The Musterions and Time Capsule Humor of St. Johns Revalation (Funnelweb Series Book 1)

Because you want to firstly create more diversity and secondly, create some non-plot-specific conflict. Pinpoint your secondary characters and development them in a way that makes them clash or oppose your main characters in certain ways. Think about what could annoy your main character the most and give your secondary characters some of those habits or personality traits. We all speak differently and that means your characters should too. Their voices have to be consistent and not the same. The point of giving your characters unique voices is to ensure your readers imagine them as real people instead of two-dimensional beings living in paper.

You do not have to write a book about these things in order for you to include them in your novel. For example, one of my main characters has high levels of anxiety. His storyline does not revolve around this mental illness, but it is there, seen, and can affect his plot. Look through your characters and their appearances as well as their personalities. You want to make sure you are allowing diverse readers to feel included, heard, and represented.

Which means they create a stereotype of a specific type of person that can oftentimes be harmful without the author even knowing. A character arc is used to describe the inner and even outer journey, which can be physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise that a character experiences throughout the duration of the story or plot. In addition to crafting well-rounded characters, you also have to think about including arcs for them. At the very least, your protagonist, or main character, requires an arc for their storyline and journey to be captivating and satisfying for readers.

Harry Potter starts the novel as an year-old kid suffering from emotionally abusive relatives who care for him due to his parents passing away. This character arc is distinct in that his mental and emotional journey from start to finish is wildly different. Harry Potter is not the same at the end as he was in the beginning — and this remains true throughout each book in the series.

We put together this FREE training for you to understand what it takes to write and publish a book. As much as you think all of your book ideas are fantastic and anyone would love to read them… you might be completely wrong. A good book is a combination of high passion on your end, making your readers feel intensely along with a structure that toys with their emotions and an overall message worth sharing.

In order to come up with a good book idea, you have to understand what makes a book great and then work backward from there. A good book takes time, effort, and the right formula to get right. Fiction and nonfiction are basically two different worlds when it comes to writing. On the other hand, if you love to write guides and how-tos and maybe even self-help related books, nonfiction is going to be a better fit for you.

You have to start by determining what kind of fiction you want to write. In order to choose, pick the genre you enjoy reading the most. Once you know what you want to write, you have to learn how to come up with a good book idea in it. Coming up with fiction book ideas differs greatly from nonfiction because they cover much different information, key elements, and reader intent.

Fiction is amazing because you can come up with pretty much anything and it can be formed into a good book idea. If you have a hard time coming up with book ideas, then what you really need is something to prompt your mind into thinking creatively and imaginatively. Writing prompts are very short ideas or story concepts for you to use in order to get started. Think of them as the catalyst for your imagination.

We actually have a list of over original fiction writing prompts created for this specific purpose. You can fill out the form below to download them! These prompts might contain the beginning of your next book idea. Head to a park or airport and just sit down to watch people. You may overhear a snippet of conversation or witness someone doing something interesting. Take a notebook and jot down notes in order to flesh it out into a full story later. Consider it more like research for your novel. If you have a creative friend you love to chat books and book ideas with, just sit down and bounce ideas around with them.

Two minds are greater than one is most cases — including coming up with book ideas. You can ask them to come up with a character and their background, and then you can give their life a reality with problems and a main conflict. This specific technique is designed to free your mind from common problems in this time. Then, once the images load, I pick someone who stands out to me.

From there, I do some deep thinking about a world they could fit in, what it looks like, what the big problems are, and even go so far as to create a job and personality for that character. The results often give you images that can spark a small idea — which we can help you develop into a fully-fleshed story. This exercise is perfect for coming up with a good book idea because generally, you want your protagonist to be a character people like.

And when you create a character you genuinely like and would be friends with, other people will feel the same. While the story and plot have to be intriguing, the character is sometimes the biggest selling point. A book with great characters will stand out. Coming up with good book ideas involves a lot of creative thinking and suspension of disbelief. Your distaste or worse, your indifference, will bleed through the pages and be obvious to anybody reading it. The process of writing a book can take some time and a lot of dedication, rereading, and editing to get right.

What are a few topics you seem to know more than the average person about? The reason you have to figure this out is that it will help you determine the best book idea for you to write. These questions will help you determine the common theme within the answers. Once you know what you have a strong knowledge of, you can narrow down your book ideas. Instead, brainstorm a very large number of main ideas. These can be anything from your hobbies to your work expertise to even your view of the world and how it works. Anything that comes to your mind and sparks your interest is worth writing down.

Usually, this is what you should write a book about. This will often give you insight into great book ideas for you to write yourself. This technique works backward from your own interests in order to determine which book idea you should push forward. When your boss snaps to get your attention or when your partner has to wave a hand in front of your face to bring you back to reality, write down what you were just thinking about.

In order to do this, open a blank document and just start writing about your everyday life — but do this as if you were writing a story about yourself through narrative. Meaning, from a third person perspective. Start writing yours and your mind might just come up with a book idea for you to take to publication. Everyone is different and all of our minds work differently. This is a technique that helps your ideas build on one another — much like a snowball builds on itself when you start rolling it through the snow. After you have these ideas, pick a single one to narrow down even more until you have a niche-specific book idea.

You never know what could blossom into sometime incredible. Maybe JK Rowling never thought an idea about a wizard in school would be interesting — and look what happened there! Book a call with one of our experts in order to discuss if your book idea is good and how you can dive deeper and uncover a final idea for your book. S trong verbs are essential for great writing. Not only do you need to know HOW to use powerful verbs, but having a strong verbs list at your disposal is invaluable.

And as I delved deeper into the literary world, I quickly realized that using strong verbs is a must if you want to create something that leaves a lasting impact. Thanks to every English class growing up, you know a verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. A strong verb is a better and more descriptive version of a basic verb that creates a stronger visual and can help create a mood or vibe for the scene. So although you can use the basic verb and still tell the same story, you will create a deeper impact within the reader if you use a strong verb in its place.

Using strong verbs will definitely make your writing more intriguing and will increase the chances of someone buying and loving! No matter how great your book is, you still need to know how to put it all together, market it, and then self-publish in a way that generates sales. How can you tell the difference between a strong verb and a weak one? So the main thing you need to remember when it comes to strong verbs vs weak verbs is how specific it is. Because your writing will be better overall. One of the best ways you can immediately make our writing stronger is by going through and crossing out each weak verb and replacing it with a better one.

One of the most important parts of any book is that your readers can get a precise visual. Doing this throughout the entirety of your book will leave your readers feeling as if they just stepped out of an entirely different world. Each of these sentences is extremely similar in what they tell you; a girl with a cape entered a room.

And knowing how an action takes place sets up far more than just the image for the reader. The goal of your book and any book, really is to make your reader feel something. You want to stir emotions in them. That, and they want to be transported to a different world, which strong verbs are also used for.

But one of the main reasons to use strong verbs in writing is to create a more emotional impact. When you want to create a strong reaction in your reader, no matter what type of reaction that is, you need to use strong verbs. Which sentence gives you a clearer picture of the anxiety that must be felt? By now you know just how important showing versus telling is in writing. And one powerful way to show more and tell less is to use strong verbs. Because showing creates a stronger emotional connection between the reader and your book, replacing weak verbs with more powerful ones will hook your readers.

For those of you who struggle with showing and not telling, focusing on using better verbs will help tremendously. Whenever you have an adverb, you should replace it with a stronger verb. Go through your writing and pick out some adverbs to replace. Your writing will be better because of it.

When you replace weak verbs and adverbs with a single stronger verb, you get rid of the excess writing that can make reading harder. It also saves you a ton of time cutting words during the editing phase. That strong verb does the job for you. One of the most frustrating things to read is a book that lacks strong verbs in scenes that are meant to be full of action. How do you know which words to replace and which are already good? I put together a video teaching you how to edit your own writing when replacing basic verbs with stronger, better ones.

And you know what? All of this advice is relatively useless without a plan for finishing, marketing, and self-publishing your book. Chandler walks you through everything you need to get started and go from blank page to published author in 90 days…or even less if you already have a headstart with your writing. But we have the best top steps to start writing a book today so you can become an author! Beginning the process of writing a book and presenting it to a worldwide audience is very exciting — but also a little scary.

But once you begin, you may realize that writing a book is hard work. For example, you may find yourself in front of a blank page unable to type and thinking of stressful questions like: But many get overwhelmed because they lack a writing process. Fortunately, there are some extremely effective techniques for how to start writing a book and overcoming these hurdles. These are the seven effective strategies to start writing a book as soon as possible: We have a complete guide that will cover best practices to start writing a book asap — even today if you sit down and put your pen to paper, so to speak.

Create an environment that is designed to help you stay focused. The number one reason authors fail to publish a book is because they never finish the book they intend to publish. And in order to write your first page, you must take action. You can start with a few paragraphs, a sentence, or even just a word.

The purpose of this exercise is to commit to your writing session every day until it has become second nature. A clear outline provides clarity and direction to your story. It will help you see the overall picture. Although enticing, the division of attention can spread your energy thin producing bad writing or worse, failure to complete your book.

Once you get into the flow of writing, you want to remain focused through the duration of your writing session. Any break to your concentration can set you back minutes and disrupt your flow. We become less efficient when we are distracted, and it can end up taking twice as long to complete our writing. Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most popular comedians of all time, and he attributes his success to his unbelievably strong writing habits.

In the early days of his career, Seinfeld was asked how he managed to have such great content. If you can keep this chain going, you will have your book written faster than you can imagine. Resistance is a common obstacle that holds us back from creating. If you want to become a published author, you must take ownership of your writing habits.

By following these seven strategies, you can have a completed book within months and be on your way to becoming a successful writer. Chandler Bolt will walk you through everything you need to go from blank page to published author in as little as 90 days. We typically advise our students to start with 30 minutes per day. You can even write during your lunch!

So long as you commit to your scheduled times, writing a book will be a breeze! Writing a book is fun but it can also be a lot of work. Every writer has experienced the struggle of forcing words onto a document one by one, dragging them kicking and screaming from the corners of your mind only to be left with a single sentence… one hour later. And to do that, we put together the free training you need. Even the best authors out there still deal with this from time to time. It can slow down your progress and end up taking much longer for you to write your book.

While this might sound bad, the best part about all of these is this: And why do we get our oil changed regularly even when our vehicles are seemingly running well? To prevent breaking down on the interstate and destroying our vehicles from the inside out. But you can try a few of these methods to keep your creative juices flowing like Niagara Falls in the springtime. They cover what happens next and what specific information you need to include. How can you not know what to write next if you already have an outline telling you exactly that?

Your imagination is at a standstill. You may just be divided between which path your book could potentially take. Creating a thorough outline squashes those issues so you can write fluidly, quickly, and with quality. Your mind goes blank and the words stop coming. Which means you know the research you need to do beforehand. Having all the facts makes writing a breeze, and it can also kick-start some fresh ideas and a more imaginative way of thinking.

The more you write, the more effortless writing becomes. Not writing regularly weakens those creative muscles. Keep those writer muscles strong by writing as often as you can — every day, even! Using a tracking sheet like the one above is a great way to schedule out your goals and then execute in a way that makes you WANT to write every day. Most of the time, you may just be out of practice and need to find your rhythm again. Finding your flow is sometimes all you really need.

Nothing can get your mind in a creative state more than reading. Picking up a book — any kind of book — and spending 30 minutes reading can spark your imagination and light a fire under you to get back to writing. Scientifically speaking , exercising more not only increases your mood, but your creativity gets a boost as well! You can simply do some jumping jacks or take a quick walk around the block.

The more you can let your mind go, the more creative it becomes. Plus, a change of scenery never hurts the creative process. Always looking at the same place or even sitting in the same spot to write can be an issue. Are you struggling with something specific? You may be the type of person who needs to verbalize your concerns in order to work through them. And that means you need to get up and actually speak to someone or even yourself!

There are a lot of ways you can go about getting inspired again. Inspiration is specific to each person. Meaning, it may take a few attempts before finding the method that works best for you. Taking some time to reread your previous writing can help by putting you in the same frame of mind you were in the last time you had to stop writing. This will catapult your brain back into the right place so you can make progress and write easily again.

Remember that nobody can write the story you are. Your voice and perspective are what makes your book unique in the first place. Changing this will only pull you further away from your identity as a writer. Writing and publishing a book can be a long, hard process. Write down the answers to the questions above in detail. Then read them out loud to yourself, really hear your own purpose for this book and that can often unclog your writer brain. With this annoyance behind you, your mind will be free and it may even stir up more creative ideas for other writing projects.

And here at Self-Publishing School, you first have to learn the truth before taking action. But the good news is that marketing is also about fostering connections and relationships , which can be rewarding to you and your fan base. So if you dream of becoming a New York Times bestselling author, or if you want your book to help you reach other lifestyle goals, a book marketing strategy is your essential key to success.

Having a quick overview of exactly what you can do and how much time and effort each will take can help you better plan for your book marketing plan. The ideal launch team is a dedicated, hand-selected group eager to make your launch successful. If you have a smaller following, we suggest you aim for a launch team of Those with hundreds in their network can aim for team members. You can reach out to peers from college, your volunteer work, or even your first job.

To begin recruitment for your launch team, create a simple questionnaire process that describes your book, your expectations of the team, and questions asking: You can easily do this through email, or through online forms like Typeform. Take the time to record a warm welcome video for your new supporters! In your video, first, congratulate your team for being selected and express gratitude for their help. Then, detail your expectations, your unique mission for writing your book , and why you want to share it with as many people as you can! Communicate with your team regularly to keep them focused on weekly tasks, progress, and innovative ideas by doing the following: Always make sure your team knows how grateful you are to them and their dedication!

You have to give them small assignments to help you with launching and the book marketing process in general. Your launch team will commit weeks of their time, energy, and talent, so make sure you thank each and every person for their contribution! Ensure that each person on your team feels valued and appreciated for their efforts.

And most importantly, let them know how to get your book for free or at least at a deep discount! Which brings us to…. One of the most important factors in how successful your book launch is will be how you price it. To find out how to price your book for success, we recommend reading Book Launch. All marketing—no matter which market or industry—is fundamentally about people and making connections.

Part of pitching your book will be figuring out how your book relates to your readers and how they will benefit from it. Now that your book is out in the wild, you want to get as many people to it as possible. Here are the eight best strategies for doing just that. Can you imagine if you came home one day and your house was…missing? There is a huge difference. Having an author website is the difference between renting or buying a piece of property. Maintaining your own website on a hosted server with your domain name is the same as having that piece of real estate. You can customize your site your way, publish your own content, and you are always in complete control of how it looks and what gets published.

And you can also set up a Google Alert so you can be notified about where your name and your book show up online. There is a saying going around that says: A list of followers who are in love with your writing will be the first to line up when you have a new product to sell. Your email list is yours. You control what you want to say, how you say it, and when. Imagine if every time you had a new book ready to launch, hundreds or thousands of people were waiting for it so they could get it first. Nothing else comes close.

Although building a list takes time, in the long run it is the easiest way to market. These are the true fans that will get the word out and be the first to leave verified reviews after buying your new release at the special price of 0. But that is just the beginning.

You can continue to build your list by including a reader magnet at the front and back of your book. Get people hooked on your brand and then keep them there by writing your next book, and then, including them in your next launch. As your book reaches more people, and you get more signups, your marketing capacity grows…exponentially. When it comes to book promoting, nothing can have a bigger impact on your book than influencers through book endorsements.

Influencers can be podcasters, bloggers, or authors with strong email lists. An influencer is someone who has a lot of promotional weight and can spread the word about your book to thousands of people with just a brief mention to their email list, on their blog, or by sharing on social media, for example. Influencers have a long reach.

What you can do is identify the influencers in your niche and reach out to them. Tell them who you are and ask if they can help to promote your latest book. You can also offer to support their future endeavors as a way of giving back. Influencers can have a major impact on your exposure as an author, so try to set up interviews in your hometown or reach out to someone online and offer to do an interview so you can deliver value to their target audience. For example, if you wrote a book on recipes for Italian food, you could try connecting with people in the Italian cooking niche.

They may have a blog, podcast, or a webinar on which you want to appear. Social media is a powerful way to promote your book to potential readers. We can engage with thousands of people just by hitting a few buttons. But with social media sites, the big scare is the amount of time we can get sucked into trying to do everything. After a few months, you could build up a library of content that will bring in the right audience, engage with new subscribers, and even create a course out of your videos.

She created a Youtube channel to engage fellow writers, who are also readers: You could also post popular quotes or snippets of material from your upcoming book. With Twitter, you can post multiple times a day with brief quotes or messages under characters. Twitter has proven to be a powerful platform for authors when it comes time to promote and market a book. And if your book is more business-focused, you may find that LinkedIn works best for you, since it allows you to connect with new readers on a more professional platform. We recommend choosing two social media platforms and focusing on consistent engagement.

In the writing community, there are a number of very popular hashtags authors and writers use to connect with each other. Why make connections with other authors? Bookbub is the cream of the crop when it comes to promoting and marketing your book. In fact, you should submit your book for promotion as either free or for 99 cents right after your book launch. Bookbub has a massive following and can get your book delivered to thousands of readers.

For example, if you are running a promo for 99 cents in general nonfiction, you could potentially sell, on average, 2, copies of your book. Not only will you make a profit, but this could bring in hundreds of subscribers and leads to your email list. From there you can upsell readers on your other books or even a course if you have one. A local radio or podcast interview can introduce you to new readers.

While this may sound intimidating, you can pull this off like a pro with a little preparation. Look to local colleges, podcast hosts, or local radio stations for interview opportunities Pro Tip: Hosts love to interview up-and-coming authors, so you may be surprised at the many offers that come your way when you reach out. If you have a press release describing what your book is about, feel free to include that as well to give them more context. Then be sure that when you go on, you present a great story about your book and get their listeners excited to read it! Local book clubs are another goldmine of new readers; you already know they like books!

Find and connect with these groups. You can offer to attend a meet-and-greet and hand out copies of your free signed book. You can also get your book listed in Facebook Groups and other groups dedicated to readers. There are also paid lists, such as Buck Books , that can reach tens to hundreds of thousands of readers. Publishing another book is great for brand building. Your book may be great, but you can compound that greatness by writing more books, preferably in a series. With every new book you put out there, you increase the chances of your work getting recognized by influencers and people online who are hanging out in all the places you can target for promotion and sharing.

Launching your book is only the beginning. Marketing is about delivering a product [your book] to the right people [your audience] who need desperately what you have to offer [your solution]. No matter which marketing tactics sound best for you, remember that choosing a few key strategies and executing on them regularly is crucial to increasing book sales. In fact, being able to tell a full story in such a short amount of time arguably takes more skill than writing a full-length novel or nonfiction book. That being said, why is it beneficial for all writers to learn how to write a short story?

When you only have a few pages to hook readers, paint a clear picture of the character, and tell a story, you end up mastering the skill of showing instead of telling. Those skills will transfer into anything you write, automatically making it that much better. Just enter your information for a list of over strong verbs with the weak verbs they replace! And when readers look back on an entire book filled with incredible chapters, the entire book as a whole will be seen as being that much better. Every nonfiction book has portions where stories must be told in order to get the point across.

This is what allows people to relate to you as an author, which pulls them in deeper and makes the core message of your book resonate with them more. You already know that short stories are… shorter than your average novel but do they have any other difference? In order for a short story to be impactful, you have to know your character well. Thankfully, the outlining process for a short story is much easier than a full novel, but I do still advise creating one in order to have a cohesive flow throughout the story.

This is definitely useful for those of you who prefer outlining versus just writing by the seat of your pants. Take this short story called The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry , for example.

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Done is better than perfect. This is especially the case when it comes to short stories. Once you have your outline and know how to start writing , drafting the short story in full comes next. That would be like matching your earrings to your pants without first having the full outfit put together. Focus on getting your draft done so you can move on to the next step.

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Editing is where the real magic happens when it comes to writing. These are a few things to keep an eye out for when editing your short story: The editing process for short stories is pretty much the same for novels. The only difference is that short stories tend to focus more on imagery and exposition than they do full character and plot development. Short story titles are a little less important than titles for novels.

They can also be very abstract. What you want to think of when titling your short story is this: These questions will help you develop a title that not only makes sense, but is also intriguing enough to pull readers in while staying true to what the story is about. No matter how experienced or inexperienced you are as a writer, you need feedback.

Allowing others to read your work and offer feedback is one of the best ways to improve and make sure your story is exactly how you want it. Now you know how to write a short story! But how do you go from having all this knowledge in your brain to actually writing a short story worth reading? Learning how to write a short story is only the first step toward becoming a published author — and we have the rest of them for you.

Not everyone can come up with a story idea off the top of their head. We have a master list of over fiction writing prompts just waiting for someone to bring them to life. Download yours right here and get started on your short story! If you went ahead and got your list of prompts, or if you already have an idea of your own, start your outline! Get that main idea down and start thinking creatively about how you can begin your short story in a way that sucks readers in.

Then you can focus on the main event that ties everything together before finalizing how you want the story to end. Vance Nov 15, Essentially, a novel is a long story in which a message, theme, and plot are revealed slowly over the course of scenes and chapters that make up a bigger storyline. The exact number of words that make up a novel varies greatly depending on the genre and personal taste, however, a book is considered a novel if it has more than 50, words.

Below is a table detailing how many words make up a novel in each respective genre, as some are typically longer than others. Keep in mind that these are a baseline. You want to make sure your novel is in the ballpark word count for your genre and target audience but just remember that you can easily go over or under depending on how well the story is crafted…. A plotter is someone who plans out their novel with an outline before actually writing, whereas a pantser is someone who writes with seemingly no direction — they write by the seat of their pants.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Fiction authors tend to fall into one of two buckets when writing their books. These are writers who basically only have a few vague elements about the story in mind when they start writing, but nothing else. One of the most famous pantsers is Stephen King. These are writers who need to know every piece of their story, down to the minute detail, before they will write a single word.

They have full, complete outlines that serve as a guide for their writing. They will know who each and every one of their characters are, what their motivations are, the chapters needed for the book, chapter sections, and in some cases, even paragraphs. Probably the most famous plotter out there is James Patterson. My best advice is to be something in between. This is where you make your story promise and write an introduction that pulls readers in.

You tell your reader what kind of story it will be — a comedy drama, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi — and you give a few clues as to what they can expect. Whatever you said in these initial pages must be followed to the end of your story. A stone-cold drama cannot turn into a slapstick comedy by the end of the story.

One mistake made by first-time fiction authors is that they do not properly set up the story expectations and the reader goes in expecting one thing, only to get another. In the Hunger Games, we meet Katniss. From her surroundings, it is obvious that she is poor, and as soon as she steps outside of her wooden shack we see hovering drones. Within the first few pages of this book, we have learned three essential things: As soon as your inciting incident happens, your story should be full throttle towards the climax.

The most common mistake first-time authors make is that their inciting incident is reversible. Your inciting incident should as final as the severing of a limb or a death of a loved one. Nothing should be able to reverse the effects of your inciting incident has on your hero. In the Hunger Games, the inciting incident is irreversible because — quite literally — soldiers grab Katniss, whisk her away from her world, and into the world of the games.

And even if she could get away, she would be hunted by the Capital for the rest of her life. With romances, the inciting incident is almost always when the two lovebirds meet. Not always, but for the vast majority of romances, this is the case. Take a look at your inciting incidents and ask yourself this: Which one of these is the harshest, deadliest inciting incident of the bunch.

Then pick that one. Over the next few chapters, your character should be making a series of gains and losses, where the aggregate result is that their situation is slightly better than what it was at the moment of the inciting incident. The reason why we need this upward trajectory is because we are setting up the reader for the first slap. The first slap is the moment when everything that our hero has gained is lost in fell swoop. Your hero is brought down to zero. The greater the fall, the more engaged your reader will be.

Between the inciting incident on the first slap, Katniss has made several gains, garnering the attention of the Capital and making some friends along the way. But none of that matters the moment she enters the Games — and what a moment it is. Take a look at all the events that could potentially happen between the inciting incident and the first slap. This is a loose mind map as you are not committing to anything at this point, but do try to get a sense of whether or not your hero will be making gains and losses with a net value of gains and try to assess whether or not the first slap is harsh enough to truly wow your reader.

They have successfully thwarted the big evil that has been thrusted upon them by the first slap and she is doing well. The second slap should be as harsh, if not harsher, than the first slap. In the second slap we are setting up for the climax, which means that the hero needs to have an out.

In other words, there should be some semblance of hope. In the Hunger Games, the second slap is when the Game Masters announce that two tributes can survive the Games should they both be from the same district. We know enough about Katniss to realize that Peeta dying is the worst thing that could happen to her besides her own death. An announcement is made that there is something at the cornucopia that the Tributes need, and Katniss just knows that there is medicine there for Peeta.

The reader has gone from an engaging setup where they get to learn about your characters and world to the inciting incident where everything is turned on its head. Then they are subjected to the first and second slaps where you embrace your inner sadomasochist in order to punish your hero and give the readers the thrills they so richly deserve. There is only one rule to the climax. A rule that must be adhered to, no matter what genre you are writing in: The climax in the Hunger Games is the final confrontation between Katniss and the remaining Tributes, as well as the monsters that the Game Masters send after her.

It is wrought with danger and excitement. There you have it: This method is particularly effective for first-time authors who are still finding their writing feet or should I say typing fingers and is an awesome resource that experienced writers can rely on time and again when planning their stories. The 5 Key Milestones combined with a spot-on Premise and A-Story will tell you where your story starts, where it is headed and how it will end. In other words, if you do the novel writing exercises above, you should have everything you need to get your novel to the finish line.

Get the full scoop and register to join us before we fill up! You stare at a blank page for 5 minutes, but it feels like hours. To combat the boredom, you stand, stretch, and brew yet another pot of coffee. But then, you stop. There are plenty of reasons why writing a book , whether fiction or nonfiction, puts most writers directly into procrastination mode.

Perhaps spilling your guts onto the page for the world to see makes you want to run far away from the nearest computer I feel you! Remember that all authors have been exactly where you are right now. You CAN write a book—you just need to know the steps to do it. Ready to learn how to write your first book and go from blank page to published author in just 90 days? Before you sit down and type a single word, it will pay off if you take some time to address a few attitude questions and adopt the right mindset.

This is one of the most frequently overlooked steps in becoming a published author , which is a big reason why so many people fail to finish their book. They will make the rest of your book-writing experience much, much easier and more satisfying. Before you open your laptop and start daydreaming about which photographer should take your best-selling author headshot, or about getting interviewed on Oprah, you need to answer one question:. Why do you want to write a book?

Before you put pen to paper, you need to know your purpose. Writing a book is rewarding, but it requires hard work. Solidifying the purpose fueling your book will carry you through this difficult process. I want to write to feel important! Feelings are fleeting, whereas a purpose is a deeper, intrinsic motivator which will keep you burning the midnight oil to power through Chapter 23 when the rush of feelings have long dissipated. While thinking of your own purpose, you may consider why other published authors have taken the leap to write their own books: Authority, money, networking, and passion may resonate with you; one of those might be your purpose.

Or , your purpose may be something completely independent from this list. There are no wrong or right purposes for writing a book. And right on cue, something is going to try to derail your progress already: Getting your mind ready is one of the first steps to producing valuable work. You can literally write a book about anything, so go with what you know. Start by brainstorming and let your thoughts run free. But I have some good news: Writing a book takes less time than you think.

Find an hour a day you devote to something mindless—social media, video games, internet, or TV—and start writing instead. Even 5 minutes 3 times a day can be a source of massive productivity. The average person can type 60 words a minute. In fact, many prolific writers cut down on their reading—at least temporarily—in order to give themselves enough time to write. Your writing style and voice is your own. And the best way to discover your own natural voice is by sitting down and writing not reading what others have written.

A lot of people get tripped up on this. A draft is a work-in-progress, and the goal is simply to get it on paper. Even experienced professional writers produce first drafts that end up covered in the red pen of an editor or numerous red changes in a document, just like the one pictured below. If it works for a multi-billion-dollar company, it should work for your first self-published book. But shedding these excuses should help get you into a positive frame of mind for the writing process.

Just focus on your book, and your writing will get better and better over time. As with anything we learn, writing is a skill. It requires practice to hone over time. Before you start putting any words onto the page, you need to focus on a few important preparations. In order to realize your end goal, you need actionable steps to follow. Avoid this and stay realistic. Thirty minutes or even 5 minutes spent writing is better than nothing, so resolve to make it happen and find the time.

You might decide to get up early and write before the obligations of your day crowd out your writing time. Whatever time of day is convenient for you, stick with it so that it becomes a predictable part of your day. This will establish a writing habit. Setting an end date forces you to stay on schedule and keeps the forward momentum going. So consider giving yourself a deadline for your book. You may be wondering: How do you choose a deadline when you have no idea how long the book-writing process will take?

One month is a good benchmark to start with. Self-Publishing School recommends writing until you hit a daily word count of , words. If you can commit to an hour a day, you should be able to reach that goal. After 30 days of daily writing sessions, you will have completed a 30,word draft. Small, consistent actions toward writing your book is how it comes to life. The ultimate goal is your rear end in the writing seat for that allocated period of time each day.

Share the end date of your first completed draft with others so you have extrinsic motivation to keep moving toward that finish line. The physical space where you do your writing is important. We all work well in different settings, so with that in mind, consider these general guidelines to boost your productivity:. To get the sound of a cafe from the comfort of home, check out Coffitivity. You might need to experiment to find the writing environment that allows you to focus and write freely.

Find the writing environment that makes you comfortable and go with it. And when it comes to writing, your most important tool is your choice of writing software. If you just want a time-tested program that works, Word might be the program for you. If you like advanced features, definitely check out Scrivener. It was created specifically for authors, and it contains all sorts of tools that are really helpful for both fiction and nonfiction authors.

The biggest downside to Scrivener? Because of all the advanced features, it has a steeper learning curve than other word processors. Because everything is stored online, you can access your work from anywhere. A system that guides you from your idea through your outline and all the way up to your final, polished, publication-ready draft. Before you can start typing, you need to have a topic. I recommend brainstorming a long list of book ideas. These are all great ways to come up with bestselling book ideas.

Just let the ideas flow. Realize that there is no such thing as a crazy idea. Anything can make a great book topic. Everything has been written about before. Doing that is pretty much impossible in this day and age. To lend their unique spin on them. Many people are too self-centered when they write. When you start to think this way, it becomes much easier to write your book in a way that provides immense value for the people who matter most—your readers. By now you should have a long list of book topics.

And you might be wondering, which topic should I write about first? Now with these tips in mind, choose the topic for your very first book before proceeding to the next step. I recommend brainstorming ideas and letting them simmer in the back of your mind. Here are a few tips on creating standout, marketable titles. It always helps to do a little research on Amazon.

To do that, just head here and select your genre on the left-hand side of the page:. Then you can take a look at some of the best-selling titles in your genre. Start your BookMap by writing your intended topic in the center. From there, answer the questions and add as many related ideas as you can think of. Again, connect related ideas with a line. The BookMap gives you the benefits of writing in free-form and creating structure from all the connections you make. One way to do this is to rewrite each idea on a fresh piece of paper, this time grouped together in related topics.

Or, you could simply use different-colored highlighters to categorize your ideas with different colors. Either way, the result is the same: So now you know exactly which topics to write about, and you know which points to cover in every chapter of your book. For about a week, carry around sticky notes and write down anything and everything that crosses your mind regarding your possible book topics.

When the week is up, organize all your sticky notes into sections and themes. Then, organize these themes into the patterns that would make sense in the context of chapters of your book. The ultimate outcome of using this method is deeper thinking, clarity, and concise organization of thoughts and patterns. You now have a chapter-by-chapter outline for your book. The only thing left to do…is to actually sit down and write it! But there are some ways that are easier, faster, and more successful than others. You just repeat those steps on a smaller scale for each chapter.

Then in step 3, you have a choice: As I mentioned, one of the benefits of this method is its speed. Just how fast can you write a first draft using speech dictation? Even when you have a solid plan, a proven system, and a detailed outline, you can still get tripped up by some of these sneaky book writing roadblocks. For some, being blocked means no words at all, while for others, it means trying to nail down a functional draft in the midst of a tornado of swirling ideas. The only way to deal with it is to beat it. You sit down to write and you bang out a page or two.

Then you stop and reread what you just wrote. And instead of continuing, you go back and start editing those first few pages of writing. You want everything to be just right before you continue on ahead. Usually, when this sort of thing happens, it becomes very difficult to do any more writing. Few things are more irritating than having to go back through your entire book to fix the formatting. Think about how you want to format your book before you write it, and then be consistent. And take the time to figure out how to format your book for publication.

For example, did you realize that fiction and nonfiction books typically use different indentation styles? Now you know not only how to get started writing your book, but how to complete your book project in a mere 90 days! With just a little bit of time and a lot of determination, you are on your way to officially calling yourself an author. I proposed in any case to go to Laverlaw for a couple of days on my way to Machray. Laverlaw is a very good imitation of the end of the world.

You alight at a wayside station in a Border valley, and drive for eight miles up a tributary glen between high green hills; then, when the stream has grown small and you think that the glen must stop, it suddenly opens into an upland paradise--an amphitheatre of turf and woodland which is the park, and in the heart of it an old stone castle.

The keep was once a peel-tower, famous in a hundred ballads, and the house which had grown round dated mostly from the sixteenth century. I had never been there before, for the old Lord Clanroyden had lived sick and solitary for years, and Sandy had only succeeded in the previous February. When I arrived in the early gloaming, with that green cup swimming in amber light and the bell-heather on the high ground smouldering in the sunset, I had to rub my eyes to make sure that the place was not a dream.

I thought it the right kind of home for Sandy, a fairy-tale fortress lying secret in the hills, from which he could descend to colour the prose of the world. Sandy met me at the gates and made me get out of the car and walk the rest of the way with him. In his shocking old tweeds, with his lithe figure, his girlish colouring, and his steady, glowing eyes, he fitted well into that fantastic landscape.

You could see that he was glad to have me there, and he made me welcome with all his old warmth, but in the half-mile walk I felt a subtle change in him. His talk didn't bubble over as it used to, and I had a feeling that he was rather making conversation. I wondered if being a peer and a landowner and that sort of thing had sobered him, but I promptly dismissed the idea.

I wasn't prepared to believe that external circumstances could have any effect on one who had about as much worldliness as a fakir with his begging-bowl. All the same there was a change, and I was conscious of it during the evening. Archie Roylance and his young wife were staying there--like me, for the first time. I am prepared to rank Janet Roylance second only to Mary as the prettiest and most delightful thing in the world, and I knew that she and Sandy were close friends.

In the daytime she was always, so to speak, booted and spurred, and seemed to have the alertness and vigour of an active boy; but in the evening she used to become the daintiest little porcelain lady; and those who saw Janet as a Dresden shepherdess in a drawing-room would scarcely believe that it was the same person who that morning had been scampering over the heather.

She was in tremendous spirits, and Archie is a cheerful soul, but they found it heavy going with Sandy. We dined in what had been the hall of the thirteenth-century keep--stone walls, a fireplace like a cave, and Jacobean rafters and panelling. Sandy wore the green coat of some Border club, and sat like a solemn sprite in the great chair at the head of his table, while Janet tried to keep the talk going from the other end. The ancient candelabra, which gave a dim religious light, and the long lines of mailed or periwigged Arbuthnots on the wall made the place too heavy a setting for one whom I had always known as a dweller in tents.

I felt somehow as if the old Sandy were being shackled and stifled by this feudal magnificence. The Roylances, having been married in the winter, had postponed their honeymoon, and Janet was full of plans for bringing it off that autumn. She rather fancied the East. I expect in Lhasa they are discussing Freud. I suggested South Africa, or a trip up through the Lakes to the Nile. Janet vetoed this, because of Archie's stiff leg; she thought big-game hunting would be bad for him, and she considered with justice that if he were in the neighbourhood of wild beasts he would go after them.

Archie himself was inclined to South America. He said he had always had a romance about that part of the world, and he understood that it was the only place which still held some geographical secrets. Also it appeared that, though a poor linguist, he could talk a sort of Spanish, owing to having spent some time in the Madrid Embassy. It's too big and badly put together, like a child's mud castle. There's cannibal fish, and every kind of noxious insect, and it's the happy home of poisons, and the people are as ugly as sin.

The land isn't built according to our human scale, and I have no taste for nightmares. It might be rather useful to me in politics if I went and had a look round. This gave me the chance to talk about Blenkiron, and I told them what I had heard from Ellery Willis. Archie, who had only seen Blenkiron in the last year of the War, was rather excited; Sandy, who knew him intimately, was apathetic. You can't mislay a battered warrior like that. You'd better tell Willis that he is doing a very poor service to Blenkiron by starting a hue-and-cry. The old man won't like it a bit.

He wanted me to start out right away on a secret expedition, and to quiet him I promised to speak to you. Blenkiron will come back to his friends when his job is done, whatever it may be Unless Archie likes to take the thing on? But I met a girl last month who was a niece or a cousin of his. She told me she had been staying in the Borders and had been taken to see you at Laverlaw.

She came over with the Manorwaters. She seemed to have got a little mixed about Scotland, for she wanted to know why I wasn't wearing a kilt, and I told her 'because I was neither a Highlander nor a Cockney stockbroker. In reply Sandy made a few comments on American young women which were not flattering. I could see what had happened--Sandy at a loose end and a little choked by his new life, and a brisk and ignorant lady who wanted to enthuse about it.

They had met 'head on,' as Americans say.

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I think I rather liked her. She was from South Carolina, and had a nice, soft, slurring voice. So far as I remember she talked very little. She looked delicious, too--tallish and slim and rather dark, with deep eyes that said all sorts of wonderful things. You must be as blind as a bat, Sandy, if you didn't see that. I don't boast of it--indeed I'm rather ashamed of it--but I'm horribly unsusceptible. Once--long ago--when I was at Oxford, I was staying in the West Highlands, and in the evening we sat in a room which looked over the sea into the sunset, and a girl sang old songs.

I don't remember whether she was pretty or not--I don't remember her name--but I remember that her singing made me want to fall in love Since I grew up I've had no time. He shook his head. I should make a rotten husband. Besides, Dick and Archie have carried off the only two women I love. After that he seemed to cheer up. I remember that he took to telling stories of poisons--I suppose the mention of South America set him off on that. He showed us a box with three tiny pellets in it, things which looked like discoloured pearls, and which he said were the most mysterious narcotics in the world, and one of the deadliest poisons.

They reminded me of pills I once got from an old Portugee prospector, which I carried about with me for years but never touched, pills to be used if you were lost in the bush, for one was said to put you into a forty-hours sleep and two gave a painless death. Sandy would explain nothing further about them, and locked them away. What with one thing and another we had rather a jolly evening. But next morning, when the Roylances had gone, I had the same impression of some subtle change. This new Sandy was not the one I had known.

We went for a long tramp on the hills, with sandwiches in our pockets, for neither of us seemed inclined to shoulder a gun. It was a crisp morning with a slight frost, and before midday it had become one of those blazing August days when there is not a breath of wind and the heather smells as hot as tamarisks. We climbed the Lammer Law and did about twenty miles of a circuit along the hill-tops.

It was excellent training for Machray, and I would have enjoyed myself had it not been for Sandy. He talked a great deal and it was all in one strain, and--for a marvel--all about himself. The gist of it was that he was as one born out of due season, and mighty discontented with his lot. I don't want to do the things befitting my age and position. I suppose I ought to be ambitious--make speeches in the House of Lords--become an expert on some rotten subject--take the chair at public dinners--row my weight in the silly old boat--and end by governing some distant Dominion.

I'd rather eat cold mutton in a cabman's shelter, as Lamancha once observed about political banquets. Good Lord, Dick, I can't begin to tell you how I loathe the little squirrel's cage of the careerists. All that solemn twaddle about trifles! Oh, I daresay it's got to be done by somebody, but not by me. If I touched politics I'd join the Labour Party, not because I think them less futile than the others, but because as yet they haven't got such a larder of loaves and fishes. I'm a bad case of the inferiority complex. When I see one of my shepherds at work, or the hands coming out of a factory, I'm ashamed of myself.

They all have their niche, and it is something that matters, whereas I am a cumberer of the ground. If I want to work I've got to make the job for myself, and the one motive is personal vanity. I tell you, I'm in very real danger of losing my self-respect. It was no good arguing with Sandy in this mood, though there were a great many common-sense things I wanted to say.

The danger with anyone so high-strung and imaginative as he is that every now and then come periods of self-disgust and despondency. Well, there's a widish world before you, and a pretty unsettled one. Ships sail every day to some part of it. As I've told you, I can't grow up.

There's a couple of lines by some poet that describes me accurately: But the Ulysses business won't do for an ageing child of forty. Besides, what about the mariners? Where are the 'free hearts, free foreheads? Peter is dead, and you and Archie are married, and Leithen and Lamancha are happy parts of the machine.

He was a wandering star, that joined us and revolved cheerfully with us for a little, and then shot back to where it belonged You can't alter it by talking, my dear chap. I'm the old buccaneer marooned on a rock, watching his ancient companions passing in ocean liners. We had reached the top of the hill above Laverlaw and were looking down into the green cup filled with the afternoon sunlight, in which the house seemed as natural a thing as a stone from the hillside.

I observed that it was a very pleasant rock to be marooned on. Sandy stared at the scene, and for a moment did not reply. But that has never been our way. Our homes were only a jumping-off ground. We loved them painfully and were always home-sick for them, but we were very little in them. That is the blight on us--we never had any sense of a continuing city, and our families survived only by accident. It's a miracle that I'm the sixteenth Clanroyden It's not likely that there will be a seventeenth. I left Laverlaw rather anxious about Sandy, and during our time at Machray I thought a good deal about my friend.

He was in an odd, jumpy, unpredictable state of mind, and I didn't see what was to be the outcome of it. At Machray I had a piece of news which showed his restlessness. Martendale, the newspaper man, came to stay, and was talking about boats, for his chief hobby is yacht-racing. In an odd get-up, even for him. I said that I had been staying with Sandy in August and that he had never mentioned Cowes, so I thought he must be mistaken. But Martendale was positive. He had been on the Squadron lawn, looking down on the crowd passing below, and he had seen Sandy, and caught his eye.

He knew him slightly, but apparently Sandy had not wanted to be recognised and had simply stared at him. Martendale noticed him later, lunching out of a paper bag with the other trippers on the front. He was dressed like a yacht's hand, rather a shabby yacht's hand, and Martendale said that he thought he had a glimpse of him later with some of the crew of the big Argentine steam yacht, the Santa Barbara , which had been at Cowes that year. I only picked him out of the bunch by his clean-cut face.

Do you happen to know if he speaks Spanish? They were all jabbering that lingo. But, all the same, I think you were mistaken. I saw him a fortnight later, and, I can tell you, he isn't in the humour for escapades. In November, when I ran up to London from Fosse for a few days, I got further news of Sandy which really disquieted me. It appeared that he had gone down to the grass countries to hunt--a fact which in itself surprised me, for, though a fine horseman, he had always professed to hate hunting society.

But for some reason or other he kept a couple of horses at Birkham and spent a lot of time there. And he seemed to have got mixed up with a rather raffish lot, for since the War the company in the Shires has not been what you might call select. The story told to me was that at a dinner where much champagne was swallowed Sandy had had a drunken row with a young profiteering lout, which had just about come to blows.

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He seemed to have behaved rather badly at dinner and worse later, for after having made a scene he had bolted, shown the white feather, and refused to take responsibility for what he had done. Of course I didn't believe a word of it. In the first place, Sandy was as abstemious as a Moslem; in the second place, he had the temper of a seraph and never quarrelled; and, in the third place, he didn't keep any white feathers in his collection. But the story was repeated everywhere and, I am sorry to say, was believed. You see, Sandy had a great reputation in a vague way, but he hadn't the kind of large devoted acquaintance which could be always trusted to give the lie to a slander.

And I am bound to say that this story was abominably circumstantial. I had it from an eye-witness, quite a decent fellow whose word it was hard to disbelieve. He described a horrid scene--Sandy, rather drunk and deliberately insulting an ill-tempered oaf in the same condition, and then, when it almost came to fisticuffs, funking the consequences, and slipping off early next morning without a word of explanation. I hotly denied the whole thing, but my denials did not carry very far.

Sandy had disappeared again, and his absence gave gossip its chance. The ordinary story was that he had taken to drink or drugs--most people said drugs. Even those who believed in him began to talk of a bad break-down, and explained that the kind of life he had led was bound some day to exact its penalty. I tried to get hold of him, but my telegrams to Laverlaw brought the answer that his lordship had gone abroad and left no address for letters.

Three days after Christmas I got the shock of my life. I opened The Times and found on the foreign page a short telegram from New York which reported the death of Mr John Scantlebury Blenkiron on board his yacht at Honolulu. The message said that he had once been well known as a mining engineer, and that at various times he had made coups in Wall Street. I took the first train to London and interviewed Ellery Willis at the Embassy. He confirmed the news, for he had had a wire from Washington to the same effect.

And in a yacht? He loathed the sea. He used to say that he would as soon take to yachting for pleasure as make his meals off emetics. He wanted to be by himself, like a sick animal. I simply wouldn't credit it, and I asked Willis to wire for details. But none came--only a recapitulation of the bare fact. When a week later I got the American papers, my scepticism was a little shaken. For there were obituaries with photographs. The writers enlarged on his business career, but said nothing about his incursions into politics, nor did they give any further news of his illness. I was almost convinced, but not quite.

The obituaries were full, but not full enough, for Blenkiron had been a big figure, and one would have expected the press to go large on his career and personality. But the notices all gave me the impression of having been written to order and deliberately keeping wide of the subject. There was nothing in the way of personal reminiscences, no attempt to describe his character or assess his work.

The articles were uncommonly like the colourless recitals you find in a biographical dictionary. I wired about it to Sandy, and got a reply from his butler that he was still abroad, address unknown. I wished that I knew where to find the niece who had visited Laverlaw in the summer, but Janet Roylance, to whom I applied, could tell me nothing. She and Archie were setting out almost at once on their delayed honeymoon, and had chosen South America. I have one other incident to record before I bring these preliminaries to a close. Palliser-Yeates came to stay with us for a week-end in January, and one night, after Mary had gone to bed, we sat talking in the library.

He had never known Blenkiron, but he was a friend of Sandy, and to him I unburdened my anxieties. I thought he listened to me with an odd look on his face. Not with the world at large, but with the people who matter in two hemispheres. He was known to be one of the most formidable men in the world. Now, suppose that he was engaged, or about to be engaged, in some very delicate and dangerous business.

He would be marked down from the start by certain people who feared him. So he might wish to be counted out, to be regarded as no longer formidable, and what better way than to have it generally believed that his nerve had gone and that he was all to pieces? If I wanted to create that impression, I would lay the foundation of it in the Shires, where they make a speciality of scandal. If that was his purpose, he has certainly succeeded. By this time the rumour has gone all over Europe in the circles where his name was known.

He had been in Paris just before Christmas on some business connected with Argentine banking, and one of his South American colleagues had taken him to dine at a restaurant much in vogue among the rastas. I think it was on the Rive Gauche, not a specially reputable place, but with amazingly good food. The proprietor was from the Argentine, and all the staff were South Americans. Palliser-Yeates noticed one of the waiters, not at his own table but a little way off, and he recognised the man's face. The hair and skin were darkened, but he was positive that it was Sandy--Sandy in a greasy dress suit and a made-up black tie.

When the room filled up and got rather noisy, he made an errand to speak to the conductor of the orchestra, and managed to get a word with this waiter. He cannoned against him in one of the doors and said, "Sorry, Sandy. And never come here again. He said that Sandy looked well enough, and seemed to have mastered his job, for you couldn't detect any difference between him and the rest of the outfit.

When I heard this, I decided to go to Paris myself and have a look at the restaurant, for anxiety about Sandy was coming between me and my sleep. There was something about Palliser-Yeates's story which took my memory back a dozen years to old Kuprasso's dancing-house in Constantinople and the man who had led the Company of the Rosy Hours.

Sandy was on the war-path again, and I was bound to keep an eye on him. But two days later I had a letter--from Blenkiron. It had a typed address and a Southampton postmark--which was no clue, for it had probably been brought over by a passenger in a ship and posted at the port of arrival. The handwriting was Blenkiron's unmistakable scrawl. It ran as follows:. Don't let that worry you. But the Golden Shore at present is important and I may have to stay there quite a time. Therefore keep up the requiems and dirges until further notice.

Also at last I got a reply from Sandy, in answer to my string of letters. It was a telegram from London, so he had left Paris, and it merely contained Abraham Lincoln's words: After that I stopped still. Both Blenkiron and Sandy were up to some devilry, and I had an instinct that they were working together. I have set down here my slender personal knowledge of the beginning of the strange events now to be related. The rest comes from the actors themselves.

The open windows, protected by wire blinds as fine-meshed as gauze, allowed the cool airs from the sea to slip in from the dusk. The big restaurant was in a pleasant gloom broken by patches of candlelight from the few occupied tables. Archie Roylance, looking into the great square of velvet sky now beginning to be patterned by stars, felt as if he were still at sea. In a little there will be many lights and a jigging band and young people dancing. Yet we have good taste in Olifa and are not garish. If you will be my guest on another occasion, I will take you to a club as well equipped as any in Pall Mall, or to a theatre where you will see better acting than in London, and I will give you a supper afterwards which Voisin's could not better.

We have civilisation, you see--for what it is worth. The Vice-Consul, whose name was Alejandro Gedd, was a small man with a neat, dark, clean-shaven face, and high cheek-bones from which his critics deduced Indian blood. As a matter of fact they came from another ancestry. His grandfather, Alexander Geddes, had come out in his youth from Dundee as a clerk in a merchant's house, had prospered, married a pretty Olifera, begotten a son, and founded a bank which rose in the silver boom to fortune.

That son had married a lady of pure Castilian descent, whose beauty was not equal to her lineage, so the grandson of old Geddes had missed both the vigour of the Scot and the suave comeliness of the Olifera. Don Alejandro was an insignificant little man, and he was growing fat. The father had sold his interest in the bank at a high figure, and had thereafter dabbled in politics and horse-breeding; the son, at his death, had promptly got rid of the stud and left the government of his country to get on without him.

He had been sent to an English school, and later to the Sorbonne, and had emerged from his education a dilettante and a cosmopolitan. He professed a stout Olifa patriotism, but his private sentiment was for England, and in confidential moments he would speak of his life as exile. Already he had asked Archie a dozen questions about common friends, and had dwelt like an epicure on the recollections of his last visit--the Park on a May morning, an English garden in midsummer, the Solent in August, the October colouring of Scottish hills.

His dinner-jacket had been made in the vicinity of Hanover Square, and he hoped that his black stock and his black-ribboned eyeglass were, if not English, at any rate European. Archie was looking at the windows. What is it like the other way? Then the foothills and the valleys where the wine is made. A very pretty light claret, I assure you. Then, for many hundreds of miles, the great mountains. Don Alejandro shook his head. What is there to see?

In the mountains there are nothing but Indians and wild animals and bleak forests and snow. I am content with this city, where, as I have said, there is civilisation. He said it was bound to be soon the greatest copper area in the world. Five years ago it was scarcely known. To-day many strangers ask me about it. The name is Indian-Spanish. You must understand that a hundred miles north of this city the coastal plain ends, and the Cordilleras swing round so that there is no room between them and the ocean. But at the curve the mountains, though high, are not the great peaks.

These are far to the east, and you have for a big space a kind of tableland. That is what we call the Gran Seco--the Great Thirst--for it is mostly waterless and desert. But it is very rich in minerals. For long we have known that, and before the War there were many companies at work there. Now there is one great company, in which our Government has a share, and from which Olifa derives much of its wealth. The capital employed is mostly foreign--no, not American--European, but of what country I do not know.

The labourers are the people of the hills, and the managers are Europeans of many nationalities. They pass through this city going and coming--through this hotel often--perhaps we may see some of them to-night. They are strange folk who do not mix freely with us of Olifa. I am told they are growing as wealthy as Rockefeller.

There are no English among them, I think--Slavs mostly, with some Italians and now and then a German, so I do not come across them in the way of business, and it would appear that they have no time for pleasure May I ask, Sir Archibald, for what purpose especially you honour us with a visit? I want to know how best I can serve you. Archie wrinkled his brow. The fact is we're here mainly for the fun of it. This is a sort of belated honeymoon trip. Also, I'd like to know something about the politics of Olifa and South America generally.

You see, I'm a Member of Parliament, and I've an idea that this part of the globe may soon become rather important. I have brought several introductions. Your Minister is on leave, and the Embassy has left you in my hands. Without doubt you will be received by our President. I myself will take you to our Minister for External Affairs, who is my second cousin. Our Minister of Finance will expound to you our extravagant prosperity.

But of politics in the old sense you will find little. We are too rich and too busy. When we were poor we talked government all the day. And we had revolutions--dictatorships tempered by revolutions. My father more than once saved his neck by the good blood of his racing stable.

But now we are very tame and virtuous. Our Government is rich enough to be enlightened, and our people, being also rich, do not trouble their heads about theories. Even the peons on the estancias and the vaqueros in the hills are content. Olifa is--how do you say? Once it was a battered little packet-boat, now it is a great liner careless of weather and tides. It has no problems, this fortunate country. What do you advise? Don Alejandro became lyrical. There you will see such orange groves as the world cannot match, and nearer the mountains the savannahs which are the richest pasture on earth.

I will write to my cousin at Veiro, and he will entertain you at the stud farm which was once my father's. It will not be like an English Sunday afternoon in the country, where a fat stud groom with a bunch of carrots takes the guests round the stables. It is a wild place between the knees of the hills, but there is some pretty horseflesh there. Cardanio has now four to five hundred thousand souls. That is the port from which our fruits and hides and frozen beef are shipped.

And there is Alcorta in the hinterland, which is our little Birmingham. But madame will weary of these commercial glories. She will be happier, I think, among the horses at Veiro, or in some pretty hacienda Janet Roylance had paid little heed to the conversation, being engaged in studying the slowly increasing number of diners.

None of your green Swiss valleys with snow-peaks rising from meadows. It is all dusty and bare and cruel. Take my advice and be content with our sunny estancias". Don Alejandro fixed his eyeglass and regarded four men who had taken their seats at a table a little way off. It was a curious quartet. There was a tall man with hair so pale that at first sight he looked like an albino; he had a bony face and skin like old parchment, but from his bearing it was clear that he was still young.

Two were small and dark and Jewish, and the fourth was a short burly fellow, with the prognathous jaw of a negro but the luminous eyes of a Latin. All were dressed in well-cut evening clothes, and each wore in his buttonhole a yellow flower--to Archie it looked like a carnation. The notable things about them were their extreme pallor and their quiet. They sat almost motionless, speaking very little and showing that they were alive by only the tiniest gestures.

A waiter brought them caviare, and poured champagne into their glasses, and as they moved their arms to eat and drink they had an odd suggestion of automata. Don Alejandro dropped his eyeglass. European, I think--the tall man might be a Swede--going from or returning to their place of work. I do not know any one of them. Olifa is full of these birds of passage, who linger only for a day.

They do not mix with our society. They are civil and inoffensive, but they keep to themselves. Observe the chic of their clothes, and the yellow buttonholes. That is the fashion of the copper magnates. Those who go to that uncouth place speedily lose their complexions. It may be the copper fumes or some fever of the hills. That is like an Englishman. He must be for ever hunting romance. No doubt a visit to the Gran Seco can be accomplished, but it must first be arranged.

The railway beyond Santa Ana is not for the public. It is owned by the company, and their permission is necessary to travel on it. Also there must be a permit from the Gobernador of the province, who is also the Company's president, for the workers in the mines are a brutal race and the rule of the Gran Seco must be like the rule of a country in war-time If you wish, I will put the matter in train. But I do not think it is quite the place for a lady. Such cheeks as madame's are not for the withering airs of the hills.

The restaurant was filling up. It appeared that many Oliferos were dining, for large lustrous women's eyes looked out of dead-white faces. At the far end of the room, close to the band, a noisy party took their seats at a table. They were all young, and, since they had not troubled to change, their clothes made a startling blotch of colour among the sober black and white of the other guests.

All looked as if they had just left a golf-course, the men in knickerbockers of white flannel and both sexes in outrageous jumpers. But I know where they come from. They are from the big Yanqui yacht now in the harbour. It is called the Corinna. That was Mike Burminster's boat.

I didn't know he had sold it. The guests I should judge from their appearance to have sprung from Hollywood. There was a girl among them that I thought I must have seen before I don't see her here to-night I rather like the look of them, Don Alejandro. They are fresh, and jolly, and young.

That is what they call 'having a good time. The three had their coffee in the spacious arcade which adjoined the restaurant. It was Don Alejandro's turn to ask questions, and he became for a little the English exile, seeking eagerly for news--who had married whom, what was thought in London of this and that--till Olifa dropped from him like a mantle and he felt himself once more a European. Presently their retreat was invaded by other diners, the band moved thither from the restaurant, and dancing began in a cleared space.

The young Americans had not lingered over their meal, and had soon annexed the dancing-floor. Fragments of shrill badinage and endearments were heard in the pauses of the music. Don Alejandro advised against liqueurs, and commended what he called the Olifa Tokay, which proved to be a light sweet wine of the colour of sloe-gin. Holding his glass to the corona of light in the centre of the patio, he passed from reminiscence to philosophy.

No doubt, Sir Archibald, you have been led to believe that we Latin Americans are all desperadoes, and our countries a volcanic territory sputtering with little fires of revolution. You find instead the typical bourgeois republic, as bourgeois as the United States. We do not worry about liberty, for we have learned that wealth is a better and less troublesome thing.

In the old days we were always quarrelling with our neighbours, and because we conscripted our youth for our armies there was discontent and presently revolution. Now we are secure, and do not give occasion for discontent. As for our army, it is good, no doubt, but it is small. For what should we use our army? We have no ambition of conquest, and no enemy against whom we need defence. And is there not the Monroe Doctrine, invented by the great-grandfathers of those depraved children who are dancing yonder? But what would you have, my dear Sir Archibald? We have chosen prosperity, and the price we pay for it is our pride.

Olifa is a well-nourished body without a soul. Life and property are as safe here as in England, and what more can the heart of man desire? We have a stable Government because our people have lost interest in being governed. Therefore I say, do not propose to study our politics, for there is nothing to study. To you in England, with a bankrupt Europe at your door and the poison of Communism trickling into your poverty, politics are life and death. To us, in our sheltered Hesperides, they are only a bad dream of the past. There is no mystery left in Olifa As Don Alejandro spoke, the four men from the Gran Seco were moving through the arcade.

They held themselves stiffly, but walked as lightly as cats, deftly steering their way among the tables and at the same time keeping close together. They looked neither to right nor left, but, as they passed, Janet and Archie had a good view of their waxen faces. The eyes of all--the pale eyes of the tall man, the beady eyes of the Jews, and the fine eyes of the Latin--had the same look of unnatural composure, as if the exterior world did not exist for them and they were all the time looking inward in a profound absorption.

They had something of the eery detachment of sleepwalkers. Think of us as a little enclave of colour between the glooms of the great sea and the clouds of the great mountains. Here man has made a paradise for himself, where during his short day of life he can live happily without questioning.

Archie left Janet writing letters and started out next morning to explore the city. The first taste of a foreign town was always to him an intoxication, and, in the hot aromatic sunshine of that month which for Olifa is the sweet of the year, the place seemed a riot of coloured and exultant life. He descended the broad terraced road which by easy gradients led from the hotel to the twisted streets of the old city. Some of the calles were only narrow ravines of shade, where between high windowless walls country mule-carts struggled towards the market-place.

Others were unhappily provided with screeching electric tramways, so that the passer-by on foot or on a horse had to mount high on the ill-paved side-walk to avoid destruction. Presently he came into a hot market-place, where around an old Spanish fountain were massed stalls laden with glowing flowers and fruit, and strange unwholesome fishes, and coarse pottery, and garish fabrics, and country-woven straw hats.

Through this medley Archie limped happily, testing his Spanish on the vendors, or trying with most inadequate knowledge to disentangle the racial mixture. The town Oliferos were a small race, in which he thought there must be considerable negro blood, but the countryfolk were well-made and up-standing, often with a classic and melancholy dignity in their faces. There were lean, wild-looking people, too, whose speech was not any kind of Spanish, with an odd angle to their foreheads and the shyness of an animal in their small anxious eyes, who squatted in their dark ponchos beside their mules and spoke only to each other.

An Indian breed, thought Archie--perhaps from the foothills. A maze of calles took him to the main Plaza, where a great baroque cathedral raised its sculptured front above a medley of beggars and vendors of holy medals. Here it was very quiet, as if the city hushed itself in the environs of the house of God. To Archie it seemed that he was looking upon that ancient Olifa, before the hustling modern world was born, Olifa as it had appeared to the eyes of Captain Cook's sailors when they landed, a city which kept the manners and faith of sixteenth-century Spain.

He entered the church, and found a vast, cavernous darkness like the inside of a mountain, candles twinkling like distant glow-worms, echoes of muttered prayers and the heavy sweetness of incense. After it the Plaza seemed as bright as a mountain-top. Another labyrinth brought him into a different world. The great Avenida de la Paz is a creation of the last twenty years, and runs straight as a ruler from the villas of the most fashionable suburb to the old harbour of the city.

In its making it has swallowed up much ancient derelict architecture, and many nests of squalid huts, but, since it was built with a clear purpose by a good architect, it is in itself a splendid thing, in which Olifa takes a fitting pride. Where Archie struck it, it was still residential, the home of the rank and fashion of the city, with the white mass of the Government buildings and the copper dome of the Parliament House rising beyond it.

But as he walked westward it gradually changed. Soon it was all huge blocks of flats and shops, with here and there the arrogant palace of a bank or shipping company. One of these caught Archie's attention. It was an immense square edifice built of the local marble, with a flight of steps running up to doors like those of the Baptistry in Florence. Two sentries with fixed bayonets were on guard, and at first he thought it a Government office. The name had stuck in his memory from last night's talk--linked with the sight of the four copper magnates and Don Alejandro's aloofness.

Learning how to write a memoir might seem simple.

The Gran Seco was a strange and comfortless place, and it was perched far up in the mountains. This gorgeous building was at variance with the atmosphere with which the name was invested for him, and he stared with lively curiosity at its magnificence. Suddenly the great doors opened and a man came out, escorted by two bowing porters. The sentries saluted, a big limousine drew up, and he was borne away.

Archie had a glimpse of a tall figure in dark grey clothes, and, what seemed out of keeping with the weather, a bowler hat. The face was middle-aged and bearded--a trim black beard like a naval officer's. As he passed, the man had glanced at him, and, even in that short second of time, there was something in those eyes which startled him. They seemed so furiously alive. There was nothing inquisitive in them, but they were searching, all-embracing. Archie felt that this was one who missed nothing and forgot nothing; he had had an impression of supreme competence which was as vivid as an electric shock.

No wonder the Gran Seco was a success, he thought, if it had men of that quality in its management. The broad pavements, the double line of trams, the shop-windows as soberly rich as those of the Rue de la Paix, the high white buildings narrowing in the distance to enfold a blue gleam of the sea, made an impressive picture of wealth and enlightenment.

There was a curious absence of colour, for the people he passed seemed all to be wearing dark clothes; they were a quiet people, too, who spoke without the southern vehemence. Emancipation had come to the ladies of Olifa, for there were many abroad, walking delicately on the pavement, or showing their powdered prettiness in motor-cars. Here was none of the riotous life of the old quarter, and Archie had an impression of the city as elaborately civilised and of its richer inhabitants as decorous to the point of inanity.

There were no peasants to be seen, nor a single beggar; the Avenida de la Paz seemed to be kept as a promenade for big business and cultivated leisure. Archie grinned when he remembered the picture he had formed of Olifa, as a decadent blend of ancient Spain and second-rate modern Europe, with a vast wild hinterland pressing in upon its streets.

The reality was as polished and secure as Paris--a reticent Paris, with a dash of Wall Street. One splash of colour caught his eye. It came from a big touring car, which had drawn up at the pavement's edge and had disgorged its occupants. The driver was a young man strangely clad in starched linen knickerbockers, a golf-jumper designed in a willow-plate pattern of blue and white, pale blue stockings, and a wide-brimmed straw hat. He sat negligently at the wheel, and as Archie stared at him he tilted his hat over his brow.

Presently there emerged from the shop two girls and a second youth--the youth in snowy white flannels with a scarlet sash, and the girls in clothes the like of which Archie had never seen, but which in his own mind he classed as the kind of thing for a tropical garden-party. He noticed, since the extreme shortness of their skirts made their legs their most notable feature, that they had black patent-leather shoes with silver buckles, and wonderful shot-silver stockings. Then an argument arose between the two girls and the other youth, an argument conducted in a dialect unintelligible to Archie, and in voices which forcibly reminded him of the converse of a basket of kittens.

The four in that discreet monochrome place were indecently conspicuous, but they were without modesty, and among the stares and whispers of the crowded pavement conducted their private dispute with the freedom of children. The driver at last grew bored. They obeyed him, and the car presently slid into the traffic, the driver's hat still tilted over his brows. Archie believed that he recognised one of the young women as a member of the party from the American yacht who had been dining in the hotel restaurant the night before. He rather resented their presence in Olifa.

These half-witted children of pleasure were out of the picture which he had made for himself; they even conflicted with Olifa's conception of herself. At last the Avenida passed from shops and offices into a broad belt of garden, flanked on one side by the Customs House and on the other by the building which housed the Port authorities. Beyond them lay the green waters of the old harbour, and the very spot where the first Conquistadors had landed. The new harbour, where the copper from the Gran Seco was shipped, lay farther south, close to the railway-stations; the old one was now almost unused except for fishing-boats, and as a landing-place for the yachts which berthed in the outer basin behind the great breakwater.

To the north was a little plaza which was all that remained of the first port of Olifa. Archie sniffed the salt breeze from the west, and limped cheerfully along the water-front, for he loved to be near the sea. In the outer basin he saw the funnels and top-gear of the yacht Corinna , on which he had aforetime enjoyed the Duke of Burminster's hospitality.

It annoyed him that his friend should have sold or chartered it to the kind of people he had seen in the motor-car. A launch from the yacht was even then approaching the landing-stage. Archie could read the name on a sailor's jersey. Two men were landed, one who looked like a steward, and the other a thick-set fellow in an engineer's overalls. They separated at once, and the second of the two walked in Archie's direction. Archie had a bad memory for faces, but there was something in this figure which woke recollection.

As they came abreast and their eyes met, both came half unconsciously to a halt. The man seemed to stiffen and his right hand to rise in a salute which he promptly checked. He had a rugged face which might have been hewn out of mahogany, and honest, sullen, blue eyes. The man gave him no assistance, but stood regarding him in a sulky embarrassment. He sniffed, and in lieu of a handkerchief drew his hand across his nose, and the movement stirred some chord in Archie's memory. You were with General Hannay.

I remember you in that black time before Amiens. Hamilton's your name, isn't it? Like an automaton the figure stiffened. It was as if Archie's words had recalled it for a moment to a military discipline which it hastened to repudiate. I think the occasion demands a drink. I want to hear how you've been getting on and what landed you here. Hang it, you and I and the General went through some pretty stiff times together. We can't part on this foreign strand with a how-d'ye-do. Or can you face aguardiente, which is the local whisky?

Certainly--I never drink myself in the morning. You're a Glasgow man, aren't you? Pretty warm place, Glasgow. Are you and the other soldier-lads keeping the Bolshies in order?

Hamilton's mahogany face moved convulsively, and his blue eyes wandered embarrassedly to the door. I'm thinkin' of anither kind of war nowadays. I'm for the prolytawriat. What exactly do you mean? The man's embarrassment increased. Us worrkers maun stick thegither and brek our chains. I've been fechtin' for the rights o' man. Embarrassment had gone, and the man seemed to be speaking a part which he had already rehearsed. Very likely you had trouble with the police, but I bet it wasn't over politics.

More likely a public-house scrap, or a girl. Why on earth you should want to make yourself out a Bolshie? You got into some kind of row and cleared out. That's intelligible enough, though I'm sorry to hear it. What's your present job? Are you in the Corinna? Afore the war I wrocht at Clydebank And now, if ye'll excuse me, I maun be off, for I've a heap o' jobs ashore. Thank ye for your kindness. What am I to say to General Hannay when I meet him? That you have become a blithering foreign communist?

Ye maunna say that. The young man walked back to the hotel in a reflective mood, and at luncheon gave Janet a summary of the events of the morning. He had been storing up his impressions of Olifa for her, and had meant to descant upon the old city and the market and the Cathedral Square, but he found these pictures obscured by his later experiences. I ran up against a fellow who used to be Dick Hannay's batman--regular chunky Scots Fusilier and brave as a badger--Hamilton they call him.

Well, he had the cheek to tell me that he had changed his views and become a Bolshie and had consequently had to clear out of Glasgow. I swear the chap was lying--could see it in his face--but I'm puzzled why he should want to lie to me He says he has some kind of engineer's job on the Corinna More by token, I saw a selection of the Corinna party in a motor-car in the Avenida. Dressed up like nothing on earth, and chattering like jays! I've christened them the Moplahs. Janet shook her head.

I can't quite make them out. They behave like demented trippers, and are always pawing and ragging each other, but I came on the young man suddenly when I went to the bureau to ask about postage, and when the clerk couldn't tell me he answered my question. His whole voice and manner seemed to change, and he became startlingly well-bred I want to explore the Moplahs. And I would rather like to see again the tall girl I had a glimpse of yesterday.

I can't get it out of my head that I've seen her before. The club, situated in one of the squares to the north of the Avenida, was a proof of Olifa's wealth and her cosmopolitanism. In the broad cool patio a fountain tinkled, and between it and the adjoining arcades tropical plants in green tubs made the air fragrant. The building was for the most part a copy of an old Spanish town house, but the billiard-room was panelled in oak with a Tudor ceiling, the card-room was Flemish, and the big dining-room Italian Renaissance. The night was freshly warm, with light airs stirring the oleanders, and, from the table which Don Alejandro had selected, the patio was a velvet dusk shot with gold and silver gleams like tiny searchlights.

The only other guest was the American Consul. Mr Roderick Wilbur was a heavy man, with the smooth pale face of eupeptic but sedentary middle-age. His years in Olifa had not mellowed his dry, high-pitched New England voice, or endowed him with a single Latin grace. He looked upon the other diners with the disapproving air of a Scots elder of the kirk surveying a travelling theatrical company, and the humour which now and then entered his eye was like the frosty twinkle of a very distant star.

Don Alejandro was in a vivacious mood. He was the showman of his beloved city, but he was no less a representative of his beloved Europe; he wished the strangers to praise Olifa but to recognise him as a cosmopolitan. Archie and Janet satisfied his patriotism, for, having hired a car that afternoon and driven round the city, they overflowed in admiration. It is all as smooth and polished as a cabochon emerald, and, like a cabochon, you can't see far inside it.

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Your people have the satisfied look of London suburbanites on a Sunday up the river. Janet and I prefer the old quarter. Some day, Don Alejandro, we want you to take us round it and tell us who the people are. They look like samples of every South American brand since the Aztecs. For the true country life you must go to the estancias and the savannahs. I have arranged by telegraph for your visit to my cousin at Veiro.