Photo credit: Pak Gwei via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Today’s guest post is an excerpt from Hack Your Reader’s Brain by novelist Jeff Gerke (@JeffGerke).

There is one secret ingredient to crafting a novel that readers will read from beginning to end. All the other elements are important and necessary, but they play supporting roles to this one

https://janefriedman.com/connect-characters/

Muse: How Creativity Effects the Brain – by Crime Writer Sue Coletta http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2016/12/11/muse-how-creativity-effects-the-brain-crime-writer-sue-coletta

In the wake of the election, I am a different person. I am now afraid of many things, especially what is going to happen given the volatility I see in the world and in my neighborhood. It’s something I’ve never experienced in this country, in what I now realize with mortifying clarity has been a very sheltered life. And listen: I’m old. I remember first-hand the end of the Vietnam years

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/12/08/the-power-of-story-now-more-than-ever/
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To be able to work with sheer dedication, a writer needs the ability to fully concentrate and stay focused at all times. Maintaining your focus for sustained periods can be a difficult task to do. Psychologists suggest a powerful form of concentration for writers called ‘flow’. This refers to an individual fully engaging in the task they are doing. For a writer, ‘flowing’ concentration is essential to write pieces with utmost fluency.

Inability to concentrate can be fruitless, especially for a writer. In order to make each day productive, writers must employ these 5 basic tips to stay focused on work and exercise their minds for better concentration

http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2016/11/30/5-basic-tips-on-staying-focused-when-writing-a-book-guest-post

Photo credit: tableatny via VisualHunt / CC BY

Today’s post is an excerpt adapted from A Writer’s Guide to Beginnings by Paula Munier (@PaulaSMunier), recently released from Writer’s Digest Books.

There are a number of tricks to making sure that you get your story off to a hot, hotter, hottest start, no matter what your genre. I know, I know, all of you people out there who are writing literary fiction are thinking, “I don’t need a hot start to my story.” Well, think again. Even beginnings for literary stories must aim for, at minimum, a slow burn.

  https://janefriedman.com/your-first-scene/

Please welcome back Warren Adler, the acclaimed author of The War of the Roses, a masterpiece of macabre divorce adapted into the BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated hit film starring Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Adler has also optioned and sold film rights for a number of his works, including Random Hearts and Private Lies. Adler’s works have been translated into more than 25 languages, including his staged version of The War of the Roses, which has opened to spectacular reviews worldwide. Adler has taught creative writing seminars at New York University and has lectured on creative writing, film and television adaptation, and electronic publishing. He currently has a number of film/TV adaptations in various stages of development with Grey Eagle Films including The Children of the Roses. His novels are now available as audiobooks through Audible. His latest historical fiction release, Mother Nile, has been received with spectacular reviews from critics and readers alike.

The Top 7 Details You Need to Think About When Writing Historical Fiction

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/11/27/the-top-7-details-you-need-to-think-about-when-writing-a-historical-fiction-novel/

How to Really Scare People With Fiction http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/72017-how-to-really-scare-people-with-fiction.html

Chrys Frey, my guest today, certainly did her homework when she decided to use police call signs in her latest novel, 30 Seconds to Die. When writers research, their stories ring more true-to-life. I’ve built this blog with this notion in mind…to help save you time, and Chrys certainly delivers with this… Continue reading… The post Police…

via Police Call Signs: How To Use Them In Your Fiction Writing — Crime Writer Sue Coletta