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Writing Novels

How to craft a great mystery in a novel

February 21, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 41 Comments

One of the most important skills every writer has to master, no matter their genre, is crafting a great mystery. It’s also one of the most misunderstood elements of novel writing. Mysteries are the lures that keep us turning the pages and keep us glued to the book. They send us into a frenzy because […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice, Writing Novels Tagged With: How to Write a Novel, Jacob Wonderbar, Suspense

What makes a great setting in a novel

October 25, 2021 by Nathan Bransford 113 Comments

What Makes a Great Setting

The Reading Rainbow theme song really had it right. One of the best parts of reading is the way books open up new worlds to us, whether a story is set in an unpronounceable ancient kingdom, the far reaches of outer space, ancient history, the distant future, or even the real world but maybe somewhere […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice, Writing Novels Tagged With: Cormac McCarthy, How to Write a Novel, Lord of the Rings, William Faulkner, writing advice

Give your protagonist a mini-quest before the main plot kicks off

May 6, 2020 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

Sometimes novels jump straight into the action and don’t let up, but most of the time you’ll need a bit of time to introduce the characters, show the setting, and get the reader into the flow of the novel before the main plot kicks off. But the pages before the inciting incident are fraught with […]

Filed Under: Writing Novels

Interview on writing novels and believing in yourself

February 11, 2020 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

I was very excited to sit down with my friend Natasa Lekic of New York Book Editors for a forty minute (!) interview on novel writing and editing. Some of the things we covered: Believing in your own creativity Motivation and stakes Dialogue and writing cinematically Here’s the full interview! (Don’t worry, I got a […]

Filed Under: Writing Novels

Why protagonists need to be active

January 28, 2020 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

I’ve been on a “story essentials” kick lately as I work my way through the latest round of revisions for my new novel. One of the big weaknesses in the last draft: my protagonist wasn’t active enough through the second act of the book. It is so crucial to keep a protagonist active throughout the […]

Filed Under: Writing Novels Tagged With: Characters

9 ways to spice up characters

January 20, 2020 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

Some characters leap off the page from the moment you first mention them. Some characters start off flat and boring. And no matter how hard we try, a few characters need a whole lot of coaxing to come to life. Never fear! Characters can be resuscitated and invigorated. You might just need to freshen them […]

Filed Under: Writing Novels Tagged With: Characters

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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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