Sandra Harvey's Blog, page 6

The Magic of a Story

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ― Roald Dahl Magic is something I will always love. It’s the essence of all books, whether they are fantasy or […]

How to Format an eBook

Hey everyone! In my post today, I’ll go over the steps included in formatting an eBook in Microsoft Word. I write clean, from start to finish, with no tabs, white spaces, or special characters. My strategy is pretty simple, but if you want to go the nuclear way, that’s also a good option. Okay, so […]

Writing Backstories

The dreaded backstory, often done wrong in the form of an info dump. *Cringes* You should never use an info dump. It’s boring and tedious, and many readers skip it. I made sure to avoid them when editing through my newest novel, because–quite honestly–they’re unnecessary. Backstories can be woven into the story’s plotline without throwing […]

Where to End a Chapter

A few days ago I wrote a post on how to write chapters. Today I’ll write how to end the chapter. Sometimes, deciding where to end the scene you’re writing can be tricky. I like to end scenes when my character leaves a place, finishes a conversation, or discovers something major to the plotline. Occasionally […]

Writing Chapters

When I wrote my newest book (Sky Knight), I had a clear ending point with each chapter in an outline. It was a great tool to make sure I found my way from point A to point B. In my quest to write all twenty chapters, I discovered a neat trick to make sure your […]

Sexism in Writing

I never really gave much thought about sexism until I was off to college. The world seemed a pretty normal place and I didn’t have any qualms regarding the mistreatment of genders. Then I moved to the city and it seemed to be everywhere: school, work, online, around people I knew and had just met. […]

Stress Tips On This Monday Morning #mondayblogs #stress #inspiration

Originally posted on Princess of the Light: Books, Writing and Inspiring Others:
Photo Credit: http://www.massageenvy.com Everyone gets stressed while working, me included. I found this amazing infographic and have incorporated these simple ways to reduce stress while working. What works best for me is #1, #7 and #8. What works best for you? Share in…

3 Ways to Improve Your Story as You Write

Editing can be a pain for some people. I have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes I enjoy editing; other times I dont. I have a few tricks to make the work flow more smoothly. Revising as you go: I like to look back over what Ive written earlier in the day, or wait a few […]

How to Write the Perfect Ending

Oh boy. This. Sometimes it feels like there are two dozen different endings to your story, your baby, but you only get to choose one. Its something we are constantly thinking about when we approach the end of our storiesand, if were being honest, something we are thinking about before we even start the novel. […]

Book Giveaway

Hi everyone! I’ve decided to host a free giveaway this week to celebrate my newest book release. The contest is on twitter and it’s fairly simple to enter! All you have to do is retweet the giveaway to all your friends. :) Here’s the link: Win a Free Copy of Sky Knight The blurb is […]