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When Genres Collide

Anyone familiar with my novel writing system or my views on fiction writing in general know I stress targeting a specific genre when tackling a novel. Is it a romance? A mystery? A science fiction novel? A Western? I stress this simply because editors stress it, and I’m all about not only writing novels but [...]

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10 New Year’s Resolutions for Novelists

I will decide on one genre of novel—the genre I most enjoy reading—and stick with it. I will study novels in this target genre to get a good idea of the kinds of stories they tell. I will work hard to come up with a story idea that fits my target genre yet is fresh [...]

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Fiction Technique Tip: Writing with Clarity and Precision

Polish up your writing with these easy tips. 1. Seek and destroy clichés: butter-soft leather, a mighty oak, a trusted servant. 2. To show habitual action, use the past tense rather than would. Not “Each morning he would walk to the Y and swim twenty laps,” but “Each morning he walked to the Y and [...]

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Your NaNoWriMo Manuscript: Making Adjustments

You did it—you finished a manuscript by the end of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, but it falls short of your goal of 50,000 words. This often happens: novelists find themselves typing “The End,” only to realize their word count is too short. Here are some tips for adding additional pages to your novel without [...]

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Fiction Makeover Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of The Marshall Plan® Fiction Makeover Contest. 2 Grand Prize Winners Hannah Cobb for Mortis James Montgomery Jackson for Bad Policy Ms. Cobb and Mr. Jackson each won: A copy of The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software A copy of The Marshall Plan® for Novel Writing Ebook Our [...]

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Thumbnail image for Fiction Technique Tip: Knowing What to Describe

Fiction Technique Tip: Knowing What to Describe

Every scene of your novel should focus on a specific viewpoint character. Regardless of which other viewpoint characters might be in the scene, the reader will be let in on the thoughts and feelings of this particular viewpoint character only. The scene itself will be written according to the perceptions and awareness of this character. [...]

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Fiction Technique Tip: Summary Mode

Of the various writing modes in The Marshall Plan® novel writing system, perhaps the least understood and most underused is summary mode. In summary mode you report your story action in a condensed, narrative form. You tell the reader what is happening rather than show it; there’s no blow-by-blow description of events as there would be [...]

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