At its core, fiction is about emotional experiences for the reader. Provide that and you’ll find that your readers will stick with you throughout your series and recommend your books to their friends.
7 Steps to Train Dragon Diction from Mushu to Smaug
Set aside several hours for setting up your Dragon. Much of the time will be your PC working without you, but it will bog down your computer to where you won’t get much else done. This is not the project to start when you’re in the middle of that manuscript which is due to your editor in three days!
Early Edits & Free Books
My wonderful editor sent back my manuscript ahead of schedule. While he found major issues—which I’ll fix this week—it means I’ll have the final copy for my Beta Readers early. I’m looking at a few long days of editing nonstop, but after that I’ll get back to drafting Sorcerer’s Trial.I think the newest book is shaping up to be my best yet, but I’m also crazy excited to have you guys read Ocean’s Dagger. So many turns and reveals.
You are the best readers I could hope for!
I earned a #1 New Release in [Teen & Young Adult Visionary & Metaphysical Fiction] badge because of you, my awesome readers! Also—at the time of writing this email—Orphan’s Price is up to six reviews.
I can’t thank you enough. You’re the best readers I could hope for, and I can’t wait for you to read more of the Chronicles of the Seventh Realm. It’s because of you my readers I’m able to live my dream of being an author.
Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings
Originally Compiled These lists were originally compiled on Daily Writing Tips “List of Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings” List of Prefixes a- or an-: at, in or in the process of, on; not, without acro- or acr-: beginning, end, height, peak, summit, tip, top ad- or (first sense only) ac-, af-, ag-, al-, ap-, as-, or at-: to, toward; adjacent to, near aero-: air, atmosphere, aviation, gas after-: following, lower, rear, resulting ambi-: both ante-: before, forward, prior or prior to anti- or ant- or anth-: against, alleviating, curing, opposed, opposite, preventing arch- or (second sense only) arche- or archi-: chief, extreme, principal; original, primary, primitive auto- or aut-: automatic, same one, self or self-acting bi- or (second sense only) bio-: between, double, two, twice; biographical, life chrono- or chron-: time circum-: about, around co-: alternate, deputy, fellow, in or to the same degree, joint, partner, together, with com-, col-, or con-: jointly, together, with contra-: against, contrary, contrasting counter-: against, complementary, contrary, corresponding, duplicate, opposing, retaliatory, substitute crypto- or crypt-: coded, covered, hidden cyber-: pertaining to computers or computer networks de-: derived from something, do the opposite, get off of, reduce, remove from, reverse of, something derived […]
DAY 21 – NEW TITLE
I’ve titled the first book of the 7th Realm series, An Orphan’s Price. The whole series will fall under the 7th Realm title, but I’d like to do something like Raymond E. Feist—create mini series within the larger story of the world. The first set will be five books, and I’m thinking I’ll include ‘Price’ in each title to link them all together.
DAY 20 – ADAPT OR DIE
I’m on a roll—three days in a row I’ve exceeded my expectations for progress on the novel. At present I’m two days ahead of schedule. Which is great news, given I’m trying to bank three books before launching the first in the series—allowing myself a runway for future publications.
DAY 19 – BUCKLE DOWN
Yesterday I changed all of that—got to work—and drafted over 10% of the novel in one day. That’s a huge accomplishment for myself. I took time to map out my lunch strategy for this new series. The title still needs work. I’ll use Seventh Realm as the series title, but I’ve not decided on a novel title.
ANATOMY OF STORY
“John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood’s most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Great Screenwriting, The Anatomy of Story reveals all his secrets for writing a compelling script. The book draws on a broad range of concepts and archetypes from philosophy and mythology, offering fresh techniques and insightful anecdotes alongside Truby’s own unique approach to building an effective, multifaceted narrative. The foundations of story that he lays out are so fundamental that they are applicable─and essential─to all writers, from novelists and short-story writers to journalists, memoirists, and those interested in narrative nonfiction.”
RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST FOR WRITERS
I wish I would have had a list of books like this when I first started out. After reading over 100 books, on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing, I decided sharing my top choices would help others like you. If this post helps, please leave a comment on which book helped you. I like to keep this list updated and see which books help others.