Mike Wells

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Mike Wells

Goodreads Author


Born
The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences

Member Since
April 2011

URL


Email me at mike (at) mikewellsbooks.com or follow me on Twitter (@MikeWellsAuthor) and get a FREE copy of one of my bestselling books. I'm an American author best known for my Lust, Money & Murder series and and written more than 25 other thriller and suspense novels. I also have taught in the Creative Writing program at Oxford. I'm known for my super fast-paced, 'unputdownable' books.

Please visit my website/blog at:

http://www.mikewellsbooks.com/

And please join me on Twitter and Facebook:

http://twitter.com/mikewellsauthor

http://facebook.com/mikewellsauthor
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Popular Answered Questions

Mike Wells Sandy, the only hard copies of my books are of other titles, not the Lust, Money & Murder series. I am moving exclusively to ebooks for many reasons, …moreSandy, the only hard copies of my books are of other titles, not the Lust, Money & Murder series. I am moving exclusively to ebooks for many reasons, including economic ones (for myself and for my readers). I think if you want to keep reading my books you have to adapt to ebooks, sorry, the demand is just too small to justify paper and the higher prices paper require. By the way, you don't have to buy a new Kindle--just get a Kindle app for your smartphone, tablet, or PC. Also, you say you can't afford to replace your physical Kindle, but Kindles pay for themselves pretty fast because ebooks are generally cheaper than paper, and after that point it starts saving you money. I do all my reading on a tablet now, have not bought a paper book in years, don't miss them much anymore, have gotten used to ebooks..(less)
Mike Wells Very good question, Quinesia. First, when you say that you’re not good at plotting, the first thing that comes to mind is that maybe you shouldn’t wor…moreVery good question, Quinesia. First, when you say that you’re not good at plotting, the first thing that comes to mind is that maybe you shouldn’t worry about this so much in the first place. There are tons of commercial bestsellers and probably even more literary fiction that have extremely simple plots. After all, plot is just one of many aspects of a story. One such book (and movie) that immediately popped into my mind was Accidental Tourist. The plot was: a married couple breaks up and husband finds new girlfriend. Period. That’s it. Yet I was engaged by that beautifully written book from Page 1 all the way to the end, and so were millions of other readers.

So, one answer could be for you to just focus on the aspects of a story that are naturally good at and don’t worry about coming up with a spectacular plot. Keeping readers pinned to the story with the question of “How will this turn out” is all that matters. In the book I mentioned, the main question was would this man go back to his wife, or not? And it worked.

Having said all that, I believe that if you set your mind to learning how to come up with good plots, you can do that as well. You’ve already taken the first step by seeking more information on this. There are many books, blogs and websites that have extensive material on how to create good plots, plot twists, etc. Just Google that and you’ll find them. A good place to start is with articles that say there are only seven (or nine, or ten, etc.) basic plots and that every book that’s ever been written follows one of those plots (Rags to Riches, Man Against the System, and so on)

Some practical advice: one thing I do, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, is “lift” plots, usually from movies or TV series. As Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” What I think he meant is that every great artist builds his/her work on the work of others—we all have influences—and that a painting (or story) that appears “original” in fact has probably been done before, and usually many times—it’s just been disguised and used in a different context, which is the only original part. I don’t usually copy whole plots, just pieces of a plot, or a subplot, and then I change it around to the point where no one would ever recognize it. I don’t do this because I’m lazy—sometimes I just see a movie or TV episode and think, “Wow, what a great plot line—I love it! I’m going to use that sometime!” And I write it down—I actually keep a Plot Ideas file that is full of these notes, along with ideas I get on my own, ideas from the news, from some anecdote I hear, all kinds of different sources. Again, if you want to become good at plotting and have plots be one of the better aspects of your books, you can do it—I fully believe it CAN be learned.

I hope that helps!(less)
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More books by Mike Wells…

10 Tips to Write Better Dialogue

Good dialogue can elevate a novel from ho-hum to unforgettable. It's a crucial component of storytelling that helps bring characters to life and move the plot forward. But writing dialogue that's both believable and engaging can be a challenge. 

Here are 10 tips for writing better dialogue in your novel, with examples that employ all of them.

1. Less is more. One of the best pieces of advice I e

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Published on February 19, 2023 23:15
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Mike’s Recent Updates

Mike Wells wrote a new blog post

AIRRC

Test the color responses for the AI Replacement Risk Indicator: Choose a number between 1 and 10: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Calculate Risk
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Quotes by Mike Wells  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“If I couldn't be a fiction writer, I would be a roller coaster designer for theme parks”
Mike Wells

“When they stepped out of the taxi and approached the hotel lobby, she mustered up the courage to take Nick’s hand. He quickly let go, frowning at her. “I thought we were supposed to be married,” she said, a little hurt. “We are. Five years, Elaine. No married couple holds hands after five years.”
Mike Wells, Lust

“Maybe you’re right,” Kyle said. While Kyle drove, he was deep in thought, trying to grapple with the future. Briana’s future. So, the green water had saved her again today. But what about tomorrow? And the next day? And the next? What was she going to do, just keep coming back to the lake and swimming down to the bottom for her green-water fix, like some sort of aquatic vampire? And what about school? She was supposed to leave for State in another week. It was a three-hour drive away. What was she going to do then?”
Mike Wells, Wild Child

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“If I couldn't be a fiction writer, I would be a roller coaster designer for theme parks”
Mike Wells

“Maybe you’re right,” Kyle said. While Kyle drove, he was deep in thought, trying to grapple with the future. Briana’s future. So, the green water had saved her again today. But what about tomorrow? And the next day? And the next? What was she going to do, just keep coming back to the lake and swimming down to the bottom for her green-water fix, like some sort of aquatic vampire? And what about school? She was supposed to leave for State in another week. It was a three-hour drive away. What was she going to do then?”
Mike Wells, Wild Child

“Briana watched him for a moment and then looked back out her window. “You don’t know what you’re missing, Kyle.”
Mike Wells, Wild Child

“When they stepped out of the taxi and approached the hotel lobby, she mustered up the courage to take Nick’s hand. He quickly let go, frowning at her. “I thought we were supposed to be married,” she said, a little hurt. “We are. Five years, Elaine. No married couple holds hands after five years.”
Mike Wells, Lust

“She could feel the emotional wedge between him and his father. It must be very hard for them to work together, she thought. Maybe she just didn’t understand the ways of the super wealthy.”
Mike Wells, Passion, Power & Sin - Book 1

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message 10: by Zachary

Zachary Chopchinski Hi, I was wondering if you would be willing to have me as a guest during my blog tour to promote my book. Here is the link if you are interested. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1537C...


Philip Thanks for accepting my friend invite.


message 8: by Mike

Mike Terry wrote: "Thank you for befriending me!"

You're welcome, Terry, thank you as well.


message 7: by Terry

Terry Drake Thank you for befriending me!


message 6: by Mike

Mike You're welcome, Maria Anna, and a good morning from Cyprus!


Maria Anna van Driel A very good morning from Germany and thanks for accepting my friendship request.
Greetings Maria Anna


message 4: by Dale

Dale Thele Mike, thanx for accepting my friend request :)


Mariam Cheshire Celebrating my 86th birthday with FREE DAY for Kindle e-book The Alternate Safe World of Sanctuary. August 11th, one day only – google Mariam Cheshire or http://goo.gl/DvCsp


message 2: by Sara

Sara Lewis Hi from the UK! Thanks for the add. Love all of your books that I've read so far! Keep on writing, you have an amazing talent!!


message 1: by Diann

Diann Shaddox Hi Mike, thanks for the add. Please check out my new book, A Faded Cottage, a South Carolina love story. A Faded Cottage by Diann Shaddox


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