How To Tackle Writer’s Block

We’ve all been there. We have a novel in the works. It’s so close to being done. It’s been months in the works. Every friend and family member has been asking when it’ll be done and we tell them “soon, soon”. But there’s that one part that we’re stuck on. That we can’t figure out and can’t find ideas for. We are stuck in the infamous rut known as writer’s block. And long story short, it sucks.

The good news is that there are solutions. There’s no one-size-fits-all cure for writer’s block, unfortunately, but there are some basic things you can do to help get the creative juices flowing. Try these tips and see if it helps at all.

Take a walk and pay attention to your surroundings

Try taking a walk in the park or in a nearby area. During this walk, don’t just walk idly, but instead, pay special attention to everything you see. That plant that you know is there but never looked closely at? Pay attention to it. Look into the texture of the leaves. Notice the ladybug wandering around. Pay attention to the birds chirping nearby or how the dirt has little holes in it for whatever animal lives in it. Pay special attention to the people around you. Look at what they’re doing. Study their body language. Are they happy? Sad? Anxious? Look at people talking. Are they romantically involved? How can you tell? Is one more into the other? Is there something going on beneath the surface? Pay attention and take note. Soak in all these details during your walk and then see how you feel about your story. Often times, new ideas will start flowing. Nature has its way of sparking new ideas.

Read some stories or watch some videos

Try jumping into other people’s creative ideas. Is there a movie you’ve been itching to see? Watch it. Pay attention to it and see what you like. This will often lead to ideas. Consuming some Indica has often been known to relieve writer’s block.

Want a more budget option? Try doing some online reading. There are tons of free stories around in this day an age. Try some flash fiction sites. Enjoy a few stories. Again, pay careful attention to the details and see what you like. Have an opinion. If you have the poetry itch, maybe try reading from some poetry websites. There are even tons of reading apps out there.

If you’re feeling kind of busy, perhaps you can read short stories instead. There are wide varieties of short stories that might get your creative juices flowing, from scary stories to love stories. There are some very short stories out there, so there is no excuse for not being able to find time for a quick 2 minute read!

Want something more brainless? Even YouTube can be a good option. Find some good shorts (you might have better luck on Vimeo) and watch away. You want to get those neurons firing so by paying attention to creative endeavors, you’ll start warming up that creative muscle as well.

Do a free writing session

Often times, a big cause of writer’s block is our own uncertainty about our ideas. Do a simple writing exercise. Block off 30 minutes and just write. The only rule is that there are no bad ideas. When something comes to your mind, just write it out. No filtering. No editing. Just be free and write. It can be about anything. It can be any format. It can be poetry. It can be random words. It can be related to the story you’re working if you’d like. Just make sure you apply absolutely no filters.

If you need a writing prompt, you can get a ton of prompts from The Write Practice or Writer’s Digest.

You can also try your hand at fanfiction. Fanfiction is a lot of fun and low pressure as the stories come with built-in characters, scenarios, and incentives.

This can be hard at first but gets easier and easier as you continue and by the end of the 30 minutes, you’ll find yourself flush with new ideas.

These tricks always work for me when I’m stuck. Give it a whirl!

What’s the Ideal Word Length for a Novel and Each of Its Chapters?

So, you have a fantastic idea for a novel and you can’t wait to start getting your ideas out on paper. However, if your goal is to sell your book, there are a few things that you are going to want to take into consideration before you start writing.

In addition to a developing catchy title and, a really compelling plotline, and characters that your readers will be able to relate to, there’s something else that you are going to want to pay attention to: the word length.

If your novel and its corresponding chapters are too long, you run the risk of boring your readers and losing their attention. If the word count is too short, you readers might end up saying, “That’s it?”

In other words, if your book and the chapters it contains have too few or too many words, there’s a good chance that your novel won’t have the success that you hope it will.

So, how long should your book and each of its chapters be? – It really depends on the genre. Web serials like Naruto Fanfiction and Percy Jackson Fanfiction can go on more or less forever.

Below, we offer a general recommendation for the average word count for different genres. While there are certainly exceptions to these word count rules, they severe as a handy guideline, as they’re the approximate word count that the intended audiences of each genre are looking for.

Middle Grade Fiction

This genre is for readers between the ages of 9 and 12. The attention span of this audience is relatively short, so if you’re writing a novel for in this genre, you’ll want to stick write between 30,000 and 55,000 words. For word counts of each chapter, divide the total number of words you intend on writing by the total number of chapters you intend on writing.

Young Adult

If you’re writing the next “Twilight” or “Hunger Games” saga – or even if you have a completely new and fresh idea that you definitely think will appeal to young adults, if you want to hold their attention, pay close attention to your word count. On average, a young adult novel should be no less than 55,000 words and no more than 80,000 words.

Again, you can divide those numbers by the amount of chapters you plan on having in your book and you’ll have an approximate for the word count in each chapter.

Adult Fiction

Whether you’re writing a thriller, a romance, or any other type of adult fiction, the average word length should be about 100,000 for your novel. If you go too far beyond this, it could seem too cumbersome to your readers, as well as agents and publishers.

To figure out how many words you should have in each chapter, divide 100,000 (give or take) by the number of chapters you plan on including in your book. Of course, some chapters may have more words and some may have less; just make sure each chapter has a good flow.

Costs Associated with Self-Publishing a Book

Costs Associated with Self-Publishing

When it comes to self-publishing, there are certain costs that you are going to have to incur. In this article, we’ll be discussing each of those costs so that you know what is involved in self-publishing your book. While you can save money on many of these costs by doing the work yourself, if you have the budget for it, it is a much better idea to spend the money because there are definite benefits to going with professionals in many of these areas. Let’s look at five of the major costs associated with self-publishing.

Image result for reedsy cost to self

Writing the Book

The first cost will be discussing is writing the book. You’re going to have to write the book while you hold down a full-time job because the actual act of writing does not pay anything at all. Writing a book, starting with the novel outline process, can be pretty grueling. You’re only going to get Peyton people by your book, or when you get a major deal with the publishing house. If you self-published, then obviously you are going to have to wait until sales role in, and even after sales have rolled in for a month, you are still going to have to wait at least 60 days to get the money from Amazon.

Editing the Book

You may also have to pay for the cost associated with editing the book. Editing the book is an important step in the process, because you want your narrative to flow properly and you want all of the grammar and spelling mistakes to be removed from your book. In essence, you want your book to be as professional as possible when it goes up for sale on major sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Designing a Book Cover

Another cost associated with writing a book is getting the cover design. The truth of the matter is, people do judge a book by its cover and they are going to judge yours by its cover as well. That means that you may have to spend some money in order to get a professional cover designer to create the perfect cover for your book. This way, you can give it the best chance possible of becoming a bestseller.

Formatting the Book

You are also going to need to format your book. This means making it look good on the inside. Depending upon which you are going to use, the print book format or the e-book format, you’re going to have to do different formatting. However, in either case, you are going to need to do some work to make it ready for publication.

Promoting the Book

Finally, you’re going to need to promote your book. There are lots of different ways that you can do this. Some people like to use the pay per click method of advertising with Google, while others like to use the CPM method of advertising on banners where books are discussed. One of the best sites to do this for reasonable price is the Kindle boards. However, there are lots of websites that you can advertise on.

Using Fading to Make Your Book Cover Better

Using Fading to Make Your Book Cover Better

One of the best tricks to use to create your book cover design is fading. Fading is when you merge two different pictures together or you merge a particular color background with a picture. This is a simple trick to learn, but it can make your covers exponentially better in quality. In this tutorial, we will look at step-by-step instructions on how to use fading.

Step One: Create Your Book Cover Template

The first thing you have to do is create your book cover template. You have to have the right dimensions for your book cover. Most people are designing for the Kindle cover. Since the dimensions change all the time, we will not be including the exact dimensions here. Instead, use a search engine like Google to search for current Kindle cover dimensions.

Step Two: Import Your Image

The second thing you have to do is import your image. The easiest way to do this is by using the file and open commands in Photoshop, opening your image into a brand-new document, and then copying the entire picture and pacing and and whatever cover template you have. Expand it or shrink it using the edit and free transform to get it to fit whatever cover template you happen to have.

Step Three: Import Secondary Image or Create Background

The third thing you have to do is import secondary image or create a color background. You can double-click on the background the comes included with every new document and it will transform it into a layer automatically when you press okay. Then, use the fill tool and choose a color from your swatches and then fill that background with that color.

Step Four: Create a Layer Mask

The next thing that you are going to want to do is create a layer mask. Click on your primary image, the one that you are planning to fade, and then find the layer mask button below the layer. It is a box with a circle in it. Once you click the button, there should be an extra icon next your layer to denote the layer mask.

Step Five: Use the Gradient Tool to Create a Fade

Your last step is to use the gradient tool to create a fade. You simply start at the outside of your image and then drag your gradient tool inward a slight distance to create a fade. The further you drag it inwards, the further in the fade is going to be. You can do this from any side that you want.

Step Six: Repeat as Much as Necessary

You will have to repeat this several times in order to get the fade that you want. Even if you’re only using one side, you are still probably going to have to do the fade five or six times in order to get the result of the want. It depends upon how much fade you want from your image and what background layer you have.

For more information on designing a cover, check out Reedsy

What is a Book Proposal?

New authors often wonder what exactly a book proposal is. The truth is, a book proposal is sort of a pitch document to an agent or publisher that outlines your book and describes it perfectly, so that publishers can sign you to a contract and give you the go-ahead to write it. A book proposal is a way to make sure that you have a publisher for a book before you take a year to write it. There are some pretty specific things that you need to include in your book proposal, and in this article, we will be looking at the definition carefully, so that you know what is required and how much work goes into one. Let’s start with understanding some of the basics.

Book Proposals Show off Your Expertise

The first thing that you need to know when it comes to writing your book proposal is that a proposal is supposed to show off your expertise as an author. Now, this is completely different than talent or writing ability. No matter what kind of writing you are doing, you need to show that you are an expert at it.

Book Proposals Demonstrate Market Potential

Book proposals also help you show the publisher the market potential of your book. If you can demonstrate to them that your book is actually marketable; they will be a lot more willing to market it. In order to do this, you have to demonstrate your knowledge of the market and some solid strategies for getting your book out there.

Book Proposals Show a Need for the Book

Publishers also want to see a need for your book. They want to know that if they publish your book that there are not other books out there that are fulfilling the same niche. That means that you either need to demonstrate that your book is one-of-a-kind or that you can present the material better than anyone else.

Book Proposals Demonstrate Your Writing Ability

Most importantly, a book proposal will demonstrate that you have the ability to write the book. That means that if you have the ability to write a really good story, and may not really matter how much your story conforms to the publisher standards or whether it fits into a specific niche. Publishers know a good story when they see one, and if you can write one that will make them money, they are going to publish it no matter what.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that there are lots of places to publish your book these days, but if you’re going to go with the traditional publisher, you want to understand exactly what a book proposal is. You also want to keep in mind that there is lots of different publishing advice and articles listed on Reedsy.com. If you want the best advice when it comes to publishing, either traditionally or self-publishing, then you definitely want to visit the site and see what they offer.

Getting to Know Upmarket Fiction

Upmarket fiction is the new genre taking the fiction world by storm; maybe you’ve never heard of it yet and maybe you’re just getting to know it. Whichever the case, fry up some healthy food with an air fryer and let’s talk publishing. We’ve got some more details for you about upmarket fiction if you’re an author looking to get published in the genre and break into new markets.

Defining Upmarket Fiction

First, let’s define upmarket fiction. It’s not that hard of a genre to understand – it blends a mixture of more commercial easy-reading fiction with literary fiction. That means it’s somewhere in the middle of the kind of fiction that you can sit down and relax with, but it also makes you think – and upmarket fiction doesn’t have to be genre-bound, so you can find upmarket fiction throughout a variety of genres.

Researching Upmarket Fiction

If you’ve never written upmarket fiction before, then your first step would be to start reading it as soon as you can. Look up magazines that publish upmarket fiction, or call up a literary agent and ask them to point you in the direction of their favourite authors: You have to get to know the genre before you sit down to write a single word.

Writing Upmarket Fiction

Have you ever written upmarket fiction before? If not, start off by writing a short story – or even flash fiction (that can be 50 words or it can be 4, 000 – or even more). You’ll get a feel for it, and we’ll admit straight in the start that it might take you a few tries, sometimes a few hundred, before you get the right idea that you’re happy with.

Submitting Upmarket Fiction

There are many magazines and literary journals that look at publishing upmarket fiction; there is also a considerable amount of agents that are looking to represent excellent examples of upmarket fiction. Take a look to see what you can find – and ask literary agents to point you in the direction of markets. If they like your story, they might even represent you officially.

Editing Upmarket Fiction

Okay, so what if you already have a story that you’d like to submit to a literary journal or magazine, but it doesn’t quite fit their guidelines? That’s perfectly fine: All you have to do is subject the piece to a few edits, usually no more than some light line editing, and you’ll notice that your story fits right in. There are no bad stories, there is usually only a different way of putting it: And there are thousands of creative ways to do so.

Research Upmarket Fiction

Your job as a writer is never done, and you should always be on the quest to find new ideas and new markets. Do your research all the time, and keep on reading as much as you possibly can.

Looking for markets to submit your work? LYou’ll find just what you’re looking for and more. Leave your thoughts and comments at the end of this post!

Best Compressor Ice Cream Maker Tips

When you’re looking for an ice cream manufacturer, there are a few questions to reply. An automated ice cream maker can be tedious if you will need to remake ice cream again and again. Last, the ideal ice cream maker can prepare ice cream in a quick timeframe. Lastly, it should be able to prepare ice cream in an hour or less. It needs to be able to make more than just ice cream. You may receive a good ice cream maker for as little as $20 or $30 which will provide you a fairly great result, but keep in mind that the motors on the lower-end models aren’t made to withstand protracted use. Truthfully speaking, you’re already able to be given a adequate enough ice cream maker for really low as $30, but they have a propensity to break down after some moment.

Some ice cream makers require that you freeze the bowl, while some don’t. The next step to selecting the ideal ice cream maker is to work out the space you are ready to forfeit it. On the flip side, if you are considering getting a simple ice cream maker, they’re typically smaller and simpler to lift. The Happybuy hard ice cream maker is the ideal add-on to your dwelling.

Best Compressor Ice Cream Maker – the Story

Compressor manufacturers are undoubtedly the priciest ice cream maker on the marketplace, but should you intend to create plenty of ice cream, it’s well worth the expense. When it’s to do with compressor ice cream makers, all of these work in the exact way, all of them use the very same coolant and all of them have the exact same motors that spin at approximately 25 RPMs. Before going buying any compressor ice cream maker lets look at what our studies have discovered about the Best Compressor Ice Cream Machine around the industry. A Compressor Ice Cream Maker provides far more convenience than any different type of ice cream maker. Therefore, both of the other compressor ice cream manufacturers are virtually identical in weight.

All the machines in our reviews are devoted to highlight the machines with the best attributes, and that means you can make a decision as to what ice cream machine is appropriate for you. Whether you choose an electric, manual, or conventional salt-and-ice machine, you may wish to serve homemade sundaes all the time after you see our picks for the ideal ice cream manufacturers to purchase in 2019. If that’s the case, the conventional salt-and-ice hand-crank machine is fun, but requires a whole lot of work to be sure there is an ongoing salt and ice supply.

The machine itself is incredibly user-friendly and keep clean. There are a number of different forms of ice cream machines on the market. There are many ice cream machines with compressors on the marketplace and when you’re choosing you wish to purchase the perfect one.

1 thing you’ll need to decide on is how you would like to prepare your ice cream. You’re not restricted to just ice cream but there’s a second paddle to earn gelato that’s a denser form of ice cream. Versatility Aside from ice cream being a universally-appreciated dessert, it is a treat which can be enjoyed in many of means. Industrial ice cream comprises elevated levels of high fructose corn syrup to get a substitute sweetener to prevent listing sugar on the label. It is one of the country’s number one comfort food. Making ice cream at home is a lot easier than it seems.

As a result of protracted cooling feature, the one thing you’ve got to do is add the ingredients and press start. The components increase in volume during the freezing procedure. Ingredients such as nuts and chips ought to be added about five minutes before the freezing procedure is complete to be able to fully incorporate them in the frozen mixture. Make sure the amount of the ingredients does not go beyond the quantity your ice cream maker is capable of holding otherwise you’ll have the ice cream overflowing from the machine. Not only because you get to pick the superior flavors and ingredients you would like.

Details of the Best Compressor Ice Cream Maker

Recipes are included, but you will have to present your own ice when you would like to begin an ice cream undertaking. It’s now prepared to utilize in all your recipes. Measure out the ingredients necessary for the ice cream recipe you’re using. Many ice cream recipes are available using a broad range of ingredients, and they all can be produced with a traditional ice cream maker.

The bowl isn’t removable that is comparable to a industrial machine and enables the compressor to work in a more efficient method. For that, you will need to be pleased to pop the bowl in the freezer for many hours, or overnight, before you may create your own ice cream. The ice cream bowl should be refrigerated for 12-18 hours before use.

The Question of the Day – How to Publish a Book

You must go out and locate an editor, buy an ISBN, a cover designer, and make a marketing program. Furthermore, editors may email you with clarification questions regarding the info in your articles. Every writer wants an editor, and no less than a proofreader. Some are there strictly to make and grow as writers while some appear to be at the opposite end of the spectrum, trying to pump-out Hubs as promptly as possible, to earn money. If you’re going to be a novelist, you’ve got to get a plan in place about ways to sell your novels. Today, everyone can publish a novel. It’s just a matter of how to write a novel and practicing with writing prompts.

Once it’s completed your book needs to be available in print within one day. Naturally there are free techniques to promote your books also and that may end up being helpful with respect to sales. If you decide to design it yourself (this doesn’t indicate you don’t love your book, just that you would like to spend less, and try something new) I would suggest having a great deal of your honest family and friends members review your work. On the flip side, you might want to compose a book which you know will only be of interest to a limited number of individuals. Now you understand that your book is well worth a good deal more. The book is translated into 42 languages around the world, and it states that it is a novel on all the covers. Re-purposing an old book into art is a terrific craft that in several cases can be finished in only a couple of hours.

Edit before you buy a publisher, and edit after you’ve got one. It’s because of this I will not mention any publisher by name, although the details may leave no doubt, about which publisher I am alluding to. Publishing with lulu is totally free and books receive an absolutely free isbn and become distributed to amazon for free also. Yes, to publish on hub pages is a sort of publishing, this is the reason they would love original content.

In some instances you might even be developing an elaborate idea that involves building on a discussion. On both the aupa and adowna side is that there is not any shortage of organizations salivating to aid you publish your book. There’s much to learn here! So, even when you don’t have the money or time to join with a gym just yet, you are still able to begin slimming down. You are going to want to be comfortable together with professional. Starting early will help save you from a number of headaches later. You may even hire an expert.

Below you’ll find more information about the approach. An outline will help you do exactly that, while at the identical time assisting you to stay focused. Of course your plan could bomb and you might wind up with just a pile of bills or, worse, fail because you were too early and must endure the pain of seeing someone else earn a fortune with the exact ideas a couple of years later whenever the marketplace is suitable. Needless to say, you’ll want to do so, too.

The reason why I don’t make a great deal of money is I don’t write articles that are searched on the net. You might have to pay some money for editing or even book design but it’s up to you what you would like to devote your money on. You want to create some money but in the beginning you need to construct your audience from here and to your books. The expense of your chapbook will be contingent on the sort of paper you decide on, your binding, the amount of pages, and any added frills you order. The price depends upon the book itself. Now you’ll also be in a position to choose the purchase price you’d like to offer your book for.

Your Book Investment irrespective of the price tag, bear in mind your book is an investment in yourself and in your business which will pay off. You’ll also learn how to advertise and gain a clearer idea of the way to sell your next book. The publishing business has changed so much that the e-books are the thing to do now. E publishing businesses have needs which are in many ways much like that of print publishers. The key is having the ability to know where you stand financially in your organization at any certain moment. Starting an internet business from your house is a huge step. Do this, especially, if you’re purchasing editing solutions, and if you wish to promote your books to an American English-speaking audience.