Writing the draft
Writing a novel in a month: what a November sprint is good for
Fifty thousand words in thirty days: what a November novel sprint does well, what it cannot do, how to plan for it and what to do with the draft in December.
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Endings
Writing the last chapter: practical ways to land an ending
How to write the last chapter of a novel: what it must resolve, three trial endings, last line versus last scene, pacing, planted echoes and cutting the extra page.
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Writing the draft
MFA or self-study? Weighing a writing degree against the alternatives
What a creative writing MFA gives you, what it costs in time and money, and the alternatives, from workshops and online courses to a year of self-study.
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Writing the draft
Revising a novel in passes: a practical order of work
A practical order for revising a novel: rest, a read-through, then structure, character, scene, line, reading aloud and a final proof, with a worked example.
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Writing the draft
How to finish the first draft of a novel when the middle sags
Why novel drafts stall in the middle, and the practical fixes that get you to the last page: an early ending, brackets for gaps, targets and a reverse outline.
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