Pamela Koehne-Drube
Sep 29
There’s a popular assumption that because they are often short and simple, that writing children’s books is easy. But nothing could...
Sep 22
No matter what type of fantasy world you’re writing, it’s easy for your plot to feel one-note if you don’t practice wor...
Sep 15
The thrill of watching a character unfold and develop on the page is an experience like no other. But, it can be a challenge to truly und...
Sep 1
There are no hard and fast rules for how long your book or story must be, but there are recommended word counts that can help you reach s...
Aug 25
As a creative writer, you build unique worlds and create characters who mean something to you and your readers. So how can you protect yo...
Aug 14
Carl Burkitt likes telling tales. He tells long tales, short tales, silly tales, sad tales, and tells them online, behind a mic, in books...
Aug 11
Picking the right tense for the story you want to tell is an often overlooked part of narrative development. Writing tenses consistently ...
Aug 7
There is nothing quite like the feeling of finishing off a chapter that you’re really happy with. You’ve hit all the beats just right, th...
In the world of historical fiction, authenticity can make a world of difference. Well-researched novels transport readers to a different ...
Jul 28
ISBNs sound like a scary hoop that authors have to jump through, so let’s take a moment to unravel the mystery and give you a bit more cl...
Jul 7
Last year I attended the London Book Fair. It was a fantastic experience where I got to mingle with other writers, meet publishers, and h...
Jul 3
The dream of many writers is to make it a full-time profession. For full-time writers, it’s easy to build and plan your day around ...
Jun 30
We don’t always write when the mood of our surroundings matches the mood of what we’re writing. It’s hard to write abou...
Jun 21
How is it already halfway through 2023? We’ve achieved so much this year, and we’re just getting started. 15,272 novels have been created...
Jun 15
Have you ever been completely engrossed in a book and found yourself desperately invested in its characters? Those characters more than l...
Jun 12
While there are many paths you can take to get your book out into the world, there are three main routes to publishing. Traditional publi...
Jun 2
Show, don’t tell is probably the most common piece of writing advice out there. And there’s a reason for it. It’s the single most powerfu...
May 26
Horror is one of the most enduring genres of fiction. It touches something within us – letting us explore our most primal emotions....
May 15
For writers who plot, the blank page before you start outlining your story is perhaps the most daunting of all. No matter how good the co...
May 5
Have you ever read back something you’ve written and felt like it’s not quite as strong as you’d like? We all have crutch words that we o...
Apr 28
Music has inspired people for generations. It helps guide our emotions, can change our moods, and even act as catharsis in times of emoti...
Apr 24
It’s so easy to delete your words. Don’t like what you’ve written? A blank slate is just the touch of a button away. In the moment it can...
Apr 17
If you’ve got an idea for a story, but are stuck on how to bring your characters to life, then there’s an easy formula to give you a head...
Apr 14
Self-publishing has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more writers opting to take control of the publication pro...
Apr 7
A galley proof, also known as an advance copy, ARC (advance reader copy), uncorrected proof, or just galley or proof, is a crucial part o...
Mar 31
There is no better teacher than criticism. And rejection, no matter what form it takes, is just a form of criticism. While true criticism...
Mar 27
This post was originally written for the Cover Kitchen blog and can be read in its original form here. Writing a good book blurb is one o...
Mar 24
If you want to build a career, there are several ways to make money as a writer. How much you can make and what path you have to take to ...
Mar 22
2023 has been a busy year for us already at Novlr HQ. How is it only March?? We released our latest update on March 20th, and it’s been s...
Mar 20
Just like a muscle, you need to exercise your creativity. Writing is a skill that develops, not just one you have, and like any skill, yo...
Mar 13
Writing prompts aren’t hard to come by. There are entire websites and books dedicated to just that very thing. After a while, though, the...
Mar 3
We’re thrilled to announce that Novlr is getting a bit of a refresh! While the update is still two weeks away, we want to give you ...
Feb 24
Reading and writing go hand in hand. To be a truly great writer, you must immerse yourself in the written word. It’s a deeply personal cr...
Feb 20
Anyone who did a creative writing class at school will remember the lesson to avoid repetition in your writing. I’m here to give you some...
Feb 17
Do you ever struggle to stay motivated or focused on your writing? Losing motivation is one of the biggest causes of burnout among creati...
Feb 15
Almost 15,000,000 words have been written in Novlr already this year, with over 1,600 novels created just last month! It’s amazing to see...
Feb 10
Twitter has become a popular platform for the writing community. You’ll often find authors sharing their work, engaging with their reader...
Feb 3
Subtext is a powerful tool in creative writing. It spans every genre, and we even use it in everyday life (passive aggression and flirtin...
Jan 27
Every writer has a different style and voice, and a writer’s unique voice can have a huge impact on how they determine the length of thei...
Jan 20
Podcasts are an excellent way for writers to stay inspired, informed, and connected. They let authors share their expertise, honed over y...
Jan 16
Publishing a book is an exciting journey, but it’s not just about writing a great story. It’s also about presenting it in a w...
Jan 11
2023 is in full swing, and we’re already off to a running start here at Novlr HQ. There are now over 118,237 novels live in Novlr, and al...
Jan 2
At Novlr, we’re as passionate about reading as we are about writing! We are always on the lookout for the next great book recommendation....
Dec 30
As writers, we often rely on our own internal muses to guide us through the creative process. But sometimes, a little external inspiratio...
Dec 26
Do you want to transport your readers to another world, to make them feel the emotions of your characters as if they were their own? Then...
Dec 19
A plot twist is a sudden, unexpected turn of events in a story that changes the plot’s direction or reveals a previously unknown fact. Th...
Dec 12
If you’ve ever experienced writer’s block, you know how frustrating and demoralising it can be. There are plenty of ways to b...
Dec 7
With NaNoWriMo over and everyone heading into the holiday season, the Novlr team has been hard at work tackling bigger projects. We’re st...
Dec 2
Self-editing is an essential skill for any writer to have in their tool belt. With the right tools, you can be a master of self-editing a...
Nov 28
If you plan to publish a book, it’s essential to get as much feedback as possible. Feedback is crucial for making sure your story is the ...
Nov 25
In this series, we interview published Novlr authors to learn about their work, routines, and how they use Novlr. Alice Aagaard is a Dani...
Nov 18
It is no great mystery that prolific readers make the best writers. And few people in the world know more about stories than librarians. ...
Nov 11
The ABDCE structure is a great way to outline a short story. It stands for Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending. By follow...
Nov 7
There’s a common misconception that because traditional publishers have contacts and marketing budgets to throw behind their releases, tr...
Nov 4
In this series, we interview published Novlr authors to learn about their work, routines, and how they use Novlr. Heidi Stephens has spen...
Oct 28
Despite their reputation for mindless gore, zombie books can be a lot more nuanced than you expect. Zombie and vampire fiction often shin...
Oct 24
To find your writer’s voice, it is important to understand what it is. Voice is an author’s style of writing, which includes choice of wo...
Oct 10
NaNoWriMo is a great way to kickstart your writing habit. The process of writing 50,000 words in a month gives you the momentum and motiv...
Sep 26
Each year, in the last week of September, the world observes Banned Books Week. Started in 1982 in response to an increase in challenges ...
Sep 23
One of the most important elements to consider when writing is narrative voice. Narrative voice is the way in which you tell your story a...
Sep 16
The New York Times Bestseller list is the most famous list of bestselling books in the United States. It has been published weekly in The...
Sep 9
There’s something special about a Cozy Mystery. They’re great escapism, and without the gore and violence so often associated with “hardb...
Sep 2
Have you ever wondered why some books have a preface and others don’t? Or what the difference is between an introduction and a fore...
The best way to be a writer is to write. But we all need inspiration from somewhere, and sometimes, the ideas just don’t flow. You can us...
Aug 19
You’ve finished your manuscript, and you’re ready to pitch your novel to an agent. But how do you ensure your query letter wi...
Aug 12
You’re going to be putting a lot of time and effort into your book, so it’s important that it’s as good as it can be. With all the differ...
Aug 5
The setting of your story is an integral part of the impact your book will have on readers. If I’m reading a book and the author de...
Jul 29
You can’t get people to buy your book if they don’t know about it. It is up to you to make sure that your book gets seen by a...
Jul 25
If the 24 Hour Novel challenge taught me anything, it’s the importance of writing playlists to boost your imagination. The right tr...
Jul 22
Your setting is fundamental to your story. It’s the backbone of your plot and is essential to providing narrative context, establishing t...
Jul 15
NetGalley is a platform aimed at the distribution of digital galleys, otherwise known as ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) or Proofs. It’...
Jul 8
Today’s readers are more discerning than ever. They don’t want to see cookie-cutter villains who do evil for evil’s sake. They want to se...
Writing is a skill that takes practice, but there is more to being a great writer than simply putting words on a page. Reading is an esse...
Jul 1
As some of you may have followed on Twitter, in the last week of June I participated in the 24 Hour Novel challenge. Writers from all ove...
Jun 27
Writing is tough. You’re putting your work out there for everyone to judge, and sometimes that’s hard to do. You’ll get...
Jun 20
Over the last few months, we’ve been busy developing the new Novlr Analytics dashboard. We wanted to show you some of the key featu...
Jun 17
Dialogue tags can make or break a reader’s immersion in your dialogue. Great use of dialogue tags can result in clear, engaging, and memo...
Jun 10
Writers know that characters are one of the most important things for a story to be successful. But without fully developed, believable c...
Jun 3
How do you find out if a literary agent is right for you? If you’re not sure, you’re in good company. There’s no one-si...
May 30
In this series, we interview published Novlr authors to learn about their work, routines, and how they use Novlr. D.A. (Dana) W...
May 23
A story resolution is one of the most important elements of your plot because it will leave the most impression on your reader. It resolv...
May 20
A subplot is a secondary plotline in your story. To write a good subplot, you should support and enhance the main story arc, adding depth...
May 6
There’s nothing quite like the perfect playlist to get you in the mood to write. We’ve put together six more mood, scene, and...
Apr 25
In this series, we interview published Novlr authors to learn about their work, routines, and how they use Novlr. Shameka Erby ...
Apr 22
There are many reasons why authors join a writing community. Whether it’s for the support of a like-minded group, writing sprints, fun an...
Apr 15
The perfect mixture of romance and humour, romantic comedies are the ideal escapist genre. They remind us of the fun and drama of being i...
Apr 8
As our community-ownership journey continues, we want Novlr to evolve with it. We want to provide writers services for our authors as we ...
Apr 1
If you’re planning to publish a novel, then there is no greater resource than the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. Every year,...
Mar 28
Ghostwriting is a central part of the publishing industry yet rarely discussed. Despite being involved in almost every aspect of the writ...
Mar 11
Putting yourself out there as a writer is hard. Successful publication is as much about marketing yourself and your work as it is about t...
Mar 7
If you love music, you’ll love these playlists! We’ve added 6 more amazing playlists to our already growing collection. From s...
Feb 11
Looking for something new to read this year? Black History Month isn’t the only time to amplify Black voices, so we’ve put together...
Jan 24
It’s no secret that music and writing often go hand in hand. We’ve added 6 more amazing playlists for writing to Spotify that...
Jan 14
Outlining a novel can be the hardest part of any writing journey, so having the right tool for the job is absolutely essential. The more ...
Dec 24
As the subject of countless films, plays, and adaptations, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is perhaps the most long-lived Christ...
Dec 13
People write for a number of reasons, all of which are personal. Whether you’re a writer writing for your own pleasure, or someone lookin...
Dec 3
With the cold winter fully set in, Michael Bublé emerging from hibernation, and Chris Rea beginning his annual drive home, we know the co...
Nov 29
Daniel Verastiqui is a Science Fiction author from Austin, Texas. His books explore the themes of relationships and identity in the conte...
Nov 8
There are no hard and fast rules on when is the best time to write. For many, creativity doesn’t strike at set times, so writing any time...
Nov 5
Are you the kind of writer who is already hard at work as the sun comes up? Do you do your best writing in the morning, where your produc...