How a Book Is Born, Part 12
In which I decide to kill off a character. And then rescind the decision.
Similar Posts
On what I learned from watching things blow up
If you’ve been following along, you might think when I refer to watching things blow up, I am using the phrase in a metaphorical sense, but today I actually mean it in the literal sense. That is to say, I have been watching Mythbusters on Netflix. If you’ve ever watched this show, you know…
Facing fears
Ever since Jessica started middle school, every morning I have parked in the parking lot and walked to the front door with her. In the afternoons, I stand by the front door to pick her up and we walk to the car together. Everyone else, of course, drops their kids off; they just wait in…
On what I learned during Acts 2 through 5
If you’ve been following along at all, you’ll have noticed that a few years ago, I stopped doing as much freelance writing (Act 1) and started focusing on other aspects of my career (Acts 2 through 5). You’ll also have noticed that earlier this year I went back to focusing on freelance writing (Act 6….
Avoiding creative burnout
I recently got a note from a writer saying she felt creatively drained. She said, “My book is good. How can I convince others?” Reading between the lines, I figured she’d written a book she felt was excellent but agents/editors were rejecting it, and that was making her feel a lot like not writing any more…
How to: Make Your Book More Marketable
Some ideas to consider for making your book more appealing to agents and editors: Expand your niche. Sometimes agents and editors like a book but don’t think the primary audience for it is big enough. You can expand your niche by adding secondary audiences. A book for straight parents of gay teens can also…
How to: Write a synopsis
A couple of years ago, I was having trouble writing a synopsis to a novel (Love by Design, published last year by Avalon, under my pen name Jenny Jacobs). A friend of mine, writer Julie Mettenburg, took one look at the pathetic mess I’d sent to her for feedback and said, “I think you need…