The 2020 First Chapters Writing Contest Winners

by Lewis / December 22, 2020 / News

It’s time to announce the winners!

It’s been exactly two weeks since entries opened for the third annual First Chapters Writing Contest, and in that time I’ve received some amazing submissions. From intense science fiction adventures, to Victorian romances and murder mysteries, there has been a huge variety of entries this year—and I won’t lie, I’ve really struggled to pick the winners.

Of course, eventually deliberations had to come to an end. So, today I’m excited to announce the winners of the 2020 First Chapters Writing Contest!

14 Must-Read Books for Writing a Novel

by Lewis / December 15, 2020 / Other

If you want to be a writer, you need to read…

This is pretty common advice in the writing world, and for good reason. Reading is how we learn to craft better stories, the same way singers learn by listening to music and painters learn by studying the masters. However, you shouldn’t limit your reading time to just fiction—you need a healthy dose of nonfiction too!

Fortunately, there are hundreds of excellent nonfiction books out there, all dedicated to helping writers hone their writing craft, edit their novels, and find their muse. So, whether you’re looking for advice on brainstorming or are ready to hit publish, here are fourteen must-read books for writing a novel!

5 Tips for Fantastic Worldbuilding in Your Novel

by Eve Lynch / December 8, 2020 / Guest Posts, Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding is the lifeblood of good fiction…

Whether it’s a magical realm inside a wardrobe or droids and lightsabers in outer space, if you’ve chosen to write “second world” fantasy—in other words, your story isn’t set in a recognizable version of our world—then you’ll need to spend some time polishing every aspect of your new fictional setting.

That’s a pretty exciting prospect, right? As author and worldbuilder supreme, you have the freedom to do whatever you want with your book—untethered by the rules and logic of Earth Prime. However, it’s also a task that can quickly become overwhelming. To provide some structure, here are five tips that will guide you through the process of worldbuilding and help you nail it right out of the gate!

The 2020 First Chapters Writing Contest

by Lewis / December 1, 2020 / News

The 3rd annual First Chapters Writing Contest is officially here!

The year is almost over, and at this point, I think we can all agree—2020 has been a struggle. Between sporadic lockdowns and a dangerous virus, life just hasn’t feel very normal this year.

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean 2020 was a total waste. After all, amid all the craziness of this year, a lot of people found the time to take stock of their lives and recommit themselves to what they truly care about—and for many, that means writing! Still, some familiarity would be nice. So, to wrap up this strange year, it’s time to dive into something that has become a yearly event for readers of The Novel Smithy: The First Chapters Writing Contest!

Writing Your First Draft Faster: The Power of Placeholders

by Lewis / November 24, 2020 / Inspiration, Other

You’ll face many challenges when writing a novel…

However, perhaps the most difficult challenge of all is finding—and then maintaining—your creative flow. After all, even when you do find your flow, you’ll often lose it the moment you hit a mental roadblock. Forget a character’s name? Need to research a location for your story? All of these hurdles can stop your writing in its tracks.

So, what can you do? Well, there’s no magical cure for writer’s block, but there is one simple trick that can help—using placeholders in your writing. In fact, by using placeholders you can not only nurture your creativity, but write your first draft faster along the way!