Creative Writing Prompt

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Greeting and almost Thanksgiving blessing to you from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin@aol.com Sometimes writers draw a blank. They face a new novel with an empty page, and their creative process has taken a vacation. I am always looking for creative ideas on writing to add to my blog Writing Fiction Right at www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com I want to tell you about two very creative writing prompts that can help to stimulate your creativity and perhaps get you out of the slump that sometimes happens to writers. The two prompts that I thought were great are Creative Writing Prompts and Story Praxis….

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The Sagging Character

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Greetings from Gail Gaymer Martin, home from a refreshing Writers Retreat in the Caribbean. What could be better? Drop by to see me at www.gailmartin.com or look for me on Facebook and Twitter. Last month I posted ideas for creating real life characters. This month I'm sharing tips on how to bolster your characterization if you have worries that it sags. This can happen so knowing how to stop it before it begins is always a great idea.

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Growing Your Fiction Sales

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 Happy writing from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com   Through the years, I’ve watched my friends use different strategies to help their fiction sales grow. Some work and some don’t, but the ones who’ve found success, provides us with lessons so that we might learn from them and try some of their techniques. Obviously sales grow most when your work is in the bookstores and when it is promoted and distributed by your publisher. So this means, mainly working with traditional publishers. Mine put my novels in store—book stores, grocery stores, super marts, and any place books are sold. They…

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WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING STYLE

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Happy four days after the 4th of July from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com Newer authors struggle with writing technique, and long time writers still find elements in writing that are their nemesis. Being aware of problem areas in your writing can help you improve as a writer by focusing on them and finding ways to improve those techniques. Here are a few tips on become a better writer.

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SEVEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE AGENT

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  Hi from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com When I have a friend who writes a good article, I ask permission to share it on my Writing Fiction Right blog at www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com. But I don't like to keep great advice away from those who do not subscribe to my blog so this article is meant for all of you.  Many of you are considering or seeking agents, and Jim Watson's article is excellent to help you make wise decisions. Jim comes from Christian publishing experience, but these tips are good for secular work as well. Each of the questions…

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Story Part IV: Following the Rules

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Good morning from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com When creating story, the author should remember that each genre has its own set of patterns or “rules.” By rules, I mean reader expectations and qualities editors look for in your manuscript. These patterns or rules do not exclude creativity. If that were so, authors would lose their spirit. Within the expected genre patterns, authors have great leeway to create unique stories. So let's take a look at the various patterns for romance, mystery and suspense, and speculative fiction such as: fantasy, paranomral and adventure,

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Story Part III: The Premise

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  Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com – or visit my writing blog at www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com  Writing is a lonely business and needs concentration, hard work, and constant honing. So as always it’s my pleasure to share some writing types with you. I’ve begun a series of blogs on Creating Story – and this is the third in the series. When developing story, premise is another factor that happens early in the planning as you build your story. Premise is hypothesis of your novel, the assumptions that come from the basic idea. From the way you build your story, readers…

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Story Part II: Where To Begin

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 Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin@aol.com While you read this, I am in Germany on tour singing with a Christian chorale. I love Germany so this is a special treat for me. And though I’m there, I didn’t want to leave out the next  part of the Story Series which I’m providing for writers and readers alike. Story is taking an idea and bringing it to life by transporting the reader from one world to another through the experiences of a character on a mission striving to reach a goal with a purpose. It captures the reader along with the characters so…

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Story Part I: What Is It?

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Happy Friday from Gail  Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com Story is what sells the book and attracts readers, Donald Maass, a top agent and novelist, says in Writing the Breakout Novel. An author can have exciting characters, unique setting, tremendous dialogue, but if he doesn’t have a good story, he has nothing. Story is taking an idea and bringing it to life by transporting the reader from one world to another through the experiences of a character on a mission—striving to reach a goal with a purpose. A story has the power to capture readers and allow them to experience the journey….

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Description III: Presenting Action

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Good morning from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com.   I sort of chuckled when I realized last time I wrote here, I was supposed to be blogging on Love Inspired Authors Blog so you received a blog from me on traveling and how it affects me life. I guess that has to do with writing also, but I wanted to finish my three blogs related to Description. So here you are – Part III Presenting Action. Describing action brings a story to life, but the amount of description is regulated by the kind of action. Ask yourself these kinds of questions: How significant…

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