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By Evan Marshell
Recently, Lev Grossman, the book critic at Time magazine, made some
predictions about publishing. Among his predictions about the novel was the
following: "Novels will compete to hook you in the first paragraph and then hang
on for dear life."
I agree, except on one point: This isn't coming. It's already here.
A novel's first paragraph, or "opening hook," has always been important, but
it has never been as important as it is now.
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Gregan writes "By John Sammon
What do you do when you haven’t taken a vacation for years, and you’re so over-worked you can’t remember your name? Do something stressful. I’m being facetious. But not much.
I wanted to go to the South Seas and become a bearded Paul Gauguin, but agreed to a lesser trip to San Francisco for two days because of bills including putting braces on my twelve-year-old daughter’s teeth. Driving there, I noted that people are insane "
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Creative Writing Tips – By Nick Vernon
Writing is a creative process and how every writer chooses to create, is
individual to them. Likewise, with plotting, every writer plots at a level they
are comfortable with.
Some just plot the bare essentials. They have a firm idea of the story they
want to write and have a good memory to be able to memorize everything.
Others go into more detail. These writers prefer to figure everything out
before they write the story.
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Gregan writes "By John Sammon
I can't figure it out, and I've thought about it, but why is "God bless America" a popular saying? It seems somehow, elitist, exclusionary. I mean, if we go by inference, what's between the lines, or what remains unsaid, if God blesses America, what about the rest of the world?
Why would God bless America if he did bless it (assuming God is a he)?
"
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By Angela Booth
Are you looking for a professional writing career? Consider copywriting: it's lucrative, creative, and fun. Top copywriters earn over six figures each year, and you can start to make money almost immediately.
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By John Harricharan
Before you even begin writing your book you need to start forming a
strategy to market your book - a book marketing plan. Writing a book is a
large investment of time, energy, effort and money, and so it's critical that
you don't set out on this path without a good plan.
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By Mark David Gerson
Close your eyes and remember.
Remember the stories you invented...
Remember wonder and imagination...
Remember make-believe...
You can write.
If you can read these words, you can write.
You're saying "I'm not creative" or "I can't make up stories" or "I don't
know how."
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Gregan writes "By John Sammon
The following is an unauthorized biographical interview I did with Sarah Palin's subconscious.
Me - Sarah, you recently forced Obama's advisor Rahm Emanuel to apologize for using the word "retarded," saying it was an insult to your son. Was that a publicity stunt or an attempt to re-write the English language?
"
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By Jaye E. Seay
What a privilege and honor it is to write for the Christian market. I consider it to be an awesome responsibility. Christian writers have the opportunity to proclaim God's Word to millions of people all around the world. More than that, because the written word has the ability to survive generations, works created by Christian writers can even touch those not yet here.
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By Mark David Gerson
Do's
1. Remember that there are no rules.
There is no right way (including this one). There is no wrong way. There is only
your way.
2. Get out of your own way.
Ask any element of your being that is logical, analytical, critical, cynical,
doubt-filled or judgmental to step aside for the duration of your projected
writing time.
3. Leap into the void...and trust.
Don't worry about being polite, appropriate or correct. Don't worry about making
sense. Don't worry about anything. Just blurt it out.
3a. Listen...and always go with your first thoughts.
Second thoughts and second-guessing come from that part of your mind that is
judgmental or censoring. Trust that what's coming to you is what calls out to be
expressed. Allow it to be expressed. Trust it and surrender to it.
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