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!
How do you connect big ideas?
"I'm struggling to tie together my novel’s bigger themes. I have all these big ideas I want to explore, like grief, identity, and belonging but they just feel really scattered. How do you connect big ideas?" Big ideas are easy. Putting them together in a way that...
What to Do When Motivation Is Lacking
When you’re writing something as huge as a novel, it can be difficult to remain motivated, and that is a fact. Most other projects are easy to look at and see progress, but with a novel, all you can clearly see is the increase in your word count. Without reading the...
What is lyrical prose and how do you use it effectively?
"I've been told my prose is 'too plain' and that I should make it more lyrical, but I’m not really sure what that means. Can you help?" Firstly, I want to start off by saying that using plain language is absolutely fine. Clarity should always be your aim when writing,...
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 write epistolary fiction?
"So I want to write a story that's told through letters and texts and stuff? Like, I've seen books that are all emails or diary entries and I think it's really cool, but I have no idea how to actually do it." There's something irresistibly intimate about stories told...
How do you start writing again after a long break?
"I took a long break from writing. I want to start writing again but I don't know how. What should I do?" Writing takes a lot of time and effort, so I think we all have occasions when we’ve stepped away from it. Life happens, burnout is real, health, family, or work...
How do you write time skips?
"Any advice on how to write time skips? I'm working on the second draft of my novel and I keep getting stuck on transitions where time passes. Sometimes it's just a few days, but there's also a big jump of several years in the middle. I never know if I'm doing it...
