Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 106

How To Pick A Genre To Write In

Many writers don’t consider the genre they are writing in until their book is written. It’s easy to believe that once you have finished writing your novel that it will become immediately obvious which category it falls into and when you are undertaking tasks such as submitting to editors or selecting the genres where your book should sit in Amazon, that it will be easy to define your writing in such a way.

However, only considering your genre after you have finished your story can lead to some problems. There are perhaps some stories that are easier to define. A classic romance, thriller or horror story for example. With many contemporary fiction books it can be a little more tricky, and in fact, you could find your story crosses the boundaries of many different genres, a little bit of romance but mostly a thriller, a ghost story with some comedy thrown in, and so on.

The trouble with not being able to clearly define your genre is that you then cannot clearly define your audience. One of the most important things you should be able to do when submitting your novel to publishers and agents, or when marketing it yourself, is be able to define who your audience is, to be able to prove that there is a market for your book out there, that there are readers ready and waiting to devour it.

If you are vague about your genre, agents and publishers will have a harder time being convinced they can sell your book. Where will it sit in a bookstore? Will readers be annoyed if they pitch it as a romance novel, when actually perhaps it is more of a fantasy book? It’s the same when you come to chose where to place your book, if self-publishing, on sites such as Amazon - if readers disagree with your choices then you could end up with negative reviews - readers do not like to be misled after all.

So how do you choose a genre to write in?

Write with an audience in mind

You should always consider your reader when you write. Before you start why not try to identify who your target audience is? Sketch out an idea of what they are like, get to know them, what motivates and inspires them? What makes them tick? Once you understand your reader you’ll have a better idea of the types of books they read, and therefore the genre you should place your book into.

Read many genres and see what resonates

Writing in a genre you love to read will make your life so much easier. If you love romance novels but try to write a hard boiled detective story you might find yourself in trouble. So read lots and lots of different books and then shape your story to fit which genre you like best.

Go to a bookstore and look at the books in each section, where do you see yours going?

If you have already written your novel, or have your story already mapped out in your head, go to a bookstore to try and help clarify which genre it fits into. Look at books by other authors and see which ones have similar themes to yours. This is also a great way of getting inspiration for your book synopsis and cover too!

Create a marketing plan

If you pick a genre that is really obscure, you might find it difficult to know how to market your book. Saying, that a niche genre could help you really focus on specific readers. Creating a marketing plan could help sway you one way or another as you decide what is best for your book.

At the end of the day when it comes to picking a genre to write in, sometimes it’s simply a good idea to go with your gut instinct. If you are torn between two, you could even make a pros and cons list to help you choose. Whatever you do, make sure you have a clear idea of the genre you are writing in, ideally before you start to write, that way you’ll have your reader firmly in mind and be more likely to write something that they won’t be able to resist.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How To Pick A Genre To Write In appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

The Hard Truths Every Writer Must Face

When many of us start out writing it is because we are driven by a passion, an urge deep within that spurs us on and tells us that we must do this.

Right at the beginning, everything seems fresh and new, we are full of adrenaline and excitement about embarking on this new journey, and wonder what the future may hold for us. We imagine that our writing will bring us deep fulfilment and personal satisfaction and that when we sit down to write it will be a pleasurable, creative and even an enlightening experience.

But that's far from the truth.

Look, I'm not saying that all of this is nonsense. In fact, writing can be all of the above and more. The trouble is that for novice writers the idealistic view of a writer’s life and the lofty expectations they have of what being a writer will be like come very quickly crashing down when they actually get down to work.

It is far better for us to be realistic, to understand what it really means to be a writer, to face those hard truths about writing and be prepared for what’s to come. Otherwise when we are faced with the reality of a writer’s life, and when we hit those inevitable obstacles and pitfalls on our writing journey, we’ll be better prepared for them and less likely to give up.

So what is it really like to be a writer? What are the hard truths that every writer must face?

You’ll procrastinate (and then beat yourself up about it)

You create a writing schedule, and you're so excited about the idea of starting that it never even crosses your mind that you won’t stick to it. Then suddenly when ‘real life’ gets in the way, your writing window gets smaller and smaller and then you realise you haven’t done any in three weeks and have forgotten half your story in the process. It’s so easy to find reasons not to write, and when we don’t find the time we tend to be extremely hard on ourselves. Make your writing schedule realistic and reasonable and learn to prioritise it. If it’s important enough you’ll find a way.

You won’t be very good (at first)

Some people are born with a great writing talent, but no matter how talented we are, our first drafts are always a bit rubbish, and we all have days where we look back at our writing and wonder what on earth we were thinking. It’s OK to be bad at writing. If you keep at it, you WILL get better.

You won’t like certain parts of the process - but you’ll have to do them anyway

A writer’s life doesn’t involve just writing. To give writing a real shot there is so much more to do. From editing to marketing you have to learn a lot of new skills - some of them you won’t enjoy, but just remember it’s all worth it in the end.

You’ll lose confidence in yourself

You’ll have days where you start to question everything. You’ll believe you are a terrible writer, you’ll be embarrassed that you even entertained the notion that you could do it, you’ll think about giving up. Know that every writer has moments like these, even the really, really good ones -but don't despair, for they will pass.

You’ll get writer’s block

You’ll have days where you sit down to write and absolutely nothing comes out. You’ll think your ideas have dried up and your creativity has vanished. Writer’s block is a curse, however, there are plenty of things you can do to get back on track.

You’ll get criticised, and it hurts

Every single writer who is brave enough to put their work ‘out there’ will experience criticism from others - whether you should listen to them or not is your call. However, we all know it hurts when someone doesn’t appreciate your writing, especially when you’ve put your heart and soul into it. But even the greatest writers of all time have been rejected, scorned and laughed at, so at least you can take solace in the fact that you’re in good company.

You have to actually practice and learn stuff

There is always room for improvement when it comes to writing, and there is lots to learn! Even if writing comes naturally to you, you should strive to get better and always do more.

You’ll have to market your own book

No matter which publishing route you choose, you’ll end up having to do some marketing of your own. Be it book signings to social media, marketing is part and parcel of the job.

You (probably) won’t become a famous author

At the end of the day, only a tiny fraction of writers go on to be famous and highly successful authors. You might be one of them, but it’s more likely that you won’t. Accept that and learn how to make writing part of your life without fame and fortune being part of it - the sooner you do the better.

If you’ve read all of the above, acknowledged it, accepted it and still have a burning desire to write, that’s great news. Let’s face it, some of the toughest things, the things we have to put the most effort into in life, are also the most rewarding and those that we wouldn’t change for a second (just ask any parent). So no matter how tough writing gets, you’ll keep doing it anyway - because you love it.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post The Hard Truths Every Writer Must Face appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

The Hard Truth’s Every Writer Must Face

When many of us start out writing it is because we are driven by a passion, an urge deep within that spurs us on and tells us that we must do this.

Right at the beginning, everything seems fresh and new, we are full of adrenaline and excitement about embarking on this new journey, and wonder what the future may hold for us. We imagine that our writing will bring us deep fulfilment and personal satisfaction and that when we sit down to write it will be a pleasurable, creative and even an enlightening experience.

But that's far from the truth.

Look, I'm not saying that all of this is nonsense. In fact, writing can be all of the above and more. The trouble is that for novice writers the idealistic view of a writer’s life and the lofty expectations they have of what being a writer will be like come very quickly crashing down when they actually get down to work.

It is far better for us to be realistic, to understand what it really means to be a writer, to face those hard truths about writing and be prepared for what’s to come. Otherwise when we are faced with the reality of a writer’s life, and when we hit those inevitable obstacles and pitfalls on our writing journey, we’ll be better prepared for them and less likely to give up.

So what is it really like to be a writer? What are the hard truth’s that every writer must face?

You’ll procrastinate (and then beat yourself up about it)

You create a writing schedule, and you're so excited about the idea of starting that it never even crosses your mind that you won’t stick to it. Then suddenly when ‘real life’ gets in the way, your writing window gets smaller and smaller and then you realise you haven’t done any in three weeks and have forgotten half your story in the process. It’s so easy to find reasons not to write, and when we don’t find the time we tend to be extremely hard on ourselves. Make your writing schedule realistic and reasonable and learn to prioritise it. If it’s important enough you’ll find a way.

You won’t be very good (at first)

Some people are born with a great writing talent, but no matter how talented we are, our first drafts are always a bit rubbish, and we all have days where we look back at our writing and wonder what on earth we were thinking. It’s OK to be bad at writing. If you keep at it, you WILL get better.

You won’t like certain parts of the process - but you’ll have to do them anyway

A writer’s life doesn’t involve just writing. To give writing a real shot there is so much more to do. From editing to marketing you have to learn a lot of new skills - some of them you won’t enjoy, but just remember it’s all worth it in the end.

You’ll lose confidence in yourself

You’ll have days where you start to question everything. You’ll believe you are a terrible writer, you’ll be embarrassed that you even entertained the notion that you could do it, you’ll think about giving up. Know that every writer has moments like these, even the really, really good ones -but don't despair, for they will pass.

You’ll get writer’s block

You’ll have days where you sit down to write and absolutely nothing comes out. You’ll think your ideas have dried up and your creativity has vanished. Writer’s block is a curse, however, there are plenty of things you can do to get back on track.

You’ll get criticised, and it hurts

Every single writer who is brave enough to put their work ‘out there’ will experience criticism from others - whether you should listen to them or not is your call. However, we all know it hurts when someone doesn’t appreciate your writing, especially when you’ve put your heart and soul into it. But even the greatest writers of all time have been rejected, scorned and laughed at, so at least you can take solace in the fact that you’re in good company.

You have to actually practice and learn stuff

There is always room for improvement when it comes to writing, and there is lots to learn! Even if writing comes naturally to you, you should strive to get better and always do more.

You’ll have to market your own book

No matter which publishing route you choose, you’ll end up having to do some marketing of your own. Be it book signings to social media, marketing is part and parcel of the job.

You (probably) won’t become a famous author

At the end of the day, only a tiny fraction of writers go on to be famous and highly successful authors. You might be one of them, but it’s more likely that you won’t. Accept that and learn how to make writing part of your life without fame and fortune being part of it - the sooner you do the better.

If you’ve read all of the above, acknowledged it, accepted it and still have a burning desire to write, that’s great news. Let’s face it, some of the toughest things, the things we have to put the most effort into in life, are also the most rewarding and those that we wouldn’t change for a second (just ask any parent). So no matter how tough writing gets, you’ll keep doing it anyway - because you love it.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post The Hard Truth’s Every Writer Must Face appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Inspiring Writing Quotes To Keep You Motivated

Writing is a tough gig. There are many obstacles, many pitfalls many days where it seems impossible to continue. When it comes to writing there are no guarantees, and for many of us, it is just passion and a sort of blind faith that keeps us going!

However, as all have those times, when faced with writer’s block, or perhaps when having just read a passage we wrote  and realised it was utter nonsense, that we find our motivation levels plummet. We begin to question everything. Are we good enough? Are we wasting our time? Are we complete idiots for even trying?

It is on these days that it’s a good idea to search for some inspiration.

Yes, every writer needs a little motivation from time to time, so next time you are having one of those dark days, find solace in these fantastic quotes which will keep you motivated, or at the very least make you smile.

If writers were good businessmen, they’d have too much sense to be writers.

- Irvin S. Cobb

“We read to know we are not alone.”

William Nicholson

“Creativity takes courage.”

- Henri Matisse

“I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us.”

- Franz Kafka

I wrote a few children's books. Not on purpose.

- Steven Wright

“You can fix anything but a blank page.”

- Nora Roberts

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

- Anton Chekhov

“Creativity is an act of defiance.”

- Twyla Tharp

"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put".

- Winston Churchill

"I get a lot of letters from people. They say: "I want to be a writer. What should I do?" I tell them to stop writing to me and get on with it".

- Ruth Rendell

"If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers".

- Doug Larson

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”

- Joseph Brodsky

"Writers don’t have lifestyles. They sit in little rooms and write."

- Norman Mailer

"Learn to write. Never mind the damn statistics. If you like statistics, become a CPA".

- Jim Murray

"The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere".

- S.J. Perelman

"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead".

- Gene Fowler

"If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing".

Kingsley Amis

"The road to hell is paved with adverb"s.

- Stephen King

"Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent".

Ernest Hemingway

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist,

but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

-G.K. Chesterton

"Writing is so difficult that I often feel that writers, having had their hell on earth, will escape all punishment thereafter".

- Jessamyn West

"I was sorry to hear my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I am not feeling very well myself."

- Mark Twain

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

- W. Somerset Maugham

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

- Stephen King

“Tears are words that need to be written.”

- Paulo Coelho

“A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.”

- Samuel Johnson

“Learn as much by writing as by reading.”

- Lord Acton

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.”

by Lisa See, Snow River and the Secret Fan

“Don’t be a writer; be writing.”

William Faulkner

These quotes are perfect for writers who need a little pick me up, so if you are feeling in need of some motivation give them a browse, better still, hang them up on the wall behind your writing desk, that way you can always glance up and read them when having a wobble, and then get back to work in no time at all!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Inspiring Writing Quotes To Keep You Motivated appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Why It’s So Important To Find A Writing Community

Writing can be a seriously lonely job. For many freelance writers and authors, we spend much of our career holed up at home, in an office, barely communicating with the outside world.

While many writers need that silence and solitude to produce their best work, without having another writers to interact with, it can eventually send one a little stir crazy.

That’s why writers should always strive to find their people, their crew, their gang  - the ones who can pick them up when they're feeling down, and help them keep sane!

Your writing community can be full of different characters, but building up this essential network of people around you can be very rewarding. Still not convinced? Here are some of the reasons why finding a great writing community can be so helpful:

Invaluable support

We all need support and reassurance from time to time and writers are not an exception. A writing community will become your support network and the people that you can rely on and go to for advice when you hit tough times in your career.

Motivation

Having a writing network will motivate you to keep writing. You can revel in one another successes and commiserate each other's failures, but most importantly encourage each other never to give up.

Ideas and problem solving

Writing communities are great for bouncing new ideas off likeminded people, they're also handy source if you’ve got a question that needs answering or a problem that needs solving.

Free critiques

If you make friends with the right sort of people you can ask them your critique and give feedback on your work for free!

Sharing techniques, lessons learned, ways to improve and useful information

Your writing community can be an endless pool of information and resources at your fingertips. From editing and publishing questions to finding new writing exercises to keep improving to experimenting with the genre - anything at all really. A great writing community is always looking out for one another and will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Job opportunities

If you keep in touch with a variety of people in the writing community, you never know where it might lead. You may end up getting a great job because of it, or even getting your book published or landing yourself an agent - so it’s well worth talking to the right people.

So, if you are looking for a writing community, where do you find them?

Keep pitching ideas to editors - if you do good work for an editor this could open up many doors for you!

Keep sending your book to agents and publishers - you never know when you might strike gold!

Join and participate in writing communities - there are loads of writing communities out there from online groups to local meet ups. Get involved in them all.

Go to relevant events

Anything from writing courses to book fairs to local author readings - you never know who you’ll meet there - and who could end up being an invaluable resource, or a life long friend!

Surrounding yourself with a great writing community doesn’t mean that all your time will be taken up nurturing and fostering these new relationships, having to go to endless networking or social events just to keep them close by. Rather, it simply means you’ll have a great group of people you can count on to support, motivate and inspire you - just remember, it’s a two-way street so make sure you offer something back and do the same for them too!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Why It’s So Important To Find A Writing Community appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Trick Yourself Into Writing More Productively

All writers would love to be more productive, but it can be hard. With busy lives and lots of other things to juggle, we often find that writing gets pushed to the bottom of our priority list again and again. Here are some simple ways to become a more productive writer, without even really trying!

Take baby steps

The key to writing more productively is not to do too much too soon. If you set yourself unrealistic targets -one that you can’t possibly achieve - you’ll never get anywhere. Little and often is the key.

In short, it’s all about making progress, however small that progress is. If you set yourself ridiculously easy goals at first you’ll definitely achieve them. So instead of giving yourself a word count limit or saying ‘I want to finish this chapter by…’ why don’t you just decide to write for ten minutes every day?

No matter where you are and what other things fill up your life, this is doable.

However, be warned, just because you do it three days in a row, don’t change your goal or increase your writing time, just keep doing it, keep writing for ten minutes a day until you absolutely know that you will. You’ll find what happens is that your writing becomes more natural, and flows easier, and soon those ten minutes will fly by and you’ll find yourself writing for twenty or thirty minutes instead without even thinking about it.

If you do it doesn’t mean you shouldn't then write the next day, just keep that same goal, taking small steps and you’ll naturally end up being more productive. Progress has been shown to be an effective motivator, even more so than rewarding yourself when you hit a goal. Think about it, if you were trying to lose weight, for example, would getting on the scales and seeing that your diet is working and you are closer to your target weight be more motivating than the reward of buying a new dress when you do? The same goes for writing, if you keep progressing you’ll feel more inspired to write and the more you write the more you’ll progress!

Reward yourself

Saying that, rewarding yourself when you achieve a goal can be a good way to keep you on track and motivated to continue. Rewards can be little things like having a coffee and a cake after you’ve finished a chapter to larger things like going out for a fancy dinner or a weekend away to celebrate finishing your whole novel. Knowing that if you write well you’ll get to have a reward sooner is a good way to keep you productive and focused, as well as keep those distractions at bay!

Get feedback early on

Another way to trick yourself into writing more productively is to get some feedback on your writing early on. Because writing can often be a lonely job, if you are trying to write an entire novel and you don’t get any feedback until the end, it can be tough to hear any criticism. If you get feedback as you go however you can make tweaks and changes as you write, and then it won’t feel like such a mammoth task or be so disheartening if you do receive criticism of your work.

Get to know your writing self

Lastly, one of the easiest ways to make the most of your writing time is to really understand how best you like to write. Figure out what barriers you have, is it lack of time, lack of confidence, fear of the unknown? Work out which times of day you feel at your most creative. And where do you write well, in a bustling cafe or in absolute silence at home? When do ideas strike you and how do you incorporate them into your writing? Do you prefer to type straight onto a document or write by hand?

Experimenting with what makes you be at your writing best and noticing patterns in your writing behaviour will help you to tackle any problems, set up the perfect writing environment and do whatever you need to to make your writing time as productive as possible.

By following the above you can trick yourself and train yourself into making significant progress in your writing. By working smarter, more effectively and more enjoyably your writing will feel effortless, and you’ll reach those writing goals even sooner!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Trick Yourself Into Writing More Productively appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Why Setting Writing Goals Will Make You A Better Writer

When it comes to great writing, having a goal mind is so important. It could be a big, long term goal such as finishing your novel, or a smaller goal such as writing that short story or first chapter.

When it comes to writing, having goals is crucial. With everything that is important in life, if we don’t have goals or aims of how to improve, we can lack direction. We can become stagnant and unable to move forward.

Setting writing goals is a great idea because:

They help you understand your reasons for writing

Goals give us clarity. When you are setting your goals it will become abundantly clear what it is you hope to achieve. You should never censor yourself when it comes to goal setting. Be as bold and imaginative as you like. There is no reason why your biggest goal can’t be to become a best-selling, world famous author. You just need to then figure out all the steps and other, smaller goals that will get you there.

They keep you writing regularly

Write out your goals, both big and small, and pin them somewhere you can see them. Your goals should not just be your end goals, but everything you need to do in order to achieve them. By breaking your goals down into small, manageable steps you have effectively created a to do list which will help set out a pathway to get there. Make sure you give yourself deadlines as well, and then you will find that you write more regularly and more productively too.

They give you a powerful sense of achievement when you reach one

It’s important to give yourself credit when you have achieved something, even if it is a little thing! Setting writing goals allows you to reward yourself. You don’t have to wait until your book has been published to feel a sense of achievement, you can be proud of yourself for finishing that chapter or hitting your word count target for the day. Feeling as though you are achieving your goals is a powerful motivator and will keep you in a positive frame of mind and inspired to keep on going.

They help you learn and grow as a writer

Of course, one of the wonderful things about writing goals is that they are malleable. What you first set out to achieve may become something different as you move forward on your writing journey. Looking back at your goals and always keeping them in mind, as well as being flexible with them and allowing room for them to adjust, will help shape what kind of writer you are, as well as what kind of writer you want to become.

Setting writing goals is helpful whatever stage you are at with your writing, so if you haven’t already, try to think about why you want to write, what you want to achieve and by when, and the kind of writer you want to be - then you’ll always have these to focus on and keep you moving and improving all the time.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Why Setting Writing Goals Will Make You A Better Writer appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Construct The Perfect Scene – Each And Every Time!

When writing a novel, there are many important aspects to consider. Having an exciting, fast paced plot, having a cast of characters that are intriguing, relatable, and that your readers care about, and of course, writing in a unique and interesting voice that holds your reader's attention are all important.

All of the above are crucial when it comes to creating a perfect scene, and a collection of scenes are what will come together to form your novel.

When writing a scene it’s so important to think about everything that is going on within it, not just the physical location, but how the characters react to it, and to one another. The author should be showing the reader, through their use of language and detail rather than telling them what they should be seeing, thinking or feeling.

Getting this right, however, is easier said than done! Often authors are so wrapped up in their stories or so fixated on getting the words out that they can overlook awkward sentences, overwritten paragraphs or inconsistencies that jar the reader and take them out of the world the author has created. A reader should never realise that they are reading after all!

So how can authors make sure they are creating fantastic scenes, and are able to identify any problems with their writing that might not sit right with their readers, to get the perfect balance between directing the reader to see what you want them to see, but also giving them the space and freedom to use their imaginations and conjure a picture in their own minds? To do so, when writing scenes, it’s helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

Where is the scene unfolding? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Think about the senses and use them to create a vibrant picture. How much time has passed since the last scene? How is your character feeling?

What is going on and how will your character react? It’s all well and good writing an explosive action scene, but if readers don’t have insight into how your protagonist feels about it, they will be left cold. Make sure your character reacts in an appropriate and believable way. A common mistake is for writers to not give enough thought to the way characters react or have them think, say or do something that is inconsistent with the way they have behaved up until this point.

What is the purpose of this scene? This is perhaps the most important question writers can ask themselves. It may seem daunting to do so, but if you don’t have a clear idea of why you are writing it, and if it doesn’t advance the story in some way or reveal something necessary and important - why bother in the first place?

Does your scene include conflict, tension, action, drama? Each scene could almost be a mini story all of its own. It should have rises and falls, it should have a beginning and an end, it should be packed full of strong, powerful sentences and exciting, descriptive language. It should guide the reader, make them react and inspire them to keep on reading to find out what happens next.

Asking yourself these questions and really thinking carefully about the answers will help you to construct the perfect scene each and every time. If you do you can rest assured your novel has action and excitement on every page, that your characters are interesting and engaging and that your readers will be hooked on every word!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How To Construct The Perfect Scene – Each And Every Time! appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Writing A Supernatural Book? How To Get The Balance Right

All writing genres have their own different challenges, however, when it comes to writing supernatural fiction, there might be more than most.

Writing supernatural fiction can be so exciting for authors. Doing so really allows us to let our imaginations run wild, for in supernatural fiction we ask readers to suspend their disbelief and enter worlds where characters can time travel, where ghosts shimmer in and out of the story, where we are thousands of years in the future or live on a different planet.

Supernatural stories are always going to be popular, and don’t necessarily have the same set of stringent rules as other genres do. Because a supernatural story can be about anything, the rules are more difficult to apply.

However, one thing that is important to ensure, is that you get the balance right. Your readers still need to be able to connect with what is happening. If your story is stuffed full of supernatural elements where nothing at all is familiar, you may find your readers struggling to get to grips with it. So how can you create this balance? Here are some things you could try:

Set the story in the real world

Just because there are supernatural goings on in your story, it doesn’t mean that everything in the world that they take place in has to be otherworldly too. People are familiar with the world in which they live, they know the rules there and it makes it easier for you as a writer, to really concentrate on the supernatural elements of your book and make them shine. If you create a whole new world you need to make it believable and interesting, but also think about every little detail, and readers need to buy into that world completely.

Remember that character development and plot are still crucial

At the end of the day, there is one common rule for all novels, no matter what you are writing about. That is without a solid plot and great characters, your story will fail. So, by all means, make your story, your characters, your world, as weird and wonderful as you like - just keep your reader in mind at all times and make sure that it goes somewhere, and that your characters are intriguing, relatable and that they learn and grow.

Make sure there is a reason to use supernatural elements in your story

Don’t just stick a bunch of ghosts or vampires in your story for the sake of it, or give a kid magical powers for no reason. If you are going to have supernatural elements in your story, there has to be a reason why -so make sure you have one, and that it’s integral to the plot.

Ensure that some ‘real world’ rules apply

If you choose not to set your story in a world that is familiar, at least make your life a little easier by having some ‘real world’ rules and recognisable customs, objects or ways of doing things. If you try to make absolutely everything different your readers will struggle to understand what is going on and find it hard to connect with your story.

Writing a supernatural story can be an exciting and satisfying way for authors to exercise their creativity and deliver a story unlike any other. However, make sure you always keep your readers in mind and ensure that the finished book is one they can relate to and connect with - if you do that you can rest assured your story will be a success.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Writing A Supernatural Book? How To Get The Balance Right appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How Writing Short Stories Can Improve Your Novel

As writers, we are always looking for ways to improve our craft. There are lots of exercises we can do and methods we can experiment with to try and get better at writing, to find our writing voice and help us to feel more confident and self-assured when it comes to our writing.

Of course, every writer is different and finding methods that work for you is all about trial and error. One of the most popular ways, however, is to practice your writing by trying your hand at short stories. There are many reasons why doing so can be helpful for novel writers. Let’s take a look at some of them.

A tight plot

When it comes to short stories you need to really focus on your plot. Your story, like a novel, must have a beginning, a middle and an end. It must grip the reader, and flow well, hold their excitement and feel like a proper story with a satisfying conclusion. Writing short stories allows you to get very good at understanding what elements are necessary to make a story work.

Character development

Practicing writing interesting and exciting characters, developing them, and making your readers care about them is so important if you want to improve as a writer. Writing short stories is an excellent way of doing so, and you may end being inspired to take a character you’ve written in your short story and using them in your novel.

Making every word count

Short stories are precisely that - short. Because you have fewer words to play with you’ll become a dab hand at making sure that every single word counts and knowing how to cut out anything irrelevant that doesn’t drive your story forwards. This will help you no end when it comes to writing your book.

Editing practice

Of course, short stories need editing just like novels do, and the more you practice editing, the more you’ll become skilled and eagle eyed at spotting mistakes, which will make the mammoth task of editing your novel a whole lot easier.

The more we write the better we are!

Let’s face it, the one main way to get better at writing is to write! Writing short stories builds our confidence and gives us all the practice we need to improve our writing every single day.

Writing is something where there is always room for improvement, and if you spend some time writing short stories you are sure to find that you become a better writer and will find it easier to write your novel too.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How Writing Short Stories Can Improve Your Novel appeared first on Writer's Life.org.