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 |  Here you'll get lots of tips, motivation and experience to finally write your novel |
 Welcome and great that you found your way to my blog! My name is Evie and I write books that take readers out of their own worlds and into new ones that readers won't soon forget. I blog for artists, writers, creatives, multi-talents and all those who want to become one. In life, you don't need to be rich: Joy, curiosity and commitment are enough to reach your goal. Just like I am doing right now. In this blog, I'll give you tips on how to finish the monster "book project“. I'll also give you tips on how to find motivation to write (daily?) and how to incorporate it into your everyday life. You can also expect some prompts, ideas and step-by-step instructions here. Let me surprise you! I wish you a lot of fun with writing, Evie |
| July is almost here... and I have a few announcements to make. CAMP NANOWRIMO Camp NaNoWriMo is a very special event for anyone who loves to write! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and is a challenge to write a complete novel (50,000 words) in one month. Camp NaNoWriMo is about setting your own goal - it could be 10,000 words on any project, but it could also be a comic book, ten short stories, or plotting or revising a novel. The forums are where you share your progress, chat, get and give help/advice/beta-read and procrastinate. Camp NaNoWriMo takes place in April and July each year. So it starts in 6 days! It's a great way to exercise your creativity and improve your writing skills! WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN? It's free - and a massive motivator. From Word Wars to Word Sprints to Pomodoro Rounds, you can do it all in friendly company. And if you have a problem, you can always ask the other writers and they will tell you within a few hours. There are also regions. You log in to one of these, such as Alaska, France and so on. The subforum there is in the language of that region: in the German forum you write in German, in the Polish forum you write in Polish, in the Spanish forum you write in Spanish... By the way, the German subforum is very lively, friendly and supportive, so be sure to drop by if you know (a little) German! Convinced? Great, then create an account at https://nanowrimo.org/ or login with an old account. I wish you every success! MY BLOG I'll be travelling and studying most of July, so I won't be active. But I still welcome comments, emails and questions! TO PUNCH Here are a few articles to get you through July. On the topic of motivation: - "How to use the Enneagram to write conflicted characters"  - "Tips for motivation to write a novel" - "The ultimate list to stay motivated, part II" - "Writing Tours" - "Another writing tour" On Plotting: - "The ultimate template for CHARACTER VOICES!" - "How to make your novel longer (subplots and storylines)" - "How to use the Enneagram to write conflicted characters" - "3 Ways to Pants, Plan, and Plot Effectively" - "How to develop characters" - "Katytastic's 3 Act / 9 Block / 27 Chapter Outline Method" - "How to create the perfect plot (6 steps + helpful links)" On Mental Health & Productivity: - "How to focus and get in the writing mood" - "How to become happy and productive in 12 minutes" - "Where do you write? Ultimate Productivity, Part 1" - "The ultimate productivity, part 2" - "The 6 best tips ABOUT writing" - "The one thing you're missing to become successful +bonustip." Writing tips, explanations, science and other: - "Write BETTER DIALOGUE (6 tips & how to make it realistic)" - "Write a character-driven story YOU CAN‘T STOP READING" - "7 templates for satisfying bookends" - "Why prompts might not work (+5 steps to make them work)" - "Write what you know — settings" - "The promising training plan for novelists, part I" - "3 ways to find and use inspiration — Bonus: 21 prompts" WRITE IN THE COMMENTS! Hit the comment button and tell us: Are you attending Camp NaNoWriMo? How many times? What are your plans? What are you doing in July? Write on,  |
| Are you proofreading your book and struggling to make the dialogue sound realistic? Or you're writing it now, but it feels flat? Then you're like many others. I hope this article can help you. CHARACTER VOICE It makes your life easier if every character speaks a little differently. You can drop dialogue tags more easily because readers will recognise the character by the way they speak. One character may always say "okay", the other may always say "yes" when they agree. Maybe one uses a lot of foreign words, the other a lot of metaphors, and someone else speaks in short and direct sentences. BODY LANGUAGE Body language is very important! It shows the reader the feelings of the characters and builds the "around". There are good dialogues where the characters do nothing but talk - but they are harder to write. Have your characters fix a radiator, eat ice cream or skip gym class while they talk. Have them gasp when they're scared, and jump up and down when they're excited (okay, the latter might be a bit of an exaggeration ... but if the character is a kid, it would work). CONTRASTS Contrasts help you and the readers to identify who is talking or doing something. This can refer to the characters speaking, reacting, acting and performing very differently. OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES: - "The ultimate template for CHARACTER VOICES!" - "The SCIENCE of writing exercises (+ tips on show, not tell)" - "Why prompts might not work (+5 steps to make them work)" NO INFO-DUMPING It can put readers off if information is conveyed (for pages) in dialogue. For example, do NOT write, "It's so sad that I had the car accident yesterday. Now I have to hide because I was a hit-and-run driver ... If the police find me, I will have to give up my life. No one will like me anymore. I am afraid. The police use dragons as guards in this country. They are huge and have sharp claws and teeth [...]" You realise it's daunting. Still, you should ... USE DIALOGUE TO DEVELOP CHARACTERS Dialogues can be a great way to develop characters. Use them to reveal their personalities, motivations and backgrounds - preferably slowly, a little at a time per scene. DIALOGUE AND PACING Dialogue makes time fly quickly. Inner monologue or narration makes it drag like chewing gum. It is important to find the right balance between inner and outer dialogue (or monologue), action and description. Be warned: it is not easy! AND HOW DO YOU MAKE THE DIALOGUE REALISTIC? There are several ways. Next time you are in a conversation, listen to how people phrase things and what their body language is like. Do they gesticulate wildly with their hands or are they almost acting? Do they speak colloquially with friends/relatives and try to be serious (almost stiff) with their boss? Another, more reliable method is to watch a dialogue in a film or series and pay close attention to the wording and body language. If you have a bit more time, you could try putting it into words. And of course, it helps to read! Write on, |
| You type "end" under your novel, but you haven't even reached 30,000 words yet? You plot your novel but only have ten short chapters? Your novel is something between a short story and a novella when it should be a novel? Or are you just afraid that you might not reach the 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo with your novel? Then this article is just right for you! First of all: it's not a big deal if your planned novel is a bit shorter! In this article, I'll show you how to make it longer - but if you want to keep your work as long as it is, of course you should! SUBPLOTS AND STORYLINES They are the key to more suspense, more characters, more things the reader learns and more length: subplots and storylines. But what are storylines? You can think of storylines as follows. Your novel is a long rope, and this rope is made up of individual ropes and strands that are knotted together and wrapped around each other. These ropes and strands are the so-called plot lines. A novel usually has several to a dozen of them - the more characters, the more plot strands are possible and necessary. Subplots are strands and additional supports for your rope: a cable tie here and a fibre there. They are nowhere near as comprehensive as storylines, but they are at least as important. The boundaries between storylines and subplots are blurred. It is not always clear to determine what is what. HOW DO I THINK UP SUBPLOTS? Let's get to the practical part. You need to think about your subplots and storylines, not just know that without them your dew is just a few fibres glued together (with glue sticks for kindergarteners) that can be quickly devoured and destroyed by lightning, thunderstorms and shears (aka plot holes). For subplots, there is one important rule: think about what you want a character to learn. Don't think about what you want to happen to them. Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying that when you apply this rule, you let the subplot become character-driven. But if you think that you would like character A to have a car accident, you make the subplot plot-driven. If you don't know what that means yet, read my article on the subject and spare the world from characters who are just punching bags for the plot: "Write a character-driven story YOU CAN‘T STOP READING" HOW DO I THINK UP STORYLINES? Any character with internal conflict (I hope that applies to almost all of them!) is capable of having a subplot. Every main character and important secondary character should have a plot line. Accordingly, relationships between characters can also be subplots or plotlines (or parts of them). For example, a plot line can be an enemies-to-lovers romance, a family secret, a character's dark past, or a prison break. They run throughout the book. Pro tip: a quick change of storylines, points of view and subplots creates tension. Use this wisely and use it, for example, at the end of the novel (climax proximity). If you think you have something to contribute to this blog, drop me an email. We can then discuss the topic and nature of your guest post. You can also write to me if you'd like to write a guest post but don't have an idea of what to write about. I will be happy to suggest one. Click on the like button if you liked this post. Be sure to become my fan if you're not already, because I post articles at least weekly. Write on, Evie |
| Sometimes you just don't feel like writing. You should, you know it would be fun ... but somehow there is this feeling that just won't go away. You just don't feel like it. Period. I've written about this feeling before and shown an effective way to get rid of it: "How to become happy and productive in 12 minutes" But the problem is: this is only half the truth. Because actually, after following the steps described there, you feel like being productive. But not necessarily to write. In this article, I'll give you tips to help you create and write in an inspiring writing environment. TIP 1: SILENCE Find a quiet place to write. A place without distractions such as the TV, radio or loud noises such as street noise and construction work will help you concentrate. If you live on a major road, close the window in the room so the noise is less loud. My secret weapon is noise-cancelling headphones. They muffle ambient noise and you can suddenly work in a lot more places. TIP 2: ATMOSPHERE Make sure the furniture is comfortable, the lighting is easy on the eyes and the temperature is pleasant. This way you can concentrate better and don't have to worry about moving, running around, switching lights on and off and changing. TIP 3: A TIDY DESK I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but a tidy desk helps you work better. Pro tip: tidy up your desk or writing space in the evening - then you can get straight to work in the morning. TIP 4: ROUTINE Create a routine: A regular routine can help you focus on writing and boost your creativity. OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES: - "Write a character-driven story YOU CAN‘T STOP READING" - "Tips for motivation to write a novel" - "3 Ways to Pants, Plan, and Plot Effectively" TIP 5: FLIGHT MODE I know it's hard, but it helps if you switch on flight mode before writing. This way you avoid surfing the web and reading emails. There is a time for this, but it's definitely not when you're writing. TIP 6: CREATE A WRITING PLAYLIST I would argue that this is the best tip of all, at least if you can write with musim. It's all about creating a playlist for each project, character or mood. Choose songs that fit the mood, internal conflict or external problem of your project, for example. So, for example, if your novel has Disney vibes, you can use some Disney songs, but maybe also a melodrama song that just fits the inner conflict. This helps you write in a deep POV and puts you right in the mood for a scene. It's always good to have a playlist with instrumental music (instruments only) and one with vocals. For example, I can concentrate better with instrumental music, but there are situations where I prefer vocal music. Pro tip: Put a song you really like at the top of your playlist. Sing it before you write. This releases happiness hormones that motivate you. At the same time, you associate writing with fun. If you think you have something to contribute to this blog, drop me an email. We can then discuss the topic and nature of your guest post. You can also write to me if you'd like to write a guest post but don't have an idea of what to write about. I will be happy to suggest one. Click on the like button if you liked this post. Be sure to become my fan if you're not already, because I post articles at least weekly. Write on, Evie |
| Have you ever wanted to know why not all writing exercises work? Are you interested in finding the best one for you? There is a science behind EVERYTHING: being bored, having imagination, writing dialogues and inventing worlds. But of course, there is also behind writing exercises! In this article, I'll show you why which writing exercises are best for you. Grab a notebook and let's get started! #1: Pretend to be someone else By pretending to be someone else, you're exercising your empathy and imagination. It's important to be able to put yourself in your characters' shoes later on, so you can vividly portray their thoughts and feelings. If you have trouble with empathy or your scenes seem kind of weird, this writing exercise would be for you. #2: Take your situation and give it a twist I'm sitting in my bed right now blogging. You could make a pretty boring story out of that. Or: you add a plot twist to my situation. Maybe the fire alarm goes off or aliens land on the roof of the house. This writing exercise serves as inspiration. It's effectively a prompt, only with the advantage that you're the main character yourself. So you know your way of speaking and acting, but also your fears. And your fears are important, of course: you don't want to write a story without inner conflict, do you? For example, if you are afraid of aliens, aliens should land. If you're afraid of mistakes, you should make a mistake. And if you're afraid of nature, the phone rings and you have to participate in a study that involves hiking through the rainforest for a month. Also, don't forget that fear is only one third of the inner conflict. The character should also have a yearning and a Fatal Flaw / Misbelief. Without Misbelief, no Aha Moment; and the Aha Moment is the best scene in the exact story. Also, if you want to make your characters more realistic, you should: 1. keep in mind that they should never be perfect 2. give them consequences for their actions 3. give them vulnerable moments 4. don't hesitate to let them lose something or someone. If you have problems with character voice and inner conflict or your scenes seem unrealistic, you should try this exercise. #3: Write a poem with the mood of your scene Next, I write a Darkest Moment, for example. Now, before I write this, I can write a little poem that fits the mood. This way you not only train your vocabulary, but also put yourself in the right mood. #4: Journal before you write You can use a prompt or just write down everything that comes to your mind. This will help you clear your head and focus on the story later. So if you have problems with stress, concentration or digression, you should try this exercise. OTHER ARTICLES ON WRITING: - "The life-changing writing tip (you‘ll find time every day)" - "Writing Tours" - "How to develop characters" #5: Think about sensory details that will pop up in your scene "Show, not tell" is one of the most important and well-known rules for writers. If you don't know how to apply it, you can find lots of articles and videos on the internet about this topic. In every scene, every (or almost every) sense should be addressed. So you should have something on the theme of seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling (sensations or with your hands, preferably both) and tasting. Tasting is optional here, because not every scene requires your characters to eat something. Now, before you write a scene, think about what you can write in it and to what sense. It's best to create a table. For example, for hear you can write down the chirping of crickets, the barking of a dog or street noise, for smell a perfume or the smell of a garbage dump. To practice "show, not tell," you can also: 1. Avoid adverbs 2. Puck a greater punch by personifying emotions 3. Use stronger & more specific verbs 4. Utilize the power of dialogue 5. Know that "show, don't tell" doesn't always apply If you have trouble with "show, don't tell" or vividness, or want to breathe more life into your scenes, this writing exercise is for you. #6: Write about someone or something that changed your life This is similar to "Journal before you write" but has a second purpose. This one is to write about something that pushed you out of your comfort zone. If you follow the 3-act structure (which you definitely should!), then the character has to leave his comfort zone at the beginning of the novel. Through this exercise, you practice writing this important part of a book. You are the main character again, so you don't have to think about character voice and the like. Also, you don't have to make anything up here (although you're welcome to do that, of course!) and you can let your thoughts run free to focus on the writing afterwards. If you found exercise 2 or 4 helpful, have trouble with internal conflict and imagination, or want to try a mix of truth and lies, this writing exercise is for you. I hope the article has helped you find one to two writing exercises that suit you and understand what they help you with. I also shared a few tips on writing realistic characters and show not tell. If you liked this article, don't forget to like it. If you fan me, you will be informed about new blog articles. You will also get a digital template - e.g. with the index card outline method. Write on, Evie |
| You are back in the bookshop. But you have a problem: somehow all the books look boring. And the blurbs are rubbish again... But then there is this one great cover, the magically attractive title, the interesting blurb... You open the book expectantly - and you don't like it. Of course you don't. Prompt: Do you judge a book by it's cover? DEFINITION I ask you to redefine the word 'cover' in your mind (at least for the length of this article). The cover of a book consists of the title, the picture or drawing or graphic (often called the "cover") and a blurb. WHEN TO JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER You can do it here .The website is really fun because the book titles on it are funny in themselves! Give it a try! Let's move on to the next, more complicated point... WHEN NOT TO JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER "But publishers put a lot of thought into creating book designs that make certain titles appeal to certain kinds of readers," you might say. And you are absolutely right. But if I'm honest, at least three quarters of all the blurbs I read are complete rubbish. And that's a lot. Let's put it this way: if I only read the blurbs and made a purchase decision based on them, my wallet would be a lot fuller. But I would have missed out on a lot of good books. Because the cover isn't everything. OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES ON WRITING: - "The life-changing writing tip (you‘ll find time every day)" - "How to become happy and productive in 12 minutes" - "The one thing you're missing to become successful +bonustip." THE SOLUTION The solution is simple: read the first few pages, the first chapter. Does the character interest you? Does the story matter to you? If so, the author has done a good job - the book is probably great! If not, keep trying - or read and analyse the novel to avoid making the same mistakes! Write, read (and maybe analyse) on, Evie |
| You are a writer (or want to be). You want to improve. With every single piece of writing. You don't want to write at your current level forever. But let me tell you a secret: practice makes perfect. In this article, I'm going to show you a way to pass the time and practise writing at the same time. But first, a little digression about learning languages. LEARNING LANGUAGES In my early youth I enjoyed learning languages. It was easy for me because I grew up bilingual and I always loved it. Before I started learning English, my mother spoke to me in English all day. At first I was annoyed. But then I realised how much it helped. I realised which vocabulary I was missing and which I knew well. I got to know my limits and weaknesses, but I also saw the effect. I realised that I could communicate. That I had achieved something. That it made sense to learn. But the best thing was that I was improving quickly. One day I went for a long drive in the car with my family. My parents were talking about things that didn't interest me. I was bored. Then I had an idea: I CHANGED THE LANGUAGE OF MY THOUGHTS. I thought about my school, my favourite books and so on. But I thought in English. I still like to use this technique, even though I no longer need to. AND WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH WRITING? Good question, my friend. The answer is simple: you write IN YOUR HEAD. You put together words that describe a landscape, carry on a dialogue or even tell a whole (short) story. Anything goes. For example, you are standing at the bus stop and you are bored. Then you think: "Tim was tapping his toes up and down. When did Lisa finally come? He had been standing in the doorway for over an hour, looking up and down the street. Should he go in? But Lisa wouldn't be too happy about such a greeting..." Things like that can be turned into new ideas or inserted into a scene as "snippets" (if you remember them). Simple, isn't it? OTHER ARTICLES ON WRITING TIPS: - "The 6 best tips ABOUT writing" - "How to become happy and productive in 12 minutes" - "Tips for motivation to write a novel" PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT If you practise a lot, you get better. The same applies here, of course. You'll soon notice that the quality of your "written stuff" improves too! BUT BEST OF ALL... ... that you will always find time for this writing tip! You can do it on the bus, train or in the car (when you're not driving!), in the queue at the supermarket, at lunchtime, at the bus stop, while waiting for the teacher at school, before you go to bed and almost anywhere else at almost any time. Write on, Evie |
| Writing a book is difficult. Three things are most difficult: a suitable beginning, an exciting, interesting middle during which you don't give up on the project ... and a satisfying ending! You can end a book in three ways - with action (e.g. a kiss), dialogue or something spoken (e.g. "I promise. And this time I'll keep my promise. I promise.") or narration. In this article I have explored and compiled some of the Narration bookends. You can change them, adapt them and use them! #1: "But as you can imagine, we never got bored!" Suitable for: Children's books To note: Only use this ending if the reader has been addressed as "you" at least twice. #2: "Together. Forever." Suitable for: Romance, YA To note: This ending is a little cheesy - but extremely effective! If there are further volumes, you really ✨ need to ✨ shipp the couple there (at least at the beginning of the next volume)! #3: "Suddenly I stop [insert something the character does throughout the book (e.g. missing someone)]" Suitable for: YA, romance, books with strong interpersonal relationships. To note: The character must actually do the used frequently in the book! #4: "I don't pay attention to them because ... / I don't pay attention to them. I am far too absorbed in ..." Suitable for: daydreaming characters or those who have just had a dream fulfilled, found love or received a gift To note: Please do not use without context and substitution for the points! OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES: - "Write what you know — settings" - "How to create the perfect plot (6 steps + helpful links)" - "The ultimate list to stay motivated, part II" #5: "And what better way than [character's plans for the future]?" Suitable for: Children's books, book series Note: the character must have had these plans for some time (even if it's the last three pages). #6: "[Something] is lost forever." Suitable for: sad endings, YA, book series To note: the ending can also be happy if you follow it with a sentence that goes something like this or something like this: "But it wasn't the end / But I still had [a beloved person/thing]." #7: "Somehow it's love at first sight. / Somehow it had been love at first sight." Suitable for: Children's and young adult books without a love focus, book series. To note: It can also be used as a reflection of what happened! If you liked this article, don't forget to like it. If you fan me, you will be informed about new blog articles. You will also get a digital template - e.g. with the index card outline method. Write on, Evie |
| What’s the secret ingredient to an epic character? This is a question that many writers ask themselves. But most of them get the answer wrong. They believe high-peril action sequences are they only way to make a (female) character look strong. This is simply not true. These authors write two-dimensional characters. They write characters who are the punching bag for the plot. Readers put such books down quickly. They can't understand the characters. Is that what you want? If that's your goal, congratulations. You'll reach it sooner or later if you keep doing what you're doing. But if you want readers to love your book, congratulations too: because this article shows you how to achieve that. INTERNAL CONFLICT Characters need a goal, a fear that prevents them from achieving the goal, and a misbelief that is proven true by their past. The golden rule here is (open notebooks, please!): Characters become strong when they conquer their fear, realise their misbelief (aha moment) and achieve their goal. No matter how physically strong they are, they only become really strong when they resolve their inner conflict. So much for that. Last week I had written about how to transform prompts into working prompts. There you will also find inner conflict as the "main ingredient". "Why prompts might not work (+5 steps to make them work)" Without plot, your story is boring. But without characters with inner conflict, it's meaningless. THE ENNEAGRAM The Enneagram helps to make your characters three-dimensional. It provides you with a complete toolbox on a silver platter. Actually, the Enneagram is meant to help you understand yourself and your fellow human beings better. But it's great for writing great characters and realistic relationships between them! There are nine personality types (we'll get to the wings later). Each type has a basic fear, a basic goal and patterns that it repeats. Each type is attributed with characteristics. So Type 1 is the Reformer, the Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic. On the Enneagram Institute's site you will find a lot of helpful information as far as type descriptions are concerned. Just follow this link: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES ON WRITING: - "How to develop characters" - "Write what you know — settings" - "Tips for motivation to write a novel" The personality types are arranged in a circle. (It is best to look at a picture of this now.) You see that the 4 lies between the 3 and the 5, the 5 between the 4 and the 6 and so on. This fact is the basis of the so-called wings. For example, there is the type 8w7 and the type 8w9. The small "w" stands for Wing. But what do the wings mean? The point is that one type (for example, type 9: the Peacemaker) is split into two subtypes (9w8 and 9w1). This makes everything even more precise. (So now there are the subtypes 9w8: "The Referee" and 9w1: "The Dreamer"). In addition, there are arrows between the types. These show how the character or person changes under disintegration or integration. Would you like an example? When moving in their Direction of Disintegration (stress), driven Threes suddenly become disengaged and apathetic at Nine. However, when moving in their Direction of Integration (growth), vain, deceitful Threes become more cooperative and committed to others, like healthy Sixes. In addition, you will find information on the website about relationships between the individual types and much more. If you want to know more about all this, you can find ... ... many helpful videos on YouTube, for example this one: https://youtu.be/hkJT-4Zx0Kg ... on the website of the Institute for the Enneagram lots of information: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works ... on Pinterest lots of interesting graphics. UPDATE: You can also ask ChatGPT for writing prompts with inner conflict, e.g. like this: "Think of creative writing prompts with inner conflict for writers. Arrange them according to the Enneagram type of the main characters. The result should be a table.“ Because you have read the article to the end, I will give you a free download of my analysis of Type 4, which I made for the protagonist of my next book. Click on File -> Make a copy if you want to adapt it for yourself. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E5gsJH2CC1KguKH6VRZmZTZCo0IeNDjn8Yy-J5wFzuE/... If you liked this article, don't forget to like it. If you fan me, you will be informed about new blog articles. You will also get a digital template - e.g. with the index card outline method. Write on, Evie |
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