Ryan Lanz's Blog, page 26

Finding That Magical “Flow” State As a Writer

Let’s face it, being a writer is hard. But it is also rewarding. What keeps me coming back more than anything else, is getting into that magical “flow” state when I’m fully emotionally engaged in the story. The words almost seem to write themselves, and the hours fly by. However, sometimes, these experiences are sometimes […]

Science and Magic are Two Sides of the Same Coin

After much contemplation about writing magic systems, I’ve decided on a new writing philosophy. These guides work for me, but should in no way be considered “writing rules”. In fantasy, I’m going to treat my magic systems like a science In science fiction, I’m going to treat my “pushed” science like magic Magic Magic in […]

7 Tips and Tricks for Getting Through Your Second Draft

You’d think the hard work of writing would be the first round, where you’re getting the words onto the page.  Nope!  Apparently, that’s the easy part.  Writing is a little like American Ninja Warrior – every subsequent level ups the difficulty. If writing a book is a sprint (it’s not) editing, by comparison, is a […]

A Word on Plot

I believe I was in high-school when I first stumbled across a modernistic book devoid of plot. I wasn’t attempting to read modern literature at the time. What I wanted was science fiction and this book was classified as such. After sixty pages I closed the book and wondered – when is the story going […]

How to Fill Your Day with Poetry

The easiest way to fill your day with poetry is to notice what poetry is and then surround yourself with it. Poetry is a lot of things and goes beyond words on paper. It is nature and love and pain. It is Mary Cassatt’s “Summertime” and dancing to Chopin. It is dreams and prayers and moonlight. […]

What to Know Before Pitching Your Book

When it comes to pitching your novel to an agent, there’s no room for self-doubt. You’ve worked hard on that story, right? You’ve sweated and agonized over best first lines, character development, plot, and more. So, what’s to keep you from stepping up to the pitcher’s mound and throwing your hardest, most accurate ball over […]

The Marathon of Novel-Writing

Nearly five years ago, I posted an entry to my blog about how I had recently begun writing a novel. How excited I was to tell you of my ambition! And how I’d loved and appreciated the likes and the supportive, enthusiastic comments that little post generated! Little did I know, then, what lay ahead. Since […]

Getting Over Yourself: Advice for Novelists

There are many ways to become a good writer, but one of the best ways to become a great one–besides giving yourself a thorough grounding in the mechanics of language–is to get over yourself. The fact of the matter is that, even though you’re writing the book, the book is not about you. This is […]

How to Sharpen the First Sentence in Every Chapter

We all know that the first sentence or two in a novel needs to, not only grab a reader’s attention, but flip them out of bed, melt them into their recliners, or make them forget the lasagna in the oven. Like you, I’ve written so many first lines for my novels, I could add them up and […]

16 Ideas of How to Promote Your Book Before and During Launch

To promote or not, that is the great dilemma. If you are an author, you have to promote your book or no one will know it is there. Besides, even if you are traditionally published you are expected to promote your book. If you ask me, promoting is the least fun thing you do as […]