• row of books with ebook reader on top; writing the beginning of a book

    The Best First Lines of Fiction

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    By your side is a ratty notebook, bruised black and blue with the smeared ink of furiously scribbled ideas that came to you at midnight, dotted with translucence from the epiphany you had about your villain, while still wet from a shower.  You’ve finally decided to write the story that has been stirring around in your heart and mind—now what do you start typing on that blank page facing you? How do you introduce readers to the crazy, beautiful world in your head?  Starting a novel is tricky, but those first few lines are vital to your book. The characters, setting,…

  • bunny rabbit ears with a green and white spring background that is blurred; writing an Easter-themed children's book

    How to Write an Easter-Themed Children’s Book

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    Writing a children’s book about Easter can be an enjoyable experience. Capturing the specialness and joy of Easter that entertains young readers requires creativity. Here are some tips to help you craft a captivating Easter-themed children’s book. Write with Your Readers’ Ages Top of Mind One of the first steps of writing a children’s book is to decide on the appropriate age range for your book. Think about the story you want to tell, the themes you’ll explore in your work, and the vocabulary level you’ll use. By understanding the developmental stages and interests of different age groups, you can…

  • writing a devotional, writing a Christian book, self=publishing

    Writing Tips: 5 Things Every Devotional Should Contain

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    One of the most popular types of manuscripts we publish at Xulon Press is a devotional. While a writing a devotional may sound like a simple task, there are many that lack the basic “bones” every devotional needs to be successful (and most of all, helpful to the reader). So, here’s a list of what every devotional should contain: It doesn’t matter what you decide on theme, entry length, overall book length, or the use of verses, the most important thing is to keep it consistent while writing a devotional. Keep it consistent and it will be better overall, and your readers…

  • two little girls and little boy in a tent decorated with fairy lights and reading a children's book; how to write a children's book

    How to Write a Children’s Book

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    Writing a children’s book may be the most fun a writer can have, but there’s a lot more planning and research that goes into children’s books than you might think. From deciding on your reading audience to making the story age-appropriate and dialing in your story to the right Flesch-Kincaid reading level, we’re covering everything in this article that you need to know about writing a great children’s book. There are five things every children’s book writer should keep in mind: 1. Decide On the Audience for Your Children’s Book Sometimes the book idea comes first, and the idea will…