Most of us create first drafts that need quite a bit of work before they’re doing what they need to do. Maybe you’re the type of writer who never looks back while writing that first draft until you’ve typed the words The End. Or, perhaps you tend to write novels a bit at a time, and you pause to revise as you go. Regardless, there will be a first draft to deal with, and it will inevitably take a few passes to get it right. The key to revising well is to see it as an opportunity, not an ordeal.
I just read a The Martian, a book loved dearly by a LOT of people. I, however, didn’t love it. In my review, I discuss elements of this book that failed me.
My Very First “Writer” Interview!! Over on the website Interviews from the Void, I had the honor of chatting with Arthur McCabe about a whole bunch of interesting writing stuff. It’s a sign of how inept I am at professional marketing and blogging that I only just thought today of mentioning this on my own …
If you’ve ever watched an Olympic sporting event like the floor routine in gymnastics, you might have seen shots of athletes preparing to compete. They stand to the side, eyes closed, twisting their bodies around in odd ways. You know what they’re doing. They’re envisioning their routine, imagining the jumps, the turns, the tucks. The same thing happening to those athlete’s brains as they pre-visualize their routines occurs inside readers’ minds when they read. Provided, that is, an author uses a few key neuroscience tricks when they write.
Regardless of the quality of the actual story being told, the writing can either engage us or bore us. Understanding the neuroscience of reading can help you grab readers by the brain and engage them more effectively.
It’s been said, names have power, and an evocative title is step one toward hooking your readers. Yet many of us spend little time giving thoughtful consideration to either. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of the online name generators. Here’s a better way to approach naming your characters and titling your story.