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How to Start Writing a Novel: Tips and Examples

January 30, 2023

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

book, creativity, fiction, genre, writing

Beginner as well as more advanced fiction writers often struggle with a seemingly simple question: How do you start writing a novel?

Just to be clear, I’m not referring to the textual part – that is, narrative strategies beginning a novel; its first few paragraphs. If you’re looking for that, here are 17 ways to begin a novel.

Instead, in this post I will show you tips and examples on how to start writing a novel in the sense of how to set up the foundations. In other words, in this post I will share with you the bare minimum you need to know before you even think of typing the first word.

As I often say, many people – and that includes authors – believe that a writer just “comes up with stuff” out of nothing. That’s simply not true. Writing a novel involves a subconsciously long, complex process beginning with experiences, memories, and imagination. These come before you decide to write a book.

But suppose you already have these set; you have had experiences that have fueled your imagination.

What next?

Let’s find out!

how to start writing a novel
“Writing a novel is not as hard as you think,” said Mr Whiskers
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Why and How I Made Up a Literary Agent

January 2, 2023

Writing

book, fiction, literary agent, literature, society, writing

Quite a provocative title, you must admit. It’s true, I essentially made up a literary agent when I couldn’t find one. The problem is, it worked… sort of.

Much of our existence – as creators and generally – is ambiguous and self-contradictory. People are complex beings, there are no simple answers. And so, though I’ve generally disowned my past as a published author, at the same time I still use the designation on Amazon, Goodreads, and such platforms. I also use it in the introductory pages of my books. It’s supposed to be some sort of sign of merit.

This is all bullshit, of course. 

I’m only playing a part doing that; it’s the persona of a writer selling a book. I don’t really believe being a published author means anything in terms of quality. By the way, I also mention I have a PhD in English literature, but I don’t think that means much either. 

It’s all a performance; theatrics.

Which is the topic of today’s story, too: Why and how I made up a literary agent. This is something very few people know (perhaps as few as three: the “agent”, the publisher, and myself). I’ll talk about the why’s and how’s, as well as the aftereffects. This should reveal to us a few things about the publishing industry.

made up a literary agent
When I made up a literary agent, I thought I was smartly creating a hole to let light in. I didn’t like what I saw…
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How to Make a Book Cover: Ideas, Examples, and Problem Points

December 12, 2022

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

art, book, fiction, literature, marketing, writing

There are many things troubling indie authors looking to self-publish, and one of them is undeniably how to make a book cover. More importantly, how to make a book cover that is both marketable and true to the art.

As you might have noticed from past posts, I have a pretty strong opinion regarding the balance between being a writer and being an artist. In a nutshell, I consider the two mutually exclusive, though in this imperfect world most of us try to find a balance between the two.

And making a book cover that supports your novel is definitely a matter of balance.

Should you go for aesthetic meaning or mere eye-catchiness? Should you prefer familiar, known solutions or something more unique, drawing attention? Perhaps the simpler the better?

We’ll take a look at these and much more in this post. I’ll share with you all I’ve learned about making a book cover that both serves its marketing purpose and respects your art. From book cover examples (drawing on my own painful experience) and ideas on how to proceed, to more general – dare I say, philosophical – problem points having to do with book covers, there’s certainly something interesting for you.

As a bonus, I’ll also share with you my most favorite book cover of all time!

This is the same cover image you can see on my post self-assessing my work. The evolution of my book cover designs is also interesting to follow, from the oldest (top left) to the newest (bottom right)
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