Winter is the perfect time to get comfy with your favorite hot beverage and write. For both fiction and nonfiction writers, it may be hard to get started. Here are some winter and holiday season writing prompts to warm your writing brain up!

Fiction/Character Writing

Christmas Tree Farm 

Write your characters traveling to a Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree. 

Snowman

Write your characters building a snowman. How do they make it? Do they cooperate well? What does the snowman look like?

Gifts

Describe the process a character goes through picking out a gift for their friend or significant other.

Scenery

Use sensory language to describe a snowy winter weather scene. Think about the five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. 

Grinch

Relay a short story that explains why a character doesn’t enjoy the holiday season.

Nonfiction/Personal Writing

Preserve a memory

Describe your favorite holiday of the past in detail.

Christmas in the Snow… or Sun?

What does the holiday season look like where you live? Write a paragraph about what weather you associate with the holidays.

Food

Describe your favorite holiday food.

Meaning

What do the holidays mean to you?

Pets

Describe holiday memories with your pets.

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A new year is upon us, and with it comes new opportunities. If you’re looking to finally write that project you’ve been thinking about for ages – whether it’s a book of poetry, a novel, or your life story – just know that it is possible!

Here are some practical tips to make the New Year’s resolution of writing a book into a reality. 

1.) Start small

Every finished book was once a small idea. When you get the idea for a book, it can be intimidating. The blank Microsoft Word document or blank notebook page can stare back at you and make your mind go blank. If that’s the case, no need to worry – start smaller. Write down your ideas on a sticky note, or in the notes of your phone. They don’t even have to be complete sentences. Just getting your ideas down will help you get started.

2.) Ask for help

Writing a book is a lot of work. A lot of things need to be done for it to happen. A lot of things need to go right for it to happen. Often, you might think you are in it alone. But you might be surprised how many people are in your corner rooting for you to succeed. Ask for help when appropriate from your friends and loved ones. You may not be able to ask your support system for specific writing help, but they can offer support and encouragement in your writing.

For help with writing, ask us! Dorrance’s Writing Coach program has helped hundreds of writers realize their goals. A Dorrance Writing Coach will be your guide for finishing your book at whatever stage in the process, and can help as little or as much as you need. Learn more about our Writing Coach program here.

3.) Go with your gut

When writing a book, there can be pressure to do what is popular or what may get the most notoriety. However, listening to this pressure usually causes more problems than solutions. Write the book that is inside you, rather than the one the world may want to hear right now. As the old adage goes – “write what you know.” Not only will your project be more authentic, but you will be more trustworthy to readers. When in doubt, go with your gut!

4.) Take risks

At the same time, one mustn’t be afraid to take risks. Whether it’s the type of story you write, the structure of the story, or your personal style – it is worth it to be bold. If you’re wondering whether to take a risk with an aspect of your project, here is your sign to do so. Fortune favors the bold.

5.) Pat yourself on the back

Whether you are at the beginning of your writing journey or have reached the end of writing your book, give yourself a pat on the back every now and then. Stick to your goals, but don’t beat yourself up if you fall short. Celebrate your accomplishments at every step of the way as you complete your book. You will feel better about yourself and your project if you treat yourself kindly throughout the process!

No matter what stage of the writing process you’re in, we want to hear from you! Contact us.

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This November, Dorrance is getting you ready for the holiday season with our Homestyle Cooking Sale at the Dorrance Bookstore. Cookbooks to help you nourish yourself and family are available for a discounted price until the end of the month! See the end of this article for how to purchase.

Cookbooks have been around since human societies became literate and began writing their recipes down. The way in which cooking and baking instructions have been presented has evolved over thousands of years. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, one of the most famous Ancient Greek cookbooks is Deipnosophistai, translated as “The Learned Banquet,” which is told as a conversation between two people talking about recipes and food preparation. Ancient China and Medieval European societies before the printing press recorded recipes and encyclopedias on food and cooking as well. 

The printing press popularized cookbooks for the middle classes and introduced them as a viable part of the publishing industry. The first cookbook published in the United States of America was American Cookery by Amelia Simmons in 1796. The book has many recipes, most notably for unique roasts and cakes. Historians regard American Cookery as important to American history due to how it honors European traditions of cooking but also introduces many new wholly American recipes and approaches. These American recipes were part of a swell of American culture at the time just after the United States won the Revolutionary War and became a new independent nation. Cooking and history enthusiasts still look to American Cookery today and use its recipes to feel connected to the past!

American Cookery was not simply a list of recipes, however. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the cookbook was published by political and social leaders of Connecticut. Little is known about author Amelia Simmons other than her status as an orphan. In the book, she gives housewives tips on how to cook and keep a home, such as how to preserve foods and arrange a table in a way that would be respected. She infuses herself and her experiences into the book, lamenting the hardships of being without a family in trying to make a home. More importantly, she felt minimized by her publisher.

There were two editions of American Cookery; in the second edition she thanked the women who bought the book and aired her dissatisfaction with the first edition. This was a risk, as women had very little standing in American society at this time, especially if they were orphaned and unmarried. The success of American Cookery showed that American housewives wanted and needed guidance in how to do their only jobs from other women who had advice to give, especially if they weren’t of high social status.

American cookbooks grew steadily in popularity over the next century. As America healed from the Civil War, a new audience for cookbooks made themselves known. Homemakers in the post–Civil War era needed to learn how to cook without the help of slaves. According to the Helen Zoe Veit, writing on the rise of cookbooks in America for the Saturday Evening Post:

“…millions of formerly enslaved people fled the households where they had been compelled to live, taking their expertise with them. Upper-class Southern whites often had no idea how to light a stove, much less how to produce the dozens of complicated dishes they had enjoyed eating, and the same people who had worked to keep enslaved people illiterate now rued the dearth of written recipes. For decades after the war, there was a boom in cookbooks, often written by white women, attempting to approximate antebellum recipes.”

In 1896, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book was published, which filled some of this gap of knowledge, and also appealed to a general audience across America. This cookbook sold a record amount of copies and was a whopping 567 pages long. Fannie Merrit Farmer was the editor of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, which remains in print with over seven million copies sold.

In the 20th century, a cookbook production and purchasing boom happened. By the 1950s, American women had new technologies for the kitchen and new innovations at the grocery store that opened up a new world of culinary undertaking. Additionally, measurements in recipes in cookbooks became precise and standardized, and measuring devices were more readily available. Food brands began publishing their own recipes and cookbooks in an effort to get Americans to purchase their specific brand. The character of Betty Crocker, for example, was created to sell Betty Crocker brand baking mix through the image of the ideal American housewife. Cookbooks were written for women, as society still dictated that the kitchen and homemaking was strictly the domain of women. These norms began to relax later in the 20th century. By the end of the 20th century, television had created several celebrity chefs who were household names and published their own cookbooks to roaring success. 

In the 21st century, cookbooks have continued in popularity, with more options than ever as to the kinds of cuisines and traditions they come from. Cookbooks are mainstays of the publishing industry. Their popularity has not waned, even in an age of being able to find recipes on the internet. With cooking shows on the internet and celebrity chefs more popular than ever, it is safe to say that cookbooks will not be disappearing anytime soon. 

Sources:

American Cookbooks in the 1950s – Wikipedia 

Smithsonian Magazine

Saturday Evening Post 

Encyclopedia Britannica

Check out the Dorrance Bookstore Homestyle Cooking Sale!

Do YOU have a cookbook you would like to publish? CONTACT US!

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October is finally here, which means it’s time to load up on scary stories. Whether you need a tale to tell around the bonfire or are writing your first novel, here are some tips on how to write a good scary story.

1. ) Atmosphere

Use the five senses in order to build a compelling, believable, and most of all, spooky atmosphere for your tale. Describe your setting by showing the reader how things smell, taste, what they hear, and what their surroundings look like in great detail. Research locations and photography of them for inspiration, and practice describing what you see. 

2.) Avoid shock value

While jumpscares and sudden gore work in movies to scare audiences, these don’t always translate well in the written word. Avoid sudden shocking scenes designed to scare. Instead, build up to scares gradually. If your story is shorter, save the scariest plot point for last. 

3.) Tropes are your friend

Horror is a genre built on tropes, aka familiar story forms or plots that can be used over and over again. Audiences appreciate the familiarity of a haunted house on a hill or a teen slasher where one final girl survives. What happens around those concepts is what will set your story apart from the crowd and make it your own. 

4.) Have a message

Horror stories and novels are meant to give readers a thrill, but think about why your story is scary– and why you’re telling it. What is it that you want your audience to beware of? What scary part of life or our society are you highlighting? 

5.) Characterization and plot

Think about whether you want your story to be more character-centered or plot-centered. This will help anchor the story and help you decide how to deliver the best scares. A character-centered scary story will be more psychological in nature and focus on a character’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences as something happens to them. A more plot-centered story will focus on scary happenings or events, and may have multiple characters’ points of view. 

We hope these tips are helpful throughout your very own Spooktober!

For more inspiration, check out these VAMPIRE AND WEREWOLF books on sale at the Dorrance Bookstore!

Have a scary book you would like to publish? CONTACT US!

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Vivid setting

Help your readers get into the story with strong descriptions and images of where they are. They will not feel the suspense if they can’t see the space the characters are in. Establish the geographic location of your story early. Establish what it looks like: urban or rural? What is the weather like? Imagine the places where the story takes place – the police station, the scene of the crime, the main character’s house. Sketch out these places ahead of time with words – or perhaps draw a picture!

Research and plan

Mystery and crime is not a type of story to write off the top of your head. Research the crime you plan to put at the center of the story ahead of time. By knowing the ins and outs, you can write it in a way that is believable and serves your plot. If something is completely unrealistic or off the wall, readers will disengage. Study real life examples of the crime and other novels with similar crimes or happenings at the center. Have details mapped out as to what weapons, motives, timelines, etc. are involved. Go ahead – link everything with a red string on a corkboard!

High stakes

No one will care about the mystery without a reason to. The stakes of the story must be high, and must be raised often in the story. For example, what is different about this murder that makes it so important to solve? What is going on in the main character’s life that makes the mystery important to them? Once the story develops, keep raising the stakes to keep the reader in suspense. Add new revelations, twists, and surprises until you arrive at the climax of the plot. 

Believable suspects

The best way to keep a reader guessing in a mystery novel is to have multiple suspects for a crime, or multiple answers to the mystery. Not only must there be many possibilities, but they all must be believable. Believable suspects for a crime will naturally occur if you develop well-rounded characters and stakes for them. Think about what each suspect might stand to gain or lose from committing the crime or being at the center of the conspiracy.

Avoid cliches

Avoid cliches in both your characters and plot. Sometimes cliches are good, but sometimes they might work against separating your book from others in the genre. If there is an opportunity to do something different, do it. Not every detective has to be a depressed alcoholic, for example. 

Overall, a mystery/crime novel today must not be afraid to be bold and new. Loyal fans of the genre will keep reading if you offer something unique. There are many ways to take a classic murder mystery and make it your own. 

Have a mystery or crime novel you want to publish? Contact us!

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Biography

A biography is one’s life story written by someone other than themself. Often, someone chooses a biographer to tell their story after careful consideration. People want to make sure their biographer is a writer who can tell their story well. Authors can also write biographies about a figure they are interested in without that person’s official consent. Biographies can be about any person, living or dead, famous or simply a regular person with a fascinating tale.

A biographer spends time interviewing with their subject, conducting research, and also speaking to people who know the subject in order to form a full picture of their life. Factual accuracy is important in biographies. While factual accuracy is important, it is also essential to write in a way that flows nicely rather than a laundry list of facts. Biographies still use structures found in fiction such as scenes and characterization in order to accomplish this. Summarize when appropriate, but use action scenes to describe important events.

Biographies are broad in scope, focusing on most of a subject’s life or a certain long period of their life. They are heavily structured, usually in chronological order. The biographer uses a bird’s eye view – third person perspective – to tell the story of their subject. That way, they themselves do not become a character in the story. 

If you would prefer to tell your life story on your own terms, then an autobiography may be right for you.

Autobiography

An autobiography is one’s life story as told by themselves. Autobiographies have all the traits of biographies, except the writer is telling their own story. As an autobiographer, a writer will use first person point of view. Speaking from your own perspective will lend your autobiography more credibility. Like biographies and fiction, autobiographies utilize scenes and characterization to tell the story in a way that is compelling, rather than simply reciting facts. 

However, it is still important to be factually accurate so your whole story lines up. If you would like to delve deeper into how something felt rather than how it happened in a literal sense, perhaps a memoir is a better choice.

Memoir

A memoir is a nonfiction story that centers on one event or period in someone’s life, rather than a longer period or their whole life. Memoirs often use the same literary devices as fiction stories and poetry in order to make them more dynamic and compelling. As creative nonfiction, memoirs deal in finer detail than biographies and autobiographies. Authors attempt to convey their feelings. They talk about how an experience changed them. They focus on sensory details and crafting a unique narrative voice.

In memoir, the accuracy of how an event might have happened takes a backseat to how that event felt to the writer. Most importantly, a memoir attempts to reach a universal appeal through one’s own experience. While your experience may be something that only happened to you, it will be relatable to your audience. 

Ultimately, which format you decide will, in many ways, determine the course of your book. Therefore, it is important to choose wisely.

Sources consulted: Author Learning Center

For more tips on nonfiction writing, check out this blog. 

Have a biography, autobiography, or memoir you would like to publish? Contact us!

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The following are some of the most popular forms of poetry:

Rhymed Poetry

As opposed to free verse, poetry can follow a specific rhyme scheme. Popular rhyme schemes often involve rhyming words at the end of a line. Some specific poems, such as the limerick mentioned above, stick to certain rhyme schemes.

Free Verse

Free verse poetry does not follow any rhyme scheme or set meter. Sometimes called blank verse, these poems often follow natural speech rhythms, yet are still written in stanzas and lines. Free verse poetry is actually a more modern invention, with origins in France.

Elegy

An elegy is a poem written to mourn the death or loss of a person. They are often written in elegiac couplets, meaning stanzas containing two lines, although today any poem with reflective, melancholy themes is said to be an elegy. The tradition of elegies dates back to the 7th century B.C. in Ancient Greece.

Acrostic

An acrostic poem is a poem in which the beginning letters of each line spell out a word pertaining to the subject of the poem itself.

Haiku

One of the more famous and well-known poetic forms, haikus are three-line poems. The first line of a haiku contains 5 syllables, the second contains 7 syllables and the final also contains 5 syllables. Haikus are of Japanese origin and traditionally discuss nature and the seasons. Nowadays, one can find haikus written about a wide variety of topics.

Limerick

A limerick is a short, humorous poem that is five lines long and uses the rhyme scheme AABBA. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the dominant meter is anapestic, with two metrical feet in the third and fourth lines and three feet in the others. Anapestic foot consists of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. 

Pastoral

Pastoral poetry centers on nature and man’s relationship with the natural world. It idealizes rural life and places utmost importance on nature. The tradition of pastoral poetry dates back to the Ancient Greeks.

Sonnet

The sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter. They can utilize several different rhyme schemes. Sonnets are typically thought of as pertaining to romantic themes, due to the influence of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, but they do not necessarily have to be about romantic relationships.

Have a book of poems you would like to publish? Contact us!

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Develop Your World
What sets fantasy apart from other genres is its immersive worlds. Take some time to think about and plan your far away fantastical setting of your book or books, either before or after you know the details of your plot. Having the mechanisms of your setting planned out will help you write the novel more smoothly. It will help you convey your world to your readers in a way that draws them in.

This not only means the physical landscape of the world, but the politics and culture of it as well. Every society has a culture with a set of rules and norms – even mythical ones. It is even more important to flesh these out ahead of time for a fantasy story than for one that takes place in our contemporary world, for both yourself and your audience. You may think you have your fantasy world entirely in your own head, but planning out the world can help you avoid continuity errors – elements of the plot that contradict a previously explained element. Use notes or a graphic organizer to sketch out your fantasy world, as well as the rules and norms for your fantasy society. There are many resources online to help you in this task.

Character and Narration
A similar amount of care and devotion should be used to develop your characters and their voices. Decide if your story will be told through first-person narration, third person limited, or third person omniscient narration.

First person narration will be told through a character with the use of “I” and an intimate knowledge of their inner mind, thoughts, and feelings. In third person limited, a reader has intimate knowledge of a main character and follows them. The degree to which they are known is up to you, the author. In third person omniscient narration, an outside observer knows about and follows many characters.

Deciding on what route to take with narration will affect the structure and flow of the story. Ask yourself: Is your story better told through one singular character, or many characters whose lives interweave?

Know Your Audience
Fantasy is an interesting genre in that it is quite popular with children, teens, and adults alike. It is unlikely, however, that your story will appeal to all audiences. It is important to decide who your audience will be – or, what the “rating” of your novel will be. A novel for teens should not have the same levels of violence and mature subject matter as one for adults. A fantasy book for children will be much shorter than one for middle grade students. Use discretion and decide early on who your target audience will be. Additionally, there are a number of subgenres within fantasy that might be worth considering – it’s not all wizards and dragons. Steampunk, magical realism, and urban fantasy are examples of other popular fantasy subgenres. Find your niche early on.

The Conflict
Of course, it wouldn’t be a fantasy book without the plot – the central conflict that drives the story. Every story has to have an action that kicks off the plot and sets things into motion. From there, a character will have a mission or a goal. When you zoom out, you will see your main character or characters having conflicts with other beings, ideas, the nature of their world, or even themselves. Conflict will make readers care about the story and ultimately lead to the overarching message of the story. That message is entirely up to you. Ask yourself: what do you want to say with your book? What lesson do you want to teach?

Think About – But Don’t Necessarily Avoid – Cliches

As you take stock of your characters and your plot, you may find that you use cliches of the fantasy genre. The wise wizard, a prophecy that must be fulfilled, or a main character that is “the chosen one” are all examples of fantasy genre cliches. While some may say to avoid these devices, a more interesting approach is to use a cliche but to make it your own. Put a slightly different spin on these cliches, and they will no longer be cliches. Readers will take pleasure in something that is familiar to them, yet something new at the same time. For example, maybe the wise old wizard that mentors your main character isn’t really that wise after all.

Take your time to think about all of these aspects, and have fun as you embark on your fantasy writing journey.

For extra help, consider our writing coach program.

If your fantasy novel is already written and waiting to be published, contact us!

The post Things to Think About Before You Write Your Fantasy Book appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Know Why You’re Writing

It is important to have a clear vision of why you are writing your nonfiction book. With a clear vision and purpose, your writing can be well organized. Otherwise, you run the risk of simply ranting about your topic. Ask yourself: Why is my topic important enough to write a book about? What do I want my readers to take away from the book? What is the ultimate message I want to send? If you don’t have quick answers to these questions, take some time to think about them.

Make An Outline

The best way to stay organized when writing your book is to make a detailed outline. Make headings for each chapter and use subheadings when appropriate. Under each heading and subheading, jot down the main points you want to make in that section. An outline is a guide – it doesn’t have to be set in stone. You can always make changes later if you find something that flows better as you are writing.

Research 

Even if you are an expert in your topic, it is a good idea to have research to back up your claims. Look for books, articles, and other sources at your local library and online to verify that your facts are correct. Include your sources in your book via a reference page at the end. If you have previously published books or studies that you have conducted that you are using, cite them as well and be sure to talk about how they make you credible. This will help you boost your credibility as an author while also qualifying you as an expert in your specific area of interest. 

Be Personal

While any nonfiction book is about a real-world topic, you can still show your personality. Write in a tone of voice that feels natural to you. Use words and phrases that you would use, not what necessarily sounds the “smartest.” Having a unique voice will make you more endearing and appealing to readers. Additionally, don’t be afraid to include personal anecdotes about your connection to your topic. These personal touches usually come in the introduction, as you work to establish why you are writing your book.

Flow

In addition to being personal, it is important to keep the flow of the narrative in mind while writing nonfiction. This relates to the question of why you are writing in the first place. Avoid diversions into other topics that are not relevant to your overall take-home message. Reader attention spans are finite, so it is important to keep a reader’s attention. Taking a sharp turn into other directions may confuse readers. For example, if you are writing a book about military aircraft, you might not need to include a rant about how passenger airplanes operate today.

Look to the Future 

As you near the end of your book, it is often helpful to look towards the future in regards to your topic. How is your topic relevant going forward? Remember the question of why you are writing the book in the first place. The end of the book is the place for you to drill down on why all the ideas, facts, and theories of your book are important.

We hope these do’s and don’ts are helpful in your writing journey.

Ready to go farther with your writing? Consider joining our Writing Coach program!

Finished with your nonfiction book? Contact us!

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We enlisted the help of Amanda, a Dorrance Writing Coach, to get to know the program and it’s services a little better.

How long have you been a Dorrance Writing Coach?

I’ve been a writing coach for a year. 

What does a Writing Coach do?

A writing coach helps the author strengthen their work by providing advice and feedback on their manuscripts or a working idea that the author is looking to expand on and needs help with any ideas they have for the direction of their story, whether it’s nonfiction or fiction. 

How does the Dorrance Writing Coach process work? From beginning to end, what can a writer who enlists your services expect?  

The writing coach process is hands on and tailored to what the author needs help regarding their story. It starts with an extensive consultation via email or by phone where I ask them about their background, why they have decided to write their story and what kind of feedback they’re looking for. I usually work on completed manuscripts and provide my feedback using Track Changes on Microsoft Word or an Editorial Letter, depending on the author’s preference. 

Sometimes, the author might need help with an existing idea and I’ll help them with an outline or my professional opinion on potential ideas they might have on their story. It’s important that the author feels comfortable and the time is used so it suits them best. Sometimes, an email consultation is enough and other times they prefer to have an extensive phone conversation about what they need and respond to my feedback or it’s a mix of both. Regardless, the author lets me know what they need and we work together so that they can improve their story and make it the best it can be. 

What has been your most memorable experience as a Writing Coach?

It’s always incredibly rewarding to help writers with their stories! I once helped a high school principal on his memoir that he wrote for his young students so that they could learn from the adversity that he faced when he was their age and how he improved his life by studying and working hard. His memoir was inspirational and very funny! It was great helping him knowing his students and other readers would find his memoir helpful and inspiring. 

What are your biggest pieces of advice for writers?

My biggest piece of advice is to keep a writing schedule! The authors I work with are very talented but busy people and they have a hard time balancing their work, family, and writing. I would advise to take out 30 minutes or an hour a few days out of the week to only sit down and write since that discipline will make it easier to write consistently. 

If you would like to enlist the help of a Dorrance Writing Coach, contact us!

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