Every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while. For today's prompt, your character is a high-end retail salesperson.
Many beginning writers know a novel is a work of imagination, but seem unaware that the factual material in a novel must be as accurate as that in a nonfiction work. The fiction writer uses the same research tools as the nonfiction writer—particularly sources on the period he is writing about, whether he’s writing a Regency romance or a novel set in 1930s New York. And the research must be carefully woven into the story, not dropped in awkwardly in a way that interrupts the flow. Study good novels to see how research is integrated, or read interviews with novelists to see how they approach it. Identifying research needs is a very project-specific task. The best time to do this is during the initial outlining stage. As you add each scene, make a note of any research required to complete that step. Managing the results of your research requires good note-taking and leaving yourself a retraceable path back to the source. For information gleaned from printed sources, make a photocopy of the material itself and be sure to note the source title, publisher, publication date, the page numbers (if they don’t appear on the copy), and where you physically located the source. Keeping this information right on the copy will help you document your work and locate the source again, should that become necessary. If you’re doing research online, print out relevant pages and make sure that the Web site appears on your printout. Bookmark any sources you think you’ll return to often. Beginning Writer's Answer Book is for the writer just starting out, for the person who writes for a hobby and doesn't consider himself a real "writer," and the writer who's mastered one area and has questions about other genres or forms. At a hefty 432 pages, in this book you will: Find core knowledge for all writers such as everyday publishing jargon, understanding the markets and queries, how to format and submit your work, standard practices and more
Address book, magazine and freelance basics such as the essentials every novelist needs to know, selling nonfiction work, writing and selling articles, and starting a freelance career Become familiar with copyright basics, understanding your rights, rules for quoting, seeking permission, providing photographs and art and if you should use a pen name
Move into the more highly specialized questions of writing poetry, children's books, scripts, songs, writing for newspapers, and self-publishing Whether you write for business or pleasure, this is the book that provides the answers you need to know in order to be taken seriously in the writing world. Learn more about the Beginning Writer’s Answer Book!This tip was taken from the Beginning Writer's Answer Book
Award-winning author Phong Nguyen discusses his lifelong dream of writing his new historical fiction novel, Bronze Drum. What happens to historical fiction when history repeats itself? Author Addison Armstrong discusses writing about the past and seeing it reflected in the present. In this week’s round up brought to us by Script magazine, exclusive interviews with Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” television writer Vanessa Benton, Allegoria writer-director Spider One, Hulu’s Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison and director Dan Trachtenberg, and more! New York Times bestselling author Steven Hartov discusses the surprising truths he discovered when writing his new historical fiction novel, The Last of the Seven. Award-winning author Larry Beinhart discusses what he learned in the process of writing his new mystery novel, The Deal Goes Down. This week, we're excited to announce our self-published e-book awards, 6 WDU courses, and more! Award-winning playwright and author Leah Franqui discusses how she examined her life through a fictive lens with her new novel, After the Hurricane. Trained fighter and author Carla Hoch discusses how to pace your story's fight scene and shares three examples from writers who tackle pacing differently.