How do you keep readers riveted to the end? Conflict is the engine of fiction. Readers love it. Dianna and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and agree on almost everything. That’s a gift in real life. In the pages of a novel? Boring. The more conflict, the more interestin......
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Guest Post by Dave Chesson It can seem complicated to format a manuscript for self-publishing, but with the right software and formatting knowledge, it’s not as difficult as you may think. In this article, I’ll provide you with the know-how to properly format your manuscript for printin......
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Need help creating your characters? Click here to download my character arc worksheet. List your favorite novels, those you can count on one hand, and I’ll bet they have one major thing in common — an unforgettable hero. Regardless the genre, your characters must behave lik......
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Mastering how to write plot twists involves more than just throwing a monkey wrench into your story. A well-written plot twist must be subtle. You’ll need to learn: How to set up a plot twist Where to insert one How to use it to drive the main plot Mistakes to avoid What is a Plot Twist......
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You have a great idea and you want to start writing a book. You love to write. You’re told you have a way with words. Your friends and family might even be encouraging you to write. But you struggle with: How to begin How to start fleshing out your ideas How to know whether the timing is......
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A successful novel must feature an event, known as the inciting incident, that irreversibly ignites the story. The stronger your inciting incident, the more dramatic, compelling, and engrossing your novel. A weak or nonexistent inciting incident means no reason for your main character to be......
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As a novelist, you’ll find loads of advice to help you find a great book idea, get started writing, and push through what I call the Marathon of the Middle. But you won’t find as much on how to end a story, even though that’s arguably as important (and maybe more so.) Of my nearly 190......
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The book is done. Hurrah. You've finished a draft, even had it edited. Now you need to format it and get the thing printed. But how? The Alliance of Independent Authors is pleased to welcome Dave Chesson, creator of Kindlepreneur and Atticus to explain how you can format your book for print. This is......
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Calling all Australian authors, whether you're an Alliance of Independent Authors member or not, Macquarie University wants to here from you. They're running an Australian author survey and need to hear from Australian authors. Please note the survey closes on the 27th May 2022, so there are only a......
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In this week's Self-Publishing News Special, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway looks at changes to KDP's rules for publishing low content books. ALLi's News Editor Dan Holloway This week's #indieauthorchat is tonight, Wednesday 11 May, at 8pm UK time, 3pm Eastern Time. Tim will be leading us in a discus......
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