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INSPIRATION FOR WRITERS

The creative writing blog

Original weekly articles from bestselling authors and publishing professionals.

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This week’s blog
Novel Writing Process
Starting to Write

The Messy First Draft: Why Done Is Better Than Perfect

October 11, 2026

Struggling to silence your inner editor? Branford Boase–nominated author Ella McLeod shares why a messy first draft might be the key to finishing your novel.

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Revision and Editing
Novel Writing Process
Plotting and Planning

The Best Book Writing Software

October 27, 2024
Bea Fitzgerald

The Novelry’s Bea Fitzgerald compares the most popular writing software, including Scrivener, Dabble and Plottr, to help you choose the perfect software for your writing needs.

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Novel Writing Process
Craft and Technique
Plotting and Planning

What Is Rising Action? And How to Use It in Your Story

November 21, 2024
Melanie Conklin

What is rising action, and how do you use it to create a page-turning story? The Novelry defines rising action and demonstrates how to use Freytag’s Pyramid as the story structure for your novel.

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Five books, bearing the logos of the Big Five publishing companies, standing on pillars.
How to Get Published
The Publishing Industry
Guest Authors

Publishing Companies

November 28, 2024

In this blog, we take a closer look at what a traditional publisher does, who the Big Five are, and some notable independent publishing companies to have on your radar.

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Characters
Craft and Technique

Character Traits: A Comprehensive Guide and How to Use Them

December 11, 2024
Melanie Conklin

Is your character curious and conscientious, or vicious and vain? This article defines what character traits are and how to use them, with a comprehensive character traits list to help you build compelling characters.

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Craft and Technique
Characters

Character Archetypes, Not Stereotypes

November 14, 2024
L.R. Lam

What are character archetypes? We explore Carl Jung’s major archetypes and how you can use them to write and develop your novel’s characters.

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Novel Writing Process
Plotting and Planning
Beginnings and Endings

How to Create a Plot Diagram for a Smooth Writing Journey

November 3, 2024
Melanie Conklin

Discover how plot diagrams can fast-track the plotting and planning of your novel to finish your novel faster.

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Characters
Craft and Technique

Character Mannerisms and Quirks

October 24, 2024

What are character mannerisms and quirks, and how do you use them to bring your characters to life? Bestselling author Libby Page defines character mannerisms and quirks and demonstrates how to use them to bring depth to your characters and to your novel.

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Craft and Technique
Crime and Suspense
Genres

What is Foreshadowing?

October 31, 2024
Amanda Reynolds

Foreshadowing is one of the greatest skills a writer can hone. What is it, and how does it work? Find the definition and famous examples of foreshadowing in this article from The Novelry.

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Portrait image of bestselling author Talia Hibbert holding a stack of her books beside the cover of her novel Get A Life, Chloe Brown.
Guest Authors
Romance
Craft and Technique

Talia Hibbert on How to Write Spicy Romcoms: 5 Tips

October 20, 2024
Elsa Doig

Are you writing a spicy romance? Here are 5 tips on writing convincing, intimate, and passion-packed romcoms from Talia Hibbert, the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Brown Sisters series, the Ravenswood series, and the Young Adult novel Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

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