Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I just posted this to my blog, but I thought it was worth reposting here. Even if you don't necessarily agree with my opinion (and it is just an opinion), it might be food for thought. ----------- Because of NaNoWriMo, and also because of discussions I’ve had with a critique partner who’s also in re...

a) No one is ever a real pantser. You will plot, you'll just do it on the fly. Maybe it'll be a few pages ahead - maybe, like a visual illusion, a whole tract of plot will suddenly coallesce out of the fug. But you'll always be thinking a bit ahead. The trick will be focusing on that bit, rather th...

Step 5: Spread the two books apart so you can see exactly where your book would fit. Step 6: Take a picture. Step 7: Make this picture your desktop or print it out and hang it by your computer desk. There is your goal. That tiny, 2-3 inches between your neighbor authors. You can do this. Your goal ...

Also, a story that asks a reader to keep starting anew –especially once they are deep into the read– with too many newly introduced characters (or arcs) over and over again might just lose the reader altogether. I remember the first time I read The Lord of the Rings . I got all involved in Aragorn ...

This is a roller-coaster. One minute I love it. The next I'm bored. The next I am crying over how awful it is. The next I'm a genuis. The next I want to throw it out the window. Welcome, Golden! Sounds like you've about nailed writing, right there. ;) I think that what you should do depends on what...

Nano Name: same as here Book Title: Wind Chaser Word Count: 50,249 as of this evening! I'm going to be doing another book this month hopefully, so I want to keep up to date on Nano stuff That's amazing, GingerWrite! Did you ever go to bed? ;) Congrats on reaching the end already, and two-thirds of ...

Thanks for the feedback so far, everyone. So it sounds like readers would prefer a pen name so long as both identities are maintained equally? Margo: I think that anyone reading my nature books would (hopefully) not be offended by anything in my YA books, though I think the number of people with ove...

(I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, or the social media forums, but I've noticed other pen name topics posted here.) I have a nature field guide under a prominent label coming out next year. My real name will be on this book. I hope to, eventually, write and publish further nature-the...

I've heard that you're supposed to query under your pen name, the name you'd intend to publish under, but I can't remember where I heard that now. Perhaps query under the pseudonym and include your real name in the closing paragraph? I'd personally be inclined to use my real name because that's what...

First, have you read many novels that have intertwining plots? This is especially common in epic fantasy, I think (eg. George RR Martin's A Game of Thrones , or Ken Scholes' Lamentation ) but also seen in other genres (I haven't read it, but I think Jonathan Franzen's Freedom is structured this way;...

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” Leon Joseph Suenens. Love this quote, Sommer. It particularly rings true for me because my husband and I are both dreamers, he an artist and myself a writer, living at what would be considered below poverty le...

Day Three Today’s Word Count Goal: 5,001 I have made these for you! Right click on one you want, do a save as, and viola. You can post it to your blog, your website, facebook, your forehead, wherever. No credit necessary. These are gifts, like party favors. Welcome to NaNoWriMo November! These are ...

(See my signature for a link to Sawyer's version of the Rules.) You know, Sanderling, I've seen your signature all this time and never clicked through. I just did and read those rules and WOW! Those are good. It sure made me feel good to look through them and think "yeah...I'm there! I've writ...

Anyone else feel intimidated by having the great Nathan chime in on a subject? ;) I think that post lays it out perfectly, though. And I think these two lines in particular do a great job of summing it up: "We leave fingerprints all over our work. That part of you in your work is what makes it ...

The best advice I ever got was from *cough* you, Sanderling ;) You pointed out that while one of my main characters went through both internal and external change throughout the story, that my other main character only ever changed externally. Definitely made me rethink that plot line! Aw, that's n...