L. MacNaughton's Blog, page 11

They’re Here! Advance Reading Copies of “Kiss”

This is where it starts to get real, people. You’re looking at a box full of advance reading copies of A Kiss Before Doomsday. That means, for the first time ever, the truth is out about Greyson. And Hellbringer. And the end of the world. And what about Dru’s magic crystal shop, the Crystal Connection, […]

Electric Spec Interview on Writing Short Fiction

It was a real honor to have the chance to sit down and talk with Electric Spec about what makes short stories so relevant today. As writers, short stories give us the opportunity to connect with readers in ways that novels don’t. Besides, talking about how to write short stories is just plain fun. Also, […]

The Simple Secret to Fixing Ugly Story Problems

It happens to every writer: you’re writing along when suddenly you need to go back and change some fact or detail. Because if you don’t fix it, the story won’t make sense. Should you stop writing at that moment to go fix it? Nope. That could kill your momentum. Here’s a better idea. It’s called […]

Should You Self-Publish Your Novel?

Which is better, self-publishing or a traditional publishing deal? I’ve done both. Here’s the truth: there are benefits and drawbacks to both self-publishing and traditional publishing. If you’re a hands-on, DIY type of person with an entrepreneurial mindset, then you might be better suited to self-publishing. If you’d rather focus on the writing and not […]

How I Make a Living as a Writer (And You Can Too)

I’m proud to say I’ve built a full-time career around writing, as both a novelist and a copywriter. That means splitting my time between the two. Usually I spend the morning writing novels, then spend the afternoon writing marketing and advertising copy for business clients. (“Copy” is just fancy ad agency shorthand for “words that sell […]

How to Plan and Write A Novel

I’m often asked what my writing process looks like. How do I write a book? It’s pretty simple, actually. (Not easy. But simple.) First, I start with the basics: Who are the good guys? What are they trying to do? And, especially, why? Who are the bad guys? Where does this take place? Then I […]

The Bulletproof Secret to Doing Anything Better

Every writer I’ve ever talked to always wants to achieve more. (Even Hugh Howey.) We all want to reach more readers, sell more books, write better stories, and so on. All of us, writers or not, want to do more and do it better. The question is, how? I’m no guru, but I believe the […]

How to Turn a Short Story into a Book Series

Believe it or not, IT HAPPENED ONE DOOMSDAY started out as a short story. I was struggling with another novel, so I switched gears and wrote a fun little story about this awkward wannabe sorceress who ends up breaking the evil curse on a bad-boy hero with a muscle car. It was half scary, half […]

How to Make Writing Your Career: Word Cafe Interview with Yours Truly

Hey, this is cool. Join me over at Word Cafe for an interview where I reveal everything I know about: • Building a full-time career around writing, as a novelist and a copywriter — and what a copywriter does, exactly. • How my first book from a New York publisher actually started out as a […]

How to Never Get Writer’s Block. Ever.

Let me tell you the secret to getting rid of writer’s block forever. I’ll admit, I’ve certainly had days where I feel like I don’t know what to write, or I worry that everything I write is terrible. Some people call that writer’s block. I call it “Monday.” :-) But seriously, what most people call […]