Scenes make chapters, and chapters make books. So make those scenes matter... to make your book matter. This is a great way to hook your readers and have them finish your story.

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When you're writing a novel, there are certain tropes you should avoid. For various reasons. Romanticizing toxicity is one of the reasons. Another good reason to avoid a trope is that it's been written so many times. So unless you give it a strong, unique twist, readers might not want to read it, because they feel like they've read the story already.

So here are three tropes that I think you should avoid.

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Writer's block. Every writer's, and every author's, ultimate nightmare. A bit dramatic? Well, no one wants to get stuck writing their book. Not me, not you, not Stephen King.

I have found five different types of writer's blocks, and I have a cure for each one. So no more writer's block. No more getting stuck with your writing. Sounds impossible? Sounds too good to be possible? Not after listening to this episode! From now on you can write your novels freely without worrying about writer's block.

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Are you a discovery writer or, in other words, pantser? If yes, this episode for you! But outliners and planners are welcome here, too. If this episode isn't for you, check out some of the other episodes.

In this episode I solve discovery writer problems to help you write more, better and faster as a pantser. I hope these tips help you get past your writing problems. But if you have any other problems as a discovery writer that weren't mentioned here, feel free to let me know.

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In this episode, you'll learn how to write first chapters and opening scenes. There's things you should definitely not do when writing your first chapter and especially not when writing your opening scene. With the tips in this episode, you should be able to write a killer first chapter with a killer opening scene. Good luck!

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I've figured out a way for quicker first drafts. This method has enabled me to write first drafts of about 100k words in less than a month. If you want to try and see if it works for you, too, listen to this episode. Also, dear writers, I'd love to hear feedback from you. Especially feel free to tell me if this helps you write quicker first drafts, too. I hope it does!

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Most movies have deleted scenes. Why shouldn't your book? You don't have to add them onto your actual book, but there are other ways to share them with your audience. Listen to find out more, and share with your writer and author friends!

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Characters, for me and many other readers, make or break the story. For some readers, the plot might be more important. But still, for many readers unrealistic characters can be enough for them to put the book down forever.

That's why you need realistic characters. Your readers will love characters that feel real for them. In this episode, I talk about how to create those realistic characters that your readers will fall in love with. A character that feels real might even be enough to make your readers your fans.

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In modern writing where dialogue plays a bigger role, dialogue tags also have a bigger role. With this writing exercise you should be able to learn to use dialogue tags in a way that makes your dialogue interesting for the reader.

I highly recommend trying this especially when you're editing your novel. It will help you figure out when and how to use dialogue tags.

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Dialogue tags can make the reading experience more comfortable or they can completely ruin it. That's why dialogue tags are more important than most writers might realise. In a way, they can either make or break your story.

Too many dialogue tags is distracting, and too few is confusing. You need to find the balance. But you need to also find the right words to use in your dialogue tags.

As a writer with ten years of writing experience, "said" is not dead. Whoever says that hasn't been writing enough or writes too flowery prose (for my taste, that is).

Hope you enjoy the episode. Thank you for listening, follow the podcast for more!

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