Welcome to the Reading Room
Join us with a cuppa and settle in for expert writing advice, writing and publishing tips, book reviews, and your questions answered!
5 Editing Tips to Revise and Strengthen Your Dialogue
I recently revised a story from almost a quarter century ago. As I dug through this monument to writers' past, I was pleased with the quality of the prose, excited by the cohesion of the story, but dismayed by the sheer volume of dialogue. There was just so...
How do you write a good metaphor?
"I struggle with writing metaphors. I can come up with similes easily, but metaphors? Not so much. Any advice?" If you can write a simile, you're already halfway there! Seriously. The hard part is making connections between different things, and if it’s something...
Character Archetypes and How to Use Them in Your Novel
If you’re a writer and you’ve had any type of online presence in the past few years, you may have come across the term “character archetypes.” The idea of the twelve character archetypes was suggested by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. His theory on basic human...
Got a Question? Ask Novlr!
Want to know more about a certain aspect of writing or need more general advice or inspiration? We’re here to help!
How do you know if your story idea is big enough for a novel?
"Hiya. How do you know if an idea is big enough to span a whole novel? I often fall short when outlining because there's just not enough depth to the idea." This is such a relatable question. When I’m brainstorming, I often go to either extreme. I have too many ideas...
How do you come up with good character names?
"I've been struggling with naming my characters for weeks now. I keep second-guessing every name I choose, worried it's not meaningful or unique enough. How do you come up with good character names? And how do you know when you've found the right one?" I feel this...
Are there any books on writing you can recommend?
"People always talk about different writing books but I'm not sure which ones would be worth my time. There are just too many! What books would you recommend for someone who wants to improve their writing?" How-to guides are certainly a dime a dozen in writing...
