfy discerning readers.

This book brings together scientists, physicians, engineers, and other experts to help you.

Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most challenging--and rewarding!--genres in the bookstore. But with New York Times bestselling author Philip Athans and fantasy giant R. A. Salvatore at your side, you’ll create worlds that draw your readers in--and keep them reading!

Do you envision celestial cities in distant, fantastic worlds? Do you dream of mythical beasts and gallant quests in exotic kingdoms? If you have ever wanted to write the next great fantasy or science fiction story, this all-in-one comprehensive book will show you how. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction is full of advice from master authors offering definitive instructions on world building, character creation, and storytelling in the many styles and possibilities available to writers of speculative fiction.

There's more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing new magic. How exactly is a plot put together? How do you know if your idea will support an entire novel? How do you grab reader attention and keep it? How do you create dynamic, multi-dimensional characters? What is viewpoint and do you handle it differently in urban fantasy than in traditional epics? What should you do if you're lost in the middle? How do you make your plot end up where you intend it to go?

Publisher's note: Naughty Words for Nice Writers was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated with 800 more synonyms and a dozen new categories and writing guides. This is the updated version.If finding the right words for your romantic sex scene is challenging, Naughty Words for Nice...

What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn’t the same as writing any other genre—something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don’t address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc—not the other way around.Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don’t care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a “beat check” when you’re revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about kissing books.

How do we create fresh stories using this popular romance trope? Are you stuck trying to come up with new and interesting scenarios for your characters?

Secret Baby / Baby on the Doorstep / Accidental Pregnancy

A reference tool for plotting romance stories that are based around a baby trope - covering all romance genres.

How do we create fresh stories using these popular romance tropes?
Are you stuck trying to come up with new and interesting scenarios for your characters?

A reference tool for plotting Forced Proximity romance stories - covering all romance genres.

What is the appeal to romance readers of the forced proximity trope?
And how do we create unique stories that feature a situation of forced proximity?

The anxiety faced by characters who are forced into being around someone they find attractive but who’s

A reference tool for plotting Enemies to Lovers romance stories - covering all romance genres.

What is the appeal to romance readers of the enemies-to-lovers trope?
And how do we create fresh stories using this popular romance trope?

Aspiring romance writers will appreciate the industry-insider tips and practical advice offered in this fully revised and updated guide written by a top romance novelist. Step-by-step explanations to creating believable characters, handling dialogue, choosing settings, developing workable conflicts, and crafting effective plots are provided.

This is a great reference book for those writing MM Romance. While a lot of the common romance tropes are also in this subgenre, some tropes are frowned upon. There are also some tropes that are unique to MM romance.

Every year, thousands of romance manuscripts are submitted to publishers, but only the best are eventually published. This simple guide—written by two award winning romance novelists—will show readers what it takes to break into this highly competitive market and will provide them the information they need to get their manuscript out of the slush pile and onto the bookshelf. Readers will learn how to do the following techniques: build a story from premise to plot; add a fresh twist to a classic storyline; create compelling characters; write sizzling sex scenes that carry an emotional punch; research agents and markets; write a story that an editor can’t reject; and promote themselves and their work. New writers, and even experienced writers, will find the solid how to information here invaluable. This is a must have for aspiring writers who want to write the perfect love story.

This new, inclusive guide to planning and plotting romance novels in the 21st Century is written by Vanessa Grant, the author of 32 published romance novels with over 10 million copies of her books sold. Vanessa has been translated into 15 languages and has presented writers' workshops in Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Her iconic guide WRITING ROMANCE was originally published in 1997, went into subsequent editions in 2001 and 2007.

Whether you're new to writing or a published author; whether you're a Plotter or a Panster, this new guide to plotting and planning romantic fiction demonstrates creative strategies for using your own personality and experiences to create powerful characters who evoke strong emotions in both you as the writer, and your readers.

From the slapstick shenanigans of Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby to the sexy repartee of Shakespeare in Love, romantic comedies have delighted filmgoers -- and challenged screenwriters -- since Hollywood's Golden Age.

Whether you're a first time screenwriter, or an intermediate marooned in the rewriting process, this thoroughly charming and insightful guide to the basics of crafting a winning script will take you step by step from "cute meet" all the way to "joyous defeat." You'll learn the screenwriting secrets behind some of the funniest scenes ever written; how to create characters and dialogue that set the sparks flying; why some bedroom scenes sizzle and others fall flat; and much more. Writing the Romantic Comedy features case studies drawn from beloved romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, Tootsie,and The Lady Eve, as well as field-tested writing exercises guaranteed to short-circuit potential mistakes and ensure inspiration.

The basic rules for turning basic instincts into blockbuster success.

Erotic romance reigns supreme as a big category of women's fiction, a billion dollar business serviced by a new breed of uninhibited writer. This book is the necessary how-to for first timers and a terrific guide for seasoned professionals as well, who are putting their racy and lucrative fantasies to paper. Now, for the first time, a veteran erotic romance author shows exactly what to do and how.

Are you full of excitement at the idea of plotting a new story?
But what if you’re unsure where to start!

Have publishers and editors told you to start with the tropes and hooks?
But what if you’re not sure exactly what these are!

Where can I find a handy collection of tropes and hooks to be my go-to resource?

Romance Tropes and Hooks is exactly that go-to resource. It’s a valuable writing tool that every romance writer needs in her craft library for generating fresh story ideas.

Romance Tropes and Hooks will give you the inspiration to start crafting stories your readers will love with its extensive collection of over 500 tropes and hooks. Each has a description, and some include examples and variations.

How to create a romance hero your readers will love

Do you love reading stories with a sexy alpha hero?
But when you write an alpha he comes across as more of a beta--or worst still, an arrogant, contemptible bully!

Would you like the hero in your next book to be a sexy, self-assured and very appealing alpha?
But what if you're not sure exactly how to create him?

How do bestselling authors write these wonderful heroes?

Writing the Alpha Hero will explain:

- Why we love him
- Who he really is
- His physical attributes
- His personality traits and qualities
- And the different types of alphas

And then it will show you how to create him.

Plus it will take you page by page through a USA Today Bestselling Author's book and analyse how she wrote her sexy alpha hero--and how he eventually won the heroine's heart.

Women love reading stories with an alpha hero.

How to write a first kiss scene that will leave your readers breathless

Do you enjoy a good kiss?
Being pulled into strong, protective arms?
The hero’s lips devouring your own as you cling to him, breathless with desire?
Time stands still while you savour every caress, every kiss, every moment – not wanting it to stop?

Do you want the kissing scenes you’ve written to have the same passion as those written by authors you desperately aspire to be like? Yet do you find that no matter how hard you work to master writing these critical scenes yours always feel flat and definitely do not leave you breathless?

As you know, in any romance story the first kiss between the hero and heroine is a truly significant moment. It is the point where at least one of your main characters acknowledges their attraction to the other.

Would you like to be able to write a first-kiss scene like a New York Times Bestselling Author?
To learn their secrets so that your own scenes are memorable for your characters?
And above all for your readers?

Writing the First Kiss is a guide for romance writers, offering:
–An explanation of why the first kiss is so important in a romance story
–An outline of the steps
–Important points to consider
–Suggestions for ensuring this kiss is memorable.

Plus you will get to read excerpts from the books of 10 New York Times Bestselling Authors showing you how professional romance writers have written this vital scene.

Plus after each excerpt there is an analysis on how the author created the scene.

And there is also a summary at the end of the book highlighting what’s been learnt.

So take the next step in your writing journey and learn the techniques that will enable you to create a first-kiss scene that will be memorable in the hearts of your readers.

An analysis of how to write romantic love scenes like the experts
With excerpts from 10 New York Times Bestselling Authors

Do you enjoy making love?
Being held tenderly in the arms of your lover, the glorious weight of him pressing down on you?
His lips caressing your own as you cling to him, relishing the feeling of being as one while he moves possessively inside you?
Desire surging through you with each thrust until you finally explode in a sensation of emotion, of release, of love?

Have you ever wished the love scenes you've written had the same passion and fulfilment as those you've read?
That they were as heart-wrenching and memorable as those written by authors you admire?
Yet no matter how many times you rewrite this scene it comes across as an instruction manual on connecting body parts--leaving you feeling unsatisfied, knowing your scene is missing out on something other writers seem to find easy to achieve.

As you probably already know, a lot of authors find this scene to be one of the most difficult to write.
It is also the scene readers look forward to the most.

The marriage-of-convenience romance trope is extremely popular with readers, and yet so challenging for authors!

The market for these stories is constantly growing as publishers request marriage-of-convenience stories in their submission guidelines, responding to the enthusiasm of their readers. As a result romance writers are faced with the dilemma of trying to think of new and interesting scenarios to put their characters in.

The tension and delicate maneuvering of characters in this type of relationship is what keeps readers turning the page and buying these stories. Romance writers must therefore equip themselves with the knowledge and resources required to ensure they're able to come up with fresh and interesting stories to satisfy the appetite of modern-day readers.

So how do we create fresh stories in this popular romance trope?

By researching stories that have already been published and looking for new ways to write them.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"Revenge is the act of passion, vengeance is an act of justice."

A story about revenge is based primarily on a protagonist's strong feelings of resentment about a crime or injustice, and their fierce need for vengeance. Stories with this plot scenario are popular with readers, and yet they can be a challenge to write!

The market for enthralling revenge stories will always be in demand so romance writers are faced with the dilemma of trying to think of new and interesting scenarios to put their characters in.

The tension and indignation of the characters is what keeps readers turning the page and buying these stories. However the reader needs to buy in to the protagonist's search for vengeance or justice, and the writer needs to ensure the vengeance meted out is never gratuitous and the protagonist always stays on the right side of fairness. Romance writers must therefore equip themselves with the knowledge and resources required to ensure they're able to come up with fresh and interesting stories to satisfy the appetite of modern-day readers, peopled with characters that resonate with the reader all the way through the book.

So how do we create fresh stories in this popular romance trope?

By researching stories that have already been published and looking for new ways to write them.

For 30 years, Karr has also taught the form, winning teaching prizes at Syracuse. (The writing program there produced such acclaimed authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas.) In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and "black belt sinner", providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.

Twenty years ago Natalie Goldberg’s classic, Writing Down the Bones, broke new ground in its approach to writing as a practice. Now, Old Friend from Far Away—her first book since Writing Down the Bones to focus solely on writing—reaffirms Goldberg’s status as a foremost teacher of writing, and completely transforms the practice of writing memoir.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions—along with helpful tips and advice on how to get published—Memoir Writing For Dummies shows you how to put pen to paper and hone the craft of writing a truly compelling memoir. You'll get advice on how to explore your memories, map out your story, perfect your plot, setting, character, and dialogue, and so much more.

Do you feel driven to share what you’ve gone through and the insights you’ve learned in life? Do you long to tell your story but don’t know where to start?

The Memoir Workbook will show you, step by step, all you need to know to tell a powerful and well-written memoir.

One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much.

All of us at Canterbury Writers are fans of this book.

Is your setting description pulling its weight in the story, or is it just sort of…there? Do more with your settings, activating their power to characterize the story’s cast, deepen emotional moments, deliver backstory without info dumps, and more. This guide does all this and more, in addition to providing you with lists of sensory description for over 120 modern locations.

One of the most powerful storytelling elements is your setting…but are you using it as well as you should? This guide not only lists sensory details for over 100 natural and personal settings, it provides options for conflict in each location and shows you how to build mood, steer the plot, and apply symbolism for deeper, more meaningful scenes.

Reinvigorate Your Fiction! You've written the first draft of your novel or screenplay, and you've released it into the world: to your critique group, to your most trusted beta readers, or even to an agent or an editor. But something's wrong. You're not getting the glowing response you had expected, o...

Discover the Proven Blueprint for Creating Stories That Sell! Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the award-winning Structuring Your Novel, showed writers how to create stories with strong and compelling plot structure. Now it’s time to put those lessons to use!

It may have been written for screenwriters, but the story structure that is presented seems to work for almost every story in existence. Get some solid advice to help with the pacing of your writing.

The first novel-writing guide from the best-selling Save the Cat! story-structure series, which reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriti...

Inside Story Physics, you'll learn how to:

• Understand and harness the six storytelling forces that are constantly at work in your fiction.
• Transform your story idea into a dramatically compelling concept.
• Optimize the choices you make in terms of character, conflict, subplot, subtext, and more to render the best possible outcome.

Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts.

What's the best way to write a "next level" novel? Some writers start at the beginning and let the story unfold without a plan. They are called "pantsers," because they write by the "seat of the pants." Other writers plan and outline and know the ending before they start. These are the "plotters." The two sides never seem to agree with each other on the best approach. But what if it's not the beginning or the end that is the key to a successful book? What if, amazing as it may seem, the place to begin writing your novel is in the very middle of the story? According to #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell, that's exactly where you'll find your story's heart and heat. Bell's "Mirror Moment" is the secret, and its power is available to any writer, at any stage of the writing process.

Take your first draft from so-so to sold!

You've finished the first draft of your novel--congratulations! Time to have a drink, sit back...and start revising. But the revision process doesn't have to be intimidating. Revision and Self-Editing for Publication, Second Edition gives you the tools and advice you need to transform your first draft into a finished manuscript that agents and editors will fight for

This book is your game plan for success. Using dozens of examples from his own work - including Dropshot, Tiebreaker and other popular novels - Jack M. Bickham will guide you in building a sturdy framework for your novel, whatever its form or length.

Crafting good fiction isn't an impossible feat. You just need a dose of fiction magic.

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

This book contains exercises for editing, along with worked examples, so you can compare how you would edit something against how the professional editors would do the same edits. It's a handy resource for one just learning how the editing process works.

Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers—but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.

This book contains clear exercises, developing on the ideas presented in the book.

Structure is Character. Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience. Story is what elevates a film, a novel, a play, or teleplay, transforming a good work into a great one.

This book is for developmental editing, but it is NOT an early craft book. This book assumes that you have some basic knowledge of storytelling. While it does define the terms, the way it is structured and presents ideas does require the more advanced writing knowledge. This book is for intermediate to advanced writers.

You've completed the first draft of your novel—now what? Chances are, it's not perfect...at least not yet. In order to increase your chances of getting a literary agent, selling your manuscript to a publisher, or garnering an audience for your self-published work, you need targeted, practical instruction on tackling the problem areas and weak spots in your story. You need Troubleshooting Your Novel.

This book is for developmental editing. But it should be noted that this book does NOT discuss the mechanics of story structure. This book is designed for the pansters who need to editor their first drafts.

The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Volume 2) explores more ways to activate story conflict and tension and serves up 115 more scenarios that lead to power struggles, lost advantages, dangers, threats, ego-related conflicts, and more. Use this guide to plot fresh challenges and story problems that will trip your characters up and force them to strive harder to win.

Take advantage of the six most common transformational character arcs found in story. Use these beats to craft engaging stories.

Deep POV takes the reader and places them inside of our characters—hearing their thoughts, feeling their emotions, and living the story through them. Compared to other writing styles, it builds a stronger emotional connection between the reader and our characters, creates the feeling of a faster pace, and helps avoid point-of-view errors and telling rather than showing.

This book provides a general overview of the concepts needed to develop the skills to write deep POV.

There is a lot more to the Save the Cat! model than was ever published in that first book by Blake Snyder. In fact, Blake share more of his ideas on his blog that spanned 4 years of materials. This book contains some of his more important blog post, including some of the information that was missing from the original book.

Every story starts with a character motivated by a need and a goal that can resolve it. Physical obstacles, adversaries, moral dilemmas, deep-seated doubts and personal struggles…conflict keeps the plot fresh, challenges characters as they traverse their arc, builds tension and high stakes, and most importantly, keeps readers emotionally invested from beginning to end.

While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader's experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters' struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you.

This book takes writers through a series of exercises designed to encourage you to go deeper into your stories and creating emotionally engaging writing.

Super Structure represents over two decades of research on what makes a novel or screenplay entertaining, commercial, original, and irresistible. Contrary to what some may think, structure is not a nasty inhibitor of creativity. Quite the opposite. Properly understood and utilized, structure is what translates story into a form readers are wired to receive it.

And it is only when readers truly connect with your story that they turn from casual readers into fans.

This book delves into the story structure model that James Scott Bell uses himself to write his novels... and it's slightly different to the traditional three-act structure.

Fiction is action. Activate is an author's thesaurus of dramatic possibilities that will galvanize your characterization and dramatization. Verbalizing any narrative requires specific juicy language with the vibrancy readers crave. This handy writing reference focuses on language's powerhouse: verbs, featuring 5,300 potent options sorted into three useful contexts.

Publisher's note: Naughty Words for Nice Writers was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated with 800 more synonyms and a dozen new categories and writing guides. This is the updated version.If finding the right words for your romantic sex scene is challenging, Naughty Words for Nice...

Authoritative and up to date, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary offers unsurpassed coverage of English, perfect for anyone who needs a handy, reliable resource for home, school, or office.The Concise Oxford English Dictionary is one of the most popular choices in Oxford's renowned dictionary lin...

BOOKS

Features more than 225,000 definitions and over 42,000 usage examples. Includes newly added words and meanings across a variety of fields, including technology, entertainment, health, science and society. Special sections include: A Handbook of Style, Foreign Words & Phrases, Biographical Names and ...

Find the right word to enrich communication! Alphabetical lists include more than 340,000 synonyms, antonyms, related and contrasted words, and idioms. Brief definitions describe the meanings shared by synonyms.Compatible with Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle, Kindle Fire with Fire OS 4+, Ki...

One of the English language’s most skilled and beloved writers guides us all toward precise, mistake-free usage. As usual Bill Bryson says it best: “English is a dazzlingly idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense. This ...

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is a concise, entertaining workbook and guide to English grammar, punctuation, and usage. This user-friendly resource includes simple explanations of grammar, punctuation, and usage; scores of helpful examples; dozens of reproducible worksheets; and pre- and post-tests to help teach grammar to students of all ages. Appropriate for virtually any age range, this authoritative guide makes learning English grammar and usage simple and fun. This updated Eleventh Edition reflects the latest updates to English usage and grammar and features a fully revised two-color design and lay-flat binding for easy photocopying.

We all write, all the time: books, blogs, emails. Lots and lots of emails. And we all want to write better. Benjamin Dreyer is here to help.

This witty guide to grammar, punctuation and style is designed for writers, highlighting where the rules are sometimes just meant to be broken.

Be advised that there is a US English and UK English version of this book. The UK English version is specified in the title of the store listing as to which version you are looking at. For the most part, the two versions are the same, but with subtle differences for punctuation.

Building an online platform is an overwhelming and daunting task, with many pitfalls and horror stories surrounding the internet. It’s not surprising that many writers shy away from online activities, putting that online presence into the do-it-later category. But to survive in today’s publishing industry, a writer needs to be online.

This book focuses on how to build an online platform in a safe manner. Judy talks you through the various components of an online platform, showing you the tricks to staying safe online, carving out your own little corner of the internet while building that author platform.

Essential reading for authors submitting their work to agents or publishers. Publishing veteran Scott Pack offers sensible, practical advice on how to create the perfect submission. Based in on his sell-out Guardian Masterclasses, this short guide provides aspiring authors with the tools they need to...

Submission guidelines for virtually every agent or publisher seeking novels include a request for a synopsis. Ergo, every novelist or aspiring novelist needs to know what a synopsis is and how to write one that will catch an editor’s fancy. This book by acclaimed romance writer Elizabeth Sinclair gives all the details . . . what to do and what not to do . . . to make your synopsis the selling tool you need.

From blank page to first glowing (or gutting) review, Betsy Lerner is a knowing and sympathetic coach who helps writers discover how they can be more productive in the creative process and how they can better their odds of not only getting published, but getting published well.

If you want an insight into the world of publishing from the publisher's side, then this book is for you.

This is NOT a book about the craft, but a book about the publishing industry.

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this volume reveals a view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.

This is NOT a book about the craft, but rather a memoir of Stephen King's journey into writing. It contains truths about how writing can be destructive if one is not careful.

Feeling overwhelmed? Panicked?
Frustrated by trying to juggle life, writing and the business of being an author?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. Author Overwhelm is a common and not unsurprising side-effect of being an author today.

Beat Author Overwhelm with this informative, honest and
practical guide that’s full of tips and techniques to become more focused and less stressed. Together, we’ll help you form an action plan that’ll help you manage your time, social media, marketing and actually getting those words written.

The SPA Girls (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) are Cheryl Phipps, Wendy Vella, Trudi Jaye and Shar Barratt. Together, they host a popular weekly podcast, The SPA Girls Podcast, that features an honest, raw and often hilarious take on their own self-publishing adventures. Their mission is to deliver advice, resources, interviews and self-publishing best practices to help fellow authors succeed in this exciting new world.

For inspiration, advice and full podcast episodes, visit us at SpaGirlsPodcast.

With articles written by a wide range of authors who write mysteries and thrillers, this book provides an overview of what it takes to write in this genre. Topics range from working with characters and plot through to publishing and legal concerns of the industry.

This book was reviewed by the BW Book Club in June 2023. The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.

More writers are making money today than at any other time in history. With the rise of ebooks and indie publishing there are now more opportunities than ever for writers to generate substantial income from their work. And there is still a traditional publishing industry that needs new talent to keep growing.

In How to Make a Living as a Writer, you'll learn the secrets of writing for profit and increasing your chances of making a living wage from your work.

This book provides the pros AND cons of both the traditional and self-publication roads, along with some insights on how you need to treat your writing as a business.

The latest book from Joanna Penn is all about the gentle reminders on how we can't do it all. We need to focus on the tasks that we enjoy as a writer and look at other strategies to do the rest. And if that means that we don't publish a new book every month, then that's exactly what it means.

Writing is too important for it to lose the joy that brought it to us in the first place.

In this book, Joanna Penn joins up with Mark Leslie Lefebvre to give you a little insight into how they have managed to reduce the stress and become relaxed authors.

There is another whole aspect to publishing that most writers are ignorant of when they start out — the legal side.

This book give a general overview of US law as it pertains to the publishing industry, examining copyright laws, taxes and the legalities associated with pen names. This book should NOT be considered legal advice, but a guide on how to navigate the legal aspects to publishing.

Get More Done In Less Time!

You can either manage time or have it master you.

You can get more done or let your schedule overwhelm you.

You can achieve more of your dreams or let them float on by on clouds of inefficiency.
It’s your choice.

In this article James Scott Bell will present to you powerful time management tools that will increase your ability to get the right things done when you need them done.

Take your fiction to that next level, where agents and editors sit up and take notice—and where readers keep coming back for more! Writing Fiction for All You’re Worth contains the best of James Scott Bell's articles and blog posts on writing, easily searchable under these headings: The Writing World, The Writing Life, and The Writing Craft. And you'll get never before published material, including a first-ever look into Jim's secret writing notebook, the manual he put together over the years for his own use in writing numerous bestsellers. For the first time, he's sharing a glimpse into the notes he compiled on his way to publishing success. Plus, a special module on getting into e-publishing, which is a must read if you want to have a career selling e-books successfully.

Monica Leonelle digs into the best literature on forming habits and shares the top strategies professional authors are using to make sure they write each and every day. Each tip is easy to implement and will get you writing more in the "in-betweens"—the inactive moments of your life where you are commuting, waiting in line, or otherwise physically stuck with your brain unoccupied!

Ready to get on board with dictation (finally)?

Like many tools that have come before it, dictation is a new and exciting opportunity to write better, faster, and smarter. But many writers still believe it's not for them. Perhaps they've tried it in the past and it hasn't worked. Or perhaps this new technology is confusing, expensive, or frustrating and that's held them back from taking advantage of it.

If you're ready to take the next step and learn a new skill set that will give you a huge advantage over what other authors are doing today, grab Dictate Your Book and start working through the challenges that are holding you back from reaping the benefits of dictation.

Prosperous Creation: Make Art and Make Money at the Same Time

The path to becoming a full-time author is clear cut, but no one is talking about exactly what you need to focus on, and when. This book is for authors who feel overwhelmed and overworked while trying to reach their dreams of writing full-time. With this book, you can end the confusion of what marketing tactics to implement, how to make it in this industry on a budget, and answer the age-old question of, “Why isn’t my book selling?” at any point in the process.

With articles written by a wide range of authors who write mysteries and thrillers, this book provides an overview of what it takes to write in this genre. Topics range from working with characters and plot through to publishing and legal concerns of the industry.

This book was reviewed by the BW Book Club in June 2023. The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.

More writers are making money today than at any other time in history. With the rise of ebooks and indie publishing there are now more opportunities than ever for writers to generate substantial income from their work. And there is still a traditional publishing industry that needs new talent to keep growing.

In How to Make a Living as a Writer, you'll learn the secrets of writing for profit and increasing your chances of making a living wage from your work.

This book provides the pros AND cons of both the traditional and self-publication roads, along with some insights on how you need to treat your writing as a business.

Do you suffer from physical pain relating to your writing life?

Are you struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury?

These are the most common issues reported by writers and if you struggle with any of them, you are not alone.

Writing is not a physically healthy job, but if you want a long-term writing career, then you need to look after your body.

Joanna Penn and Dr Euan Lawson talk about their own experiences with pain and health issues, and give some hints on how they have changed their own lives for the better.

Get More Done In Less Time!

You can either manage time or have it master you.

You can get more done or let your schedule overwhelm you.

You can achieve more of your dreams or let them float on by on clouds of inefficiency.
It’s your choice.

In this article James Scott Bell will present to you powerful time management tools that will increase your ability to get the right things done when you need them done.

Burnout is a real condition that many just ignore. "Chill out. Relax." But that is the worst advise ever given to a woman who is stressed out in the extreme.

This book talks about the real reasons why women suffer from burnout (with some real science behind it). And real solutions and solid advice is given from a set of twin sisters who know from first-hand experience what it is like to be burnt out! And the book is funny too!

Links are provided to the paper version and the Audible version. (I couldn't stop laughing when listening to the sisters narrate their own book. Their passion for the subject came through so strongly.)

Feeling overwhelmed? Panicked?
Frustrated by trying to juggle life, writing and the business of being an author?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. Author Overwhelm is a common and not unsurprising side-effect of being an author today.

Beat Author Overwhelm with this informative, honest and
practical guide that’s full of tips and techniques to become more focused and less stressed. Together, we’ll help you form an action plan that’ll help you manage your time, social media, marketing and actually getting those words written.

The SPA Girls (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) are Cheryl Phipps, Wendy Vella, Trudi Jaye and Shar Barratt. Together, they host a popular weekly podcast, The SPA Girls Podcast, that features an honest, raw and often hilarious take on their own self-publishing adventures. Their mission is to deliver advice, resources, interviews and self-publishing best practices to help fellow authors succeed in this exciting new world.

For inspiration, advice and full podcast episodes, visit us at SpaGirlsPodcast.

This book is not about whether or not if you, as a writer, need to quit writing, but it's rather a set of preconceived ideas that we might have about writing and the writing business that are limiting our ability to move forward. We need to quit believing in the things that aren't working for us!

The latest book from Joanna Penn is all about the gentle reminders on how we can't do it all. We need to focus on the tasks that we enjoy as a writer and look at other strategies to do the rest. And if that means that we don't publish a new book every month, then that's exactly what it means.

Writing is too important for it to lose the joy that brought it to us in the first place.

In this book, Joanna Penn joins up with Mark Leslie Lefebvre to give you a little insight into how they have managed to reduce the stress and become relaxed authors.