TAP032, How to Write and Outline a Novel with Michaelbrent Collings
In this bonus episode, I chat with Michaelbrent Collings on how he writes his fiction novels, or more specifically how to outline a novel.
TAP030, Write A Novel with Genre Expectations in Mind (Part 1 of 2)
In this episode, I will discuss whether you should write a novel with genre expectations in mind and share tips to help you write a story that your readers will love.
BTS015: Ask Me Anything on Writing and Story Structure
Welcome to the first ever bonus episode of the podcast. As you can probably guess by the title, this is my first ever episode on Ask Me Anything on writing and story structure. In this episode, I will answer the top questions asked by my Blog Readers, Youtube Subscribers, Podcast Listeners, and through my Ask A Question form on my website.
BTS014, My Top 5 First Draft Mistakes
Now, that I’m well into revising the first draft of Missing, I’ve decided to share with you the top 5 first draft mistakes I made as I wrote my first three thriller novels, Missing, Silence, and Immunity. Because apparently, I love to embarrass myself in front of an audience and openly point out my flaws. But, I’m not going to stop there. In the second part of this Behind the Scenes Podcast Diary episode, I will share with you five tips highlighting how to avoid making these mistakes in your own writing.
TAP023: How to Write the Hero at the Mercy of the Villain Scene in a Novel
So, you’ve reached the climactic sequence, and you’re wondering how to make these final scenes the most dramatic part of your novel; the answer is simple, by including a hero at the mercy of the villain scene. At this point, you’ve probably got a few questions floating around your mind. What is the hero at the mercy of the villain scene? Where does this scene sit within the climactic sequence? And, is this scene appropriate for my story?
TAP021, How to Choose the Right Ending for Your Story
As I was writing the script for the episode on the climactic sequence, I realised that I need to talk about how to choose the right ending for your story before discussing the topic. I had planned on discussing story endings in season two but, in the final hour, I decided to bring this subject forward. So, how do you chose the right ending for your story?
Hello!
I’m Amelia. I’m the author of Missing the first book in the James Lalonde Mystery Series, the host of The Authorpreneur Podcast™️ and the The Book Nerd Podcast. I help aspiring authors just like you to write and market their books so that they can, create their dream business, build their author platform, and be creatively independent. Right now, I’m editing book two in the James Lalonde Mystery series.
My Books
A van Gogh is Missing and A Body is on the Lawn
When Will Thatcher, doesn’t show up for work, James Lalonde is forced to attend an afternoon tea with Alistair Carmichael in his place. The lovely autumn afternoon tea comes to an abrupt end when a body turns up on the lawn of the Carmichael Estate with strange markings on his neck.
But, something is missing, a priceless painting is off the wall. However, it’s no ordinary painting, it’s a Van Gogh purchased in an auction a few months ago. After discovering fresh tracks, most likely left by the murderer James realises the murder is still in the estate.
Can James figure out who the thief and murderer are before he or Alistair is next?
A killer is on the loose, Excalibur is missing, and his career is on the line…
James, the chief editor of a small newspaper, returns home to discover that his girlfriend, Valentine has unexpectedly left. Later that morning, he fails to reallocate her story. To avoid blank space in the paper, James decides to write the story on the local museum’s latest acquisition, Excalibur. But, there’s one thing he didn’t count on… Excalibur is Missing, and his girlfriend has been kidnapped.
Currently on sale for 99¢
Find it on Amazon:
What I’m Writing Now!
Revised Draft
70,483 of 80,000 Words
Right now, I’m preparing Book Two in the James Lalonde series, for a final round of revisions. The next step is to send the story off to my editor. I aim to have this eBook published on all major ebook retailers by the end of mid to late 2021. And, I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Publishing Updates
First Draft
0 of 60,000 Words
I’ve decided to add an extra book between the second book and the start of the byline series, where James arrives in New York. Book Three will be set in a 24 hour period in London. This novel will be available in ebook on all major ebook retailers by the end of late 2021 or early 2022. And, the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Revised Draft
112,960 of 99,000 Words
Book Four the James Lalonde series needs one final round of revisions before I can hand it off to my editor. This longer novel will be published on all major ebook retailers in late 2021 or early 2022. And, the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
FAQ’s On Writing
Choose a Topic
Behind the Scenes, My Author Blog
Follow Me On Instagram
Up until now, I've wanted the seasons of this podcast to be evergreen and act as a resource on how to write a particular element of a story. My desire to create short evergreen episodes focused on a single topic is the reason this podcast tends to be free of interviews. However, throughout season three, I will share short interviews with other writers discussing how they write stories, and in particular, I will try to interview as many writers who "pants" novels. But these interview episodes will be treated as bonus episodes and will not be the focus of the podcast season.
In light of that, in this bonus episode, I chat with Michaelbrent Collings on how he writes his fiction novels.
Check out the full episode here ⇢ https://bit.ly/TAP-032 or click the link in my bio.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading and writing, everybody. 👍🏻
3 weeks ago
Welcome to the final instalment of this two-part mini-series on how to write a novel with genre expectations in mind. There's nothing worse than reaching the halfway mark as you write your first draft or even as you're starting the revision stage to realise that you're not sure if there's a market for your book. If this is where you are, then don't panic; it's pretty normal not to know what genre you're writing in as you write or finish your first book. But there's something you can do about it. In this episode, I will share with you five steps to revising your story with genre expectations in mind.
So stay tuned for all of this and much more.
Check out the full episode here ⇢ https://bit.ly/TAP-031 or click the link in my bio.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading and writing, everybody. 👍🏻
3 weeks ago
In the next episode of the Authorpreneur Podcast, I will discuss writing in first and third-person POV. If you have questions that you'd like for me to answer in the episode, ask them below. 👇🏻
3 weeks ago
I spotted Pusheen in the background while recording the Authorpreneur Podcast last week, and now she’s in the thumbnail for the YouTube video. 🐈🎙🤦♀️
3 weeks ago
Revision is like pulling teeth. Well, that's how it feels to me, at the moment. I'm so over revising this story. But at the same time, I feel so insecure about this novella. Long gone is that innocent, naive Amelia, who was excited to publish her first piece of fiction. Perhaps, I know better now. Or, more realistically, I'm more cynical. I know what awaits me if I screw up and publish a book with plot holes, however minor.
In this behind the scenes author diary episode, I discuss the highs and lows of my revision process, what prompted me to move into the professional editing phase and my struggles with writer's insecurity. Yes, spoiler alert, I'm riddled with it. And, I share an exciting milestone with Le Villain Book Covers.
So stay tuned for all of this and much more.
Check out the full episode here ⇢ https://bit.ly/BTS044 or click the link in my bio.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading and writing, everybody. 👍🏻
3 weeks ago
Writing to market or writing with genre expectations in mind is often seen as a dirty word. And, I think there are a few misconceptions, largely to do with confusing the strategy with writing-to-trend which is very different. For the sake of clarity, writing-to-trend is all about writing what's popular. An example of that strategy is writing a paranormal romance feature vampires because they're hot right now; that's writing to trend. By the way, I have no idea whether that's a hot trend, so don't take that as gospel because it's just an example I plucked from my mind, a few seconds ago. However, writing with genre expectations in mind is all about writing for your audience. I know you want to write what you love, but just hear me out. As a writer, I get it, you need to love what you write, but you also need to write something that others will enjoy and want to stick around for long-term.
Before we get into the tips, this episode is the first in a two-part series focused on writing with genre expectations in mind. In this first part, I want to focus on writing with genre expectations in mind for writers who haven't written their first draft and merely have a story idea in mind. This episode will be great for you if you have a story idea or outline, and want to write for an existing audience. Part two, which will be in two weeks, will be great for those of you who, have written the first draft or are revising and are concerned there's no market for your book. Don't worry, the episode has already been recorded and edited, and is scheduled on my podcast hosting provider's website.
So stay tuned for all of this and much more.
Check out the full episode here ⇢ https://bit.ly/TAP-030 or click the link in my bio.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading and writing, everybody. 👍🏻
4 weeks ago
At the start of season two, I started off with the best of intentions. Just like this episode, I set the expectations for the season. And, that's when everything went pear-shaped. In fact, things aren't back to normal for me either. I don't need to remind you because technically we're still at this place. Now that I’ve said this, I’m going to immediately follow through with this and devote this short episode to what you can expect from season three. And, I'll share a few changes to the podcast that you can expect from season three.
In this episode, I will discuss:
• What you can expect from season three
• The start date of the new season.
• Changes to the podcast in season three onwards.
• My podcasting plans until the end of the year.
As always, I have an important question to ask. Are you writing a novel, short story, or novella? And if so, is there a topic you want me to cover in the upcoming season of The Authorpreneur Podcast. Let me know by sharing your thoughts in the comments section. 👇🏻
Thank you for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode of The Authorpreneur Podcast.
4 weeks ago
In the last two weeks in August, I started revising a murder mystery novella. Also, during this period, I created a book marketing plan for the Candidate. As I was revising my murder mystery novella, I began to feel scared to self publish. To be honest, I've been feeling this way for a while. This month, I purchased a few courses, and I share what prompted me to make these purchases.
So stay tuned for all of this and much more.
Check out the full episode here ⇢ https://bit.ly/BTS043 or click the link in my bio.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading and writing, everybody. 👍🏻
2 months ago
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