Writing Break

We begin our discussion of Act 3 of a three-act book, and I share my professional opinion of NaNoWriMo. I also share a rare recording from Ernest Hemingway, which offers his opinion on writer organizations.

• More Writing Tips
• Fernanda Melchor, Hurricane Season - Featured Author
• Curious Fox, Berlin, Germany - Featured Bookstore
• New York Jewish Book Festival : Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
• Short Story Contest 2022 Horror Comedy!!!
• AAP StatShot Annual Report For 2021: Book Publishing Revenues Up 12.3% For the Year, Reaching All-Time High of $29.33 Billion - AAP
• NaNoWriMo
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"A Cafe In Monaco" by Scorehouse Media

"A Dreamy Slumber" by Tencher Music

"Bay Area Bop" by Q-Rock

"Happy Walk" by Simon Jomphe Lepine

"Vintage Funky Intro" by Jon Presstone

This episode is filled with good news, including a big win for authors, a new program for debut authors, and a new feature on Spotify. We also review four reasons you might be getting in your own way when writing the Epiphany at the end of Act 2.

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• New Titles from Self-Publishers: End of September 2022 - Featured Authors
• Todo Modo, Florence, Italy - Featured Bookstore
• Findaway Voices - Create and Sell Audiobooks
• Spotify Audiobooks - Spotify (US)
• Amazon Is Changing Its Ebook Return Policy in Major Breakthrough for Authors - The Authors Guild
• DARK HORSE EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHER SERVICES :: Blog :: Dark Horse Comics
• Get the Word Out | Poets & Writers
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

“Italian Romance” by Keith Anthony Holden

“Warm and Cozy” by New Library Sounds

“Boccherini Minuet” by Bobby Cole

“Magic” by Humans Win

We grapple with the second checkpoint in Act 2 of a three-act novel: the Struggle. Plus, I tell you about giveaways and events taking place during Banned Books Week.

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• Read an Excerpt - The Night in Her Hair - Featured Author
• The Last Word, Lahore, Pakistan - Featured Bookstore
• Best Books of the Year - Book of the Month Club
• The Booker Prize 2022 | The Booker Prizes
• 2022 National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction - National Book Foundation
• Read and Share Banned Books – MacKids School & Library
• DK’s Banned Books Profiles the Most Controversial Texts Throughout History - Penguin Random House Secondary Education
• DK Banned Books Sweeps - GIVEAWAY
• Children's Publishers Rally to Promote Banned Books Week
• Spotify exec says the company will begin testing audiobooks 'very soon' • TechCrunch
• Don’t Miss These Banned Books Week Coalition Facebook Live Events! | Banned Books Week
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

“Warm Summer” by Valentina Gribanova

“A Dramatic Twist” by Neil Cross (conspiracy theory music)

"Hip Hop" by Oleksii Abramovych

“Only One” by Humans Win

“Summertime Love” by Humans Win

Today I will guide you gently into Act 2 of your novel, and you will talk me down from yet another literary soapbox. And that is why we work well together.

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• SUMMER ISLAND comic, Steve Coulson - Featured Author
• Chapter 101 Bookstore, Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), India. - Featured Bookstore
• TikTok creators and influencers are protesting against Amazon | Mashable
• TikTok's Book Club is now (unsurprisingly) Amazon-sponsored | Mashable
• Walmart Inspires New Reading Adventures with the Walmart Book Club
• Val McDermid, Queen of Crime, is probably not in trouble with the law over Agatha Christie estate trademark claim – Colin Hulme | The Scotsman
• How to Get Published - The New York Times
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

“Swing it Smooth” by Jon Presstone

"Romance" by Enzo Orefice

“Happy India” by Neil Cross

Ten week's worth of brainstorming, plotting, character development, and other writing tips from a professional book editor.

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• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Chill Out In The Coffee Shop (No Sax)" by Jon Presstone

To wrap up our discussion of Act 1 of your book, I am answering listener questions, and you asked some good ones.  Also, learn about paid internship opportunities at HarperCollins.

• More Writing Tips
• Wrzenie Świata, Warsaw, Poland - Featured Bookstore
• 12 Plot Frames
• HarperCollins Internship US
• The Traineeship 2023 - HarperCollins Publishers (UK)
• NCAC challenges Keller, Texas banned books
• ‘Heat 2’: Why Michael Mann’s Sequel to His Classic Crime-Movie Had to Be a Novel – Rolling Stone
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Party Song With Funky Bass" by Sondé

"Hello Memories" by Oleksii Abramovych

“Retro 80s Pop Rock” by Bobby Cole

We are continuing our journey through the three-act structure today. I hope you wrote a killer hook last week. This week we’re looking at Backstory and your Act 1 Trigger. The US Department of Justice versus Penguin Random House trial gave their closing remarks, while you and I played catch at the back of the courtroom.

• More Writing Tips
• Pacts & Promises by Noy Levi - Featured Author
• The U-NOY-Verse | Podcast on Spotify - Featured Author
• Old Florida Book Shop - Featured Bookstore
• La Vie D'amour by Noy Levi - Featured Author
• Jacques Barzun, "Baseball's Best Cultural Critic", Turns His Back on the Game | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
• DOJ v. PRH: Ending Where We Started
• Salman Rushdie attack suspect says he only read two pages of Satanic Verses | The Independent
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

“Paradise Vibes by Jon Presstone

“Samba Dream” by Sleeping Ghost

“Casa de Frio” by Jon Presstone

“Summer” by Mikael Manvelyan

As promised, we will begin our discussion of Act 1 of your story today. We’re also talking about what you have in common with Stephen King, the antitrust lawsuit against Penguin Random House, and the assasination attempt of Salman Rushdie.

• More Writing Tips
• The Comfortable Spot Podcast - Featured Podcast
• A Tale of Three Indies Podcast – Latest Episodes – Woodbine Books - Featured Podcast
• Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, Ireland - Featured Bookstore
• Lidia's Booktastic Podcast - Featured Podcast
• The European Network – Our Network Your Network
• The aftermath of The Satanic Verses
• Salman Rushdie suspect charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault - CNN
• Publishing Paid Me
• DOJ v. PRH: Agents, Publishers Move Center Stage
• Antitrust-Trial Recap — From Stephen King to Markus Dohle
• Courthouse News: DOJ vs PRH
• DOJ Employs a Novel Approach in Antitrust Lawsuit - AAF
• Showdown: DOJ’s Bid to Block PRH Acquisition of S&S Is Heading to Trial
• Salman Rushdie attacked
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"In Ireland, again!" by bzur

"Back To 95 [Remix]" by Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)

"Searching For A Sign (30 Seconds Intro)" by Simon Jomphe Lepine

America's Editor provides a step-by-step guide to help you solidify your story's structure. We also find out what books are trending and what books are not being printed.

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• We All Loved Cowboys, Carol Bensimon - Featured Author
• Livraria Leonardo da Vinci, downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Featured Bookstore
• editorial we - Wiktionary
• Lessons on the Royal We, from “Mary Queen of Scots” and “The Favourite” | The New Yorker
• Witch Books Hold Power
• The Urban Fantasy eBook Market
• Britney Spears’s Memoir Is Complete, But There’s a Hold Up. | Vanity Fair
• Academic Publishers Delay New Titles | Financial Times
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Plastic Furniture" by Jon Presstone

"Late Night Bossa Nova" by Neil Cross

"Brazil" by Humans Win

"Under a Brazilian Sky" by Daniel

We are taking a look at the supporting characters in books to help you decide if your book has too many, too few, or just enough characters. We are also celebrating romance in the kitchen, new resources for writers, and book award nominees.

• More Writing Tips
• Llibreria Finestres, Barcelona, Spain - Featured Bookstore
• Ricardo Devesa - Featured Author
• Announcing The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize Longlist | The Center for Fiction
• The Booker Prize 2022 | The Booker Prizes
• Romance Novels Are Increasingly Getting Hot and Heavy in the Kitchen - Eater
• Disability in Publishing
• Introducing Book Exploder
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"¿Como Estan Mis Amigas?" by Tencher Music

"The House" by Adrian Berenguer

“Holiday Diaries” by Simon Sharp

“Brazilian Summer Full” by Sleeping Ghost