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The Writing Life

Finding the courage to leap

December 5, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 4 Comments

Last week I talked about the importance of recognizing the “life scripts” we’re surrounded by as a crucial first step toward ditching the script to chart your own path. If you want to live creatively, you have to step off the ledge into the unknown. About that stepping off part… It’s not just that it’s […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life

Stepping off the script in life

November 28, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 27 Comments

“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on somebody else’s path.” – Joseph Campbell Whenever you go through a difficult life event–a loved one passing away, a divorce, getting fired or laid off–you quickly feel the inadequacy of the “script” that people follow in fraught social situations. Someone finds out your loved one […]

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Get the big things right

November 7, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 4 Comments

As a publishing professional who spends much of his day serving as a customer support line for authors, I see a whole lot of questions about the “small stuff:” micro-etiquette questions, author bios, whether they should be on TikTok, whether they have the perfect comp titles. I don’t blame anyone! I try to answer these […]

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Breaks, permission, and writing

May 16, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 6 Comments

In the past, I often approached time away from work with the same spirit of competition and productivity that governs my work life. By the time I approached a vacation I had often worked myself into a state of exhaustion, so I was absolutely going to “vacation well” and maximize every moment I had away […]

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There are no writing rules, but there are principles

April 4, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 4 Comments

The headline of this post may surprise those who know that I have published two books that have a total of ninety “rules” about writing and publishing. But trust me, I called them “rules” with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. There are no rules in publishing. Come up with any supposedly ironclad “rule” […]

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Writing in Times Like These

March 21, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 5 Comments

Morten Høi Jensen wrote a great essay today that was touched off in part by a reporter’s now-deleted tweet questioning how anyone could read fiction during Times Like These. I wanted to chime in on this not just to point you to Jensen’s excellent article, but also to riff on one of the undercurrents of […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life

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About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

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