101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists: Insider Secrets from Top Writers Book

Foreword ix Introduction xi Contributors xiii Part I Passion 1 Chapter 1 A Portrait of a Novelist 3
1 Being Creative and Original 4
2 Being a Natural Storyteller 5
3 Being a Natural Observer 7
4 Embracing Solitude 9
5 Having a Driving Reason to Write 11
6 Believing You're Talented Enough 12
7 Being a Voracious Reader 13
8 Being Passionate about the Craft 16
9 Being Passionate about Novels 18 Chapter 2 Commitment 21
10 Understanding the Downside of Being a Novelist 21
11 Committing to a Career, Not Just One Novel 23
12 Having Precise Goals, Not Just Wishes 24
13 Holding True to Your Dreams 25
14 Being Professional 27
15 Being Willing to Work Hard 28
16 Setting a High Standard of Excellence 30 Part II Creativity 31 Chapter 3 The Creative Process 33
17 Finding Inspiration 33
18 Coming Up with Ideas 34
19 Exploring the World 36
20 Being Open to Experiences 37
21 Studying the Market 41
22 Knowing What Makes a Great Story 42
23 Writing about What You Love 43
24 Writing about What You Know 44
25 Joining a Writer's Group 47
26 Attending Writing Classes and Workshops 48 Chapter 4 The Writing Environment 51
27 Finding Time to Write 51
28 Finding a Place to Write 53
29 Assembling Your Writing Tools 54 Chapter 5 The Writing Process 58
30 Developing Your Imagination 58
31 Doing Your Research 59
32 Becoming Possessed by the Story 62
33 Nurturing Your Creativity 63
34 Recording Your Ideas as Soon as They Appear 64
35 Collaborating 67
36 Outlining Your Story 70
37 Choosing Your Point of View 72
38 Plotting 73
39 Finding Your Pace 76
40 Getting the Basics Down 77
41 CreatingCharacters 79
42 Writing Dialogue 84
43 Making Conflict Work for You 86
44 Writing a Few Chapters at a Time 88
45 Discovering the Ending 90 Part III Discipline 93 Chapter 6 The Writing Habit 95
46 Setting Reasonable Goals 95
47 Making Writing a Pleasure 97
48 Writing Through the Blahs 98
49 Exercising Your Body 100
50 Finding Time to Recharge 101
51 Getting A Good Night's Sleep 102
52 Making Your Health a Priority 104 Chapter 7 The Challenges 106
53 Writing Through Your Fears 106
54 Silencing Your Inner Critic 107
55 Dealing with Distractions 109
56 Annihilating the Time Burglars 110
57 Making Sacrifices to Write 112
58 Enjoying Times When You're "Not Writing" 113
59 Overcoming Procrastination 114
60 Facing the Blank Page 115
61 Overcoming Writer's Block 117
62 Sticking with It 120
63 Meeting Deadlines 122
64 Coping with Rejection 124
65 Not Being Afraid to Fail 127 Chapter 8 The Editing Process 129
66 Completing Your First Draft 129
67 Editing and Rewriting 131
68 Asking for Feedback 135
69 Letting Your Manuscript Steep 138
70 Writing a Pitch Synopsis 139
71 Asking Other Authors for Blurbs 141
72 Sending Off Your Manuscript 142
73 Developing a Track Record 144
74 Accepting Criticism 147
75 Trusting Your Instincts 148
76 Saving Everything 150 Part IV The Business 153 Chapter 9 Networks 155
77 Learning from Other Writers 155
78 Shopping for an Agent 157
79 Writing a Query Letter 160
80 Working with Your Agent 162
81 Working with Editors 166
82 Having Mentors 168
83 Becoming a Mentor Yourself 171
84 Not Burning Your Bridges 173
85 Building Your Reputation 174
86 Being Courteous 176
87 Not Being Difficult to Work With 178 Chapter 10 The Publishing Business 180
88 Learning about Publishing 180
89 Promoting Yourself 183
90 Seeking Online Reviews 186
91 Creating a Website 187
92 Venturing into Online Publishing Markets 191
93 Knowing the Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing 193 Chapter 11 Your Readers 199
94 Targeting Your Readers 199
95 Not Underestimating Your Readers 201
96 Not Boring Your Readers 202
97 Writing for Yourself 203 Chapter 12 The Future 205
98 Not Taking It Too Seriously 205
99 Trying New Things 207
100 Keep Writing, No Matter What 209
101 Continuing to Learn and Grow 213 Epilogue 214 Index 215