Eight Tools That Will Help You Start Your Novel
By Joni Di Placido Sometimes the biggest challenge in writing is finding the time and the focus to just sit down and do it. Between the…
Book Signings: So Much More Than Selling Books
By Chris Mandeville The author book signing: you sit behind piles of your gorgeous books, surrounded by adoring readers who buy your books and have you…
The Long and Short (but mostly long) of Writing Short Stories
By Chris Mandeville Many writers begin their careers with short stories—they’re easier to tackle and faster to complete. But not me. I dove into novel writing…
Silence Your Inner Critic With Improv Writing
By Chris Mandeville Nothing banishes a writer’s critical inner editor like improv writing. Just like improvisational acting, improv writing is off-the-cuff, unplanned, uncorrected artistic expression, and it…
Cut & Paste Your Way to Inspiration with Collages
by Chris Mandeville Arts and crafts, anyone? Get out your old magazines, some scissors and glue, and a poster board because—believe it or not—creating a…
The “Sweet 16” First Lines of Your Manuscript
by Chris Mandeville The first page of your manuscript contains only sixteen lines, and this “sweet sixteen” is an essential tool for hooking a reader. If…
Which Came First? Awesome Writing Tools with All the Answers
by Chris Mandeville The other day I was talking to another writer about the young adult time travel story I’m writing. Her first question was,…
Eat Your Words! A Tool to Carve Out Writing Time
by Chris Mandeville Life is fast-paced and full, and we’re all busy, even during an average month. But during the holiday season, we add all sorts…
Take a Hike! A Writing Tool. Really.
by Chris Mandeville Any hikers out there in writer-land? Or writers who love to go for walks? Well, hiking-slash-walking isn’t just for pleasure-slash-exercise. It can actually…
The Author Website: Not Just a Digital Business Card
by Chris Mandeville An “official author website” is, like a business card, a tool for providing customers (readers) with information about you. But unlike a…
The Writer’s Conference: a drink from the fire hose
by Chris Mandeville I just returned home after spending a jam-packed three days at a writer’s conference. This was the 25th or so such event I’ve…
Channeling Popeye: I yam what I yam
By Chris Mandeville Here’s the thing: I’ve been trying to be something I’m not, and it hasn’t worked out very well for me. I’ve been attempting…
Picture This: The Author Photo As A Tool
By Chris Mandeville Your “official author photo” can be a powerful tool for drawing in and connecting with potential readers. Like your author bio, your photo gives…
The Author Bio: a Tool for Boring…or for Bonding
by Chris Mandeville An author bio can be a valuable tool for connecting with readers. Or it can bore them to death. Too much info,…
Got a Minute? 15 Uses for a Kitchen Timer
By Chris Mandeville One of my favorite tools is the kitchen timer. It’s so simple yet has so many uses in everyday life as well…
Down the Rabbit Hole? Tips and Tools for Naming Characters Quickly
By Chris Mandeville Some writers don’t worry much about naming. They slap a label on a character and run with it. Other writers dive down the rabbit hole…
The Writing Retreat: Fabulous Tool or Out-Of-Reach Fantasy?
By Chris Mandeville We’ve all heard about exotic writing retreats where every need is provided for and all that’s required of you is to write. It…
Cover Copy: a Must-Have for the Novelist’s Toolbox
By Chris Mandeville Cover copy is the brief summary of a novel found on the back cover of a paperback. When this summary is inside the…
New Year’s Writing Resolutions? This S.M.A.R.T. Tool’s for You!
By Chris Mandeville This time of year, regardless of our religious beliefs and holiday traditions, most of us spend a few moments looking back at the…
The Hat-trick: Tools for Revision
by Chris Mandeville Knife, scissors, chisel, scalpel, jackhammer—I bet you were expecting a plethora of these types of implements in a post about “tools for revision.”…
Top Ten Tips and Tools to Help You Complete NaNoWriMo (or any writing project)
By Chris Mandeville You’re down to the wire. The deadline for NaNoWriMo (or another writing project) looms on the horizon. But you’re behind. You’re afraid you’re…
NaNoPlanno: Tools for NaNoWriMo Prep
By Chris Mandeville NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month: a frenzy of writing with the goal of producing a 50,000-word novel during the thirty days…
Critique: Calibrate Your Expectations Before Using this Tool
by Chris Mandeville I’ve been perfecting my recipe for Coq au Vin for years. I use the happiest, most humanely raised poultry, a decent French Burgundy, organic…
Synopsis: The Tool You Need (whether you know it or not)
by Chris Mandeville A synopsis is a document —sometimes a paragraph, sometimes several pages— that describes your book. What could be simpler? As a writer, I…
The Plotting Grid: a Tool for Plotters and Pantsers
by Chris Mandeville A “plotting grid” is a physical chart used to lay out the components of a story in a visual way. It often looks…
The Right Tool for the Job: Logline
by Chris Mandeville I’d like to share a tool that will help you talk about your book: the logline. A logline is a one-line synopsis that…
GMC: The Swiss Army Knife of Writing Tools
by Chris Mandeville One of the best things I ever did for my fiction writing was determine what my main character wants, why she wants it,…
Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept It
by Chris Mandeville Welcome to “Tools for Writers,” a new semi-regular feature of Kobo Writing Life. I begin this series by sharing a tool that can…