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Words That Carry Maximum Weight: Tropes In Storytelling
By BookBaby author Dawn Field Tropes — cultural references or recurrent themes imbued with shared meaning — can be a staple of storytelling (and a potential path to cliché). Sometimes the exact right...
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Using writing snippets to exercise your creative mind
By BookBaby author Dawn Field Writing snippets are practical, creative exercises that let you work on specific elements of your writing and explore styles outside your comfort zone. Everyone has a...
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Request a “Suspension of Disbelief” Edit of Your Book
By BookBaby author Dawn Field Use an editing pass to produce a map of your reader’s suspension of disbelief in your story. Once you’ve created a universe in which your reader is immersed, you can focus...
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The “Why Do I Need This?” Check
By BookBaby author Dawn Field There are many ways to take a critical pass at your writing to tighten up your narrative and make it more enjoyable for your reader. Asking yourself “Why do I need this in...
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Lyrics In Books: Your Questions Answered
By BookBaby author Scott McCormick If a music artist wants to record someone else’s song, there is a set fee for that use, but rights and fees are entirely up to the publisher when it comes to printing...
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Truth and Narrative: The Two Timelines Of Your Story
By BookBaby author Dawn Field The truth and narrative of your story — also known as fabula and syuzhet — amplify each other to produce a satisfying read. All stories have a “true” chronology of events...
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Are You A Writer, Or Someone Who Dreams Of Being A Writer?
By BookBaby author Michael Gallant Being a writer, rather than someone who dreams of being a writer, is a challenge. Insecurity can be the twin of creativity — give yourself permission to just get...
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Writing lessons from TV, Part I: Rick and Morty
By BookBaby author Scott McCormick Here’s the first post in a series that will focus on writing lessons authors can glean from some of the great shows airing in this golden age of TV. The most common...
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Filling The Holes In Your Story
By BookBaby author Dawn Field You may think your manuscript is ready for publication, but are there holes in your story? A beta reader can help determine if there’s still work to do. How do you know...
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A Million Jelly Beans And No Bowl (facts and narrative)
By BookBaby author Dawn Field A well-constructed story has the right blend of facts and narrative. This post turns this concept into a sweet and colorful metaphor. Have you ever been reading a book and...
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Storytelling Tip: Engineer Your “Hook” Map
By BookBaby author Dawn Field A “hook” is a passage or bit of information that changes the stakes, pulls the reader along, and builds the trajectory of your narrative. Constructing a hook map can help...
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Writing Lessons From TV: Rick and Morty Revisited
By BookBaby author BookBaby Some of the boldest, most adventurous writing is happening on TV. In this ongoing series, we deliver writing lessons gleaned from our favorite shows airing in the golden age...
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Writing A Best-Selling Book [Infographic]
By BookBaby author BookBaby Of course, there’s no formula for writing a best-selling book. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to dissect best sellers...
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Scrivener and My Case Study in Organizing a Novel
By BookBaby author Michael Gallant At its best, software can inspire and empower its users. Scrivener did both for me and I’m excited to see what this software can do as I head to the completion of my...
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Green-light editing: What makes publication-quality text?
By BookBaby author Dawn Field Publication-quality text is what agents, editors, and readers are looking for — and they can tell whether you have it in the first paragraph, or even the first sentence....
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Writing Lessons From TV: Slang Can Help Create Your World
By BookBaby author Scott McCormick One way to envelop your reader in a new world is to create (or appropriate) slang. Done clumsily, it can detract from your story, but Buffy and Firefly show how slang...
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Writing Great Dialogue: Create Power Moments Rich In Subtext
By BookBaby author Dawn Field Power moments in your story set up life-changing events and propel your story forward. Writing great dialogue often depends on the subtext you create in setting up these...
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Creating Three-dimensional Villains: Lessons From Buffy and Firefly
By BookBaby author Scott McCormick When writing your next villain, take care to give him/her as much attention to detail and backstory as your protagonist. TV’s Buffy and Firefly provide some great...
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What Marie Kondo Can Teach Us About Decluttering Our Prose
By BookBaby author Kathy Edens When “Tidying Up” aired early in January 2019 on Netflix, hordes of fans clamored for more of Marie Kondo’s animism when dealing with all their “stuff.” Kondo peddles the...
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Writing A Best-Selling Book [Infographic]
By BookBaby author BookBaby Of course, there’s no formula for writing a best-selling book. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to dissect best sellers...
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