Books For Writers Series
By Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre
()
About this series
Writing a novel will change your life.
It might not be in the way that you expect, but when you hold your book in your hand and say, "I made this," something will shift.
The process of getting to that point will light a spark in your creative soul and help you discover unexpected aspects of yourself. It will be one of the things you are most proud of in your life. This book will help you get there.
I'm Joanna (J.F.) Penn, award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels and novellas with nearly a million books sold in over one hundred countries.
This book will help you write your first novel, or improve your creative process so you can write more books and reach more readers. It covers mindset, ideas and research, aspects of craft, how to write a first draft, and work through an editing process to a finished book.
You will discover:
Part 1: First Principles
- Why are you writing a novel?
- What has stopped you from completing a novel before?
- Principles to keep in mind as you create
Part 2: Ideas, Research, Plotting, and Discovery Writing
- How to find and capture ideas
- How to research your novel and when to stop
- Outlining (or plotting)
- Discovery writing (or pantsing)
- What are you writing? Genre
- What are you writing? Short story, novella, or novel
- What are you writing? Stand-alone, series, or serial
Part 3: Aspects of a Novel
- Story structure
- Scenes and chapters
- Character: Who is the story about?
- Point of view
- Dialogue
- Plot: What happens in the story?
- Conflict
- Openings and endings
- Setting and World-building: Where does the story happen?
- Author voice
- Theme
- Book or story title
- Language versus story and tools versus art
Part 4: Writing the first draft
- Attitude to the first draft
- How to write the first draft
- Dictate your book
- Write fast, cycle through, or write slow
- Writer's block
- Writing tools and software
- When is the first draft finished?
Part 5: The Editing Process
- Overview of the editing process
- Self-editing
- How to find and work with a professional editor
- Beta readers, specialist readers, and sensitivity readers
- Editing tools and software
- Lessons learned from editing my first novel after more than a decade
- When is the book finished?
Conclusion
If you want to (finally) write your novel, then buy How to Write a Novel today.
Titles in the series (3)
- The Relaxed Author: Books For Writers, #13
13
Do you want to be a more relaxed author? There are plenty of books and tips on writing faster, learning more marketing tactics and strategies, trying to maximize your ranking, hitting the top of the charts, juicing the algorithms, and hacking different ad platforms. While these are all important things — which the authors themselves regularly write and talk about — it's also important to recognize that your author journey is a marathon, and not a sprint. Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre have been in the business long enough to see authors burning out and leaving the writing life because they turned what they love into a hamster wheel of ever more production and marketing tasks they hate. It doesn't have to be this way. This book is a collection of tips on how to be a more relaxed author — and return to the love that brought you to writing in the first place. You will discover: Why the 'relaxed' author? You are not alone. Why authors are not relaxed. Part 1: Relaxed Writing Write what you love Write at your own pace Write in a series (if you want to) Schedule time to fill the creative well and for rest and relaxation Improve your writing process — but only if it fits with your lifestyle Part 2: Relaxed Publishing Make empowered publishing choices Understand persistence, patience, and partnership Value your work. You create intellectual property assets. Publish at your own pace Publish wide (or don't) Sell direct to your audience Don't let piracy and plagiarism derail you Deal with cancel culture, bad reviews, and haters Find a community who support your publishing choices Part 3: Relaxed Marketing Focus on the basics first Simplify your author brand and website Simplify and automate your email Find one form of marketing you enjoy and can sustain for the long term Put book 1 in a series free or permafree Choose social media that suits you — or don't use it at all Advertise in campaigns Outsource when you can Embrace who you are. Double down on being human. Think global, digital, long-term marketing Part 4: Relaxed Business Do you really want to run an author business? Create multiple streams of income Eliminate tasks. Say 'no' more. Organize and improve your processes Use tools Find voices you trust and tune out the rest Learn about money Look after your physical and mental health Keep a long-term mindset If you want to be a more relaxed author, sample or buy today.
- Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words: Books For Writers, #15
15
Do you want to connect with readers on a deeper level? Do you want your books to stand out in a sea of content by being authentic and personal in your writing whatever the genre? Are you interested in creative self-development? If yes, Writing the Shadow is for you. This is a book of my heart and it contains many personal stories — but this book is really about helping you reach readers with your words — and move to the next level in your writing. Because we all long to write boldly, without filters or fear. To spin stories that capture the messy beauty of what it means to be human. Tales that lay bare the truth of living — darkness and all. But something holds us back. Whispers of "Who do you think you are?" and "You don't have permission to write that." Our own self-censorship and the judgment of others keep us from writing freely — and sometimes, from living fully. But all great art taps into darkness, and your most compelling work emerges when you embrace your full humanity—both light and Shadow. In Writing the Shadow, I'll guide you on an intimate journey to explore the darkness and discover the gold lying hidden in its depths. Gold that may be the source of your best creative work in the years ahead. The Shadow is calling. It's time to turn your inner darkness into words. What's in the book? Part 1 goes into the various ways you can tap into your Shadow. Since it lies in the unconscious, you cannot approach it directly. You need tools to help reveal it in different ways. You will find ideas here — ranging from personality assessments and identifying Shadow personas to mining your own writing and exploring your true curiosity — as well as ways to protect yourself so you don't get lost in the dark. Part 2 explores how the Shadow manifests in various aspects of our lives. I discuss the creative wound and how it may still be holding you back in your writing life, as well as aspects of traditional and self-publishing, then expand into work and money, family and relationships, religion and culture, the physical body and aging, death and dying. Part 3 explores ways that you can find the gold in your Shadow, and turn your inner darkness into words through self-acceptance, letting go of self-censorship, deepening character and theme in your work, and opening the doors to new parts of yourself. While the book is designed to be read in order, you can also skip directly to the sections that resonate the most. There are Resources and Questions at the end of every chapter that will help you reflect along the way. You can answer them in your own journal or use the Companion Workbook if you prefer to write in a more structured way. The Shadow is calling. It's time to turn your inner darkness into words.
- How To Write a Novel: Books For Writers
Writing a novel will change your life. It might not be in the way that you expect, but when you hold your book in your hand and say, "I made this," something will shift. The process of getting to that point will light a spark in your creative soul and help you discover unexpected aspects of yourself. It will be one of the things you are most proud of in your life. This book will help you get there. I'm Joanna (J.F.) Penn, award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels and novellas with nearly a million books sold in over one hundred countries. This book will help you write your first novel, or improve your creative process so you can write more books and reach more readers. It covers mindset, ideas and research, aspects of craft, how to write a first draft, and work through an editing process to a finished book. You will discover: Part 1: First Principles Why are you writing a novel? What has stopped you from completing a novel before? Principles to keep in mind as you create Part 2: Ideas, Research, Plotting, and Discovery Writing How to find and capture ideas How to research your novel and when to stop Outlining (or plotting) Discovery writing (or pantsing) What are you writing? Genre What are you writing? Short story, novella, or novel What are you writing? Stand-alone, series, or serial Part 3: Aspects of a Novel Story structure Scenes and chapters Character: Who is the story about? Point of view Dialogue Plot: What happens in the story? Conflict Openings and endings Setting and World-building: Where does the story happen? Author voice Theme Book or story title Language versus story and tools versus art Part 4: Writing the first draft Attitude to the first draft How to write the first draft Dictate your book Write fast, cycle through, or write slow Writer's block Writing tools and software When is the first draft finished? Part 5: The Editing Process Overview of the editing process Self-editing How to find and work with a professional editor Beta readers, specialist readers, and sensitivity readers Editing tools and software Lessons learned from editing my first novel after more than a decade When is the book finished? Conclusion If you want to (finally) write your novel, then buy How to Write a Novel today.
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