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Fiction Writers Can’t Be One-Trick Ponies

July 5, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

While a single skill might have prompted you to begin a novel, begin writing for fun or as a career, that single skill is insufficient for preparing you to write novels. Encouragement for writers to branch out and learn new skills.

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Reader Saturation—Dealing with Changing Reader Tastes

July 2, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Even your most avid fans may hunger for a different protagonist, a different story world, or even a different genre. Consider options for when readers become saturated by elements of your stories.

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Lesson from Mad Men Finale—It’s the Real Thing

May 19, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Taking tips from the series finale of Mad Men.

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Story Openings in a Digital World—The First Page is a Sales Tool

April 28, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

A book’s opening words need to entice readers right away, especially readers who search for books online and who give a book only a few moments to capture their interest.

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Readers are Smart—Respect What They Bring to Books

April 12, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Readers don’t have to write books to know a lot about them—and writers would do well to respect the reader’s knowledge and expectations.

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Writing Advice—What About -ing Words (Part Four)

April 8, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

There’s a lot of conflicting advice that tells writers to never use words that end in -ing or to not use -ing words under certain conditions. Explore both the advice and the rationale behind it.

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Writing Advice—Behind the Advice (Part Three)

April 6, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Explore the rationale behind writing advice before you choose to accept or reject it. Includes advice on semicolons, exclamation points, prologues, and opening stories with dreams.

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Writing Advice—Weighing the Advice (Part Two)

March 27, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

How’s a writer to know what writing advice is good and what is better ignored? A continuation of an earlier post.

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It Ain’t Over Till the Full Story Sings

March 23, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Many writers stop working on a manuscript before it’s truly finished. Polish stories to add resonance and to make them sing.

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Writing Novels vs. Telling Tales

March 13, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Tales and novels have different structures and purposes. Explore the differences and learn why telling tales in the middle of a novel is often not a good idea.

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