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Did you know there are apps in the Google Play Store that can make your writing and reading life easier. While I initially purchased my tablet to store recipes via My Cookbook, I quickly figured out that my new tablet was far more useful than just saving my holiday roll recipe. Here are my top 5 picks for writer and reader apps.
1. Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle is obviously the first choice for reading, especially if you spend a lot of time downloading free and paid kindle ebook. This app basically turns for tablet into a library and a book at the same time. If you’re an author or a reader, you probably already have this downloaded onto your phone and/or tablet.
Read more: 5 Android Tablet Apps that Make Writing and Reading Life Easier
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Stop me if you’ve heard this one – There Are No Rules in Fiction.If you’ve heard this, you are not alone. Unfortunately, that statement should not be taken at face value. There are rules in fiction. A more accurate statement would be – There Are Fewer Rules in Fiction.
Understanding What They’re Talking About When They Say There Are No Rules in Fiction
When someone tells you that there are no rules in fiction, what they mean is that you can use sentence fragments, grammatically incorrect dialogue and punctuation you wouldn’t see in a term paper, thesis or college essay. In other words, you don’t have to write your fiction like you would a school assignment. It doesn’t have to be rigid formal English. Every sentence doesn't need a subject and a verb. In fact, you can have a single word sentence if it makes sense in the context and is understood, but that’s the thing. You’re readers need to be able to understand your fiction, and it needs to be grammatically correct within the context of your book, free of spelling errors and punctuated correctly or reasonably so.
Read more: Dispelling the Myth: There Are No Rules in Fiction
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Preplanning a novel can involve as little as naming your main characters and writing a one-sentence overview of your plot or as detailed as full character biographies and a full outline that includes each chapter from the first chapter to the last chapter. While preplanning and outlining your novel can make the actual process of writing the novel faster, it doesn't help you if you get so caught up in the planning details that you never actually write your novel.
What You Must Have to Write Your Novel
- The names of your main characters
- The names of your primary secondary characters
- Any supporting characters that come to your mind
- A one-sentence overview of your plot
- A paragraph explaining the premise of your novel
- Any additional genre-specific notes, like cities, worlds, breeds or character races
Read more: To Preplan Your Novel or Not to Preplan Your Novel
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The biggest problem writers face is not writing. I can't tell you how many writers and authors I know that do not write on a weekly basis. I'd say daily, but I think that's unreasonable for the vast majority of aspiring, new and existing writers and authors. I don't write every day, but I do write most days. This is called having reasonable expectations.
Open Your Word Processor
The first step to writing is opening your word processor or paper notebook. I understand this is common sense, but I'm seeking to answer the question of which one you should open in order to best meet your writing needs. Of course, if you opened a paper notebook, don't forget your pen. If you're opening a word processor, do you want one that only works on your desktop? Do you want a multi-platform word processor that works on every device you have? Do you want to use writing software that's specifically designed for writing fiction? If you don't know, let's look at the available word processors and writing programs available.
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The first draft of a fiction novel is known as the junk draft in my five-draft method. Other authors and editors may call it something else, and you may simply call it draft one. It's where you first open your word processor or novel writing software and type in the file name and save it. During the first draft, many authors encounter some problems during the process. If you're not to this point and you are looking at a blank page, check out How to Quickly Start Your Next Fiction Novel.
1. You Get Stuck
It’s very common to get stuck in a first draft. It typically happens at the beginnings and ends of chapters, but it can also occur in the middle of a chapter or scene. In this instance, you may not know exactly what to write. You may not feel inspired to write a particularly violent, difficult or intimate scene. Whatever the reason, you can handle all of these problems pretty much in the same way.
Stuck at the front of a chapter
If you move to your next chapter and can’t think of a way to open it, just take care of the important parts. If you know a particular scene is going to happen, just write down that part of the chapter. You can put in all the filler information later.
Read more: Understanding 8 Common First Draft Problems and What to Do About Them