Free Today on Amazon
The first time I participated in National Novel Writing Month, I didn’t attempt to write a novel. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to write and needed something to get me going. I decided instead to write a story a day that had to include Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day.
I got mixed results because sometimes the word was fabulous and inspiring, and other times, not so much. I didn’t write 50K words. I did write 30 short stories and vignettes. Overall, it was a great writing exercise.
Even if you already have your novel outlined and ready to go, it’s easy to get stuck. A little inspiration can go a long way. Below, I’ve listed three websites containing prompts that can help get the juices flowing.
Need some help focusing that creativity into a novel? The freebies I’ve listed below are geared toward newer writers, though more experienced writers will probably find them helpful as well.
The New Author by Ruby Barnes
A self-help guide to novel writing, publishing as an independent ebook author and promoting your brand using social networks. With foreword by Jim Williams, author of ten internationally published novels including the Booker Prize nominated Scherzo.
Firsts In Fiction: First Line Hooks, Hints & Help by Aaron D. Gansky
Maybe you struggle with the first line, and that’s okay. To a large extent, we all do. It’s hard to find a line that’s going to entice readers and propel them onward with eager anticipation. But crafting a stellar first line doesn’t need to be confounding. A fisherman has many types of bait. A writer has many ways to open their fiction—character, setting, voice. More often than not, the best bait is the unexpected, the question-proposing line that skims across the surface of the water to attract impatient readers slogging through the river. The first line has become organic and has breathed, and the reader can smell its breath. These are the lines that live in our memories—the stuff literary dreams are made of.
Write To Be Heard: Write Like You Talk: Help With Voice, Character, Dialogue… and more! by Aaron D. Gansky and Diane Sherlock
Learning one skill will improve everything you write. Ready? Here it is: Write like you talk. That’s it? Yes, that’s it. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s a skill and like any skill, it can be learned and with some practice, you can master it. What’s in it for me, you ask? First, writing will be easier, less of a chore. Instead of fighting the page, you will sound like you. You might even find you really like to write. Who knows. You might have a story inside you that other people really need to read.
Descriptions provided by Amazon
Disclaimers and Disclosures
I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.
These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.
Books that I have previously listed will occasionally come up free again. I add those to my current posts for people who didn’t see them the first time.
Lori Writer 