Barnaby Taylor Author, Fiction, Writing

Content Creation for Authors: Ten Useful Tips for Getting Started

As an author, you know the importance of creating engaging and high-quality content. But if you’re new to content creation, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are ten useful tips to help you get started with content creation:

1. Know your audience: Before you start creating content, it’s important to know who you’re creating it for. Who is your target audience and what are their interests and needs? Understanding your audience will help you create content that resonates with them.

2. Choose a topic: Once you know your audience, it’s time to choose a topic for your content. Think about what kind of content will be most useful or interesting to your audience and go from there.

3. Create an outline: An outline can help you organize your thoughts and keep your content on track. Start by creating a rough outline of the key points you want to cover and then fill in the details as you go.

4. Start writing: Once you have your outline, it’s time to start writing. Don’t worry about getting everything perfect on the first try – just start putting your ideas down on paper. You can always revise and edit later.

5. Use visuals: Visuals can be a powerful tool for engaging your audience and making your content more memorable. Consider adding images, infographics, or other visual elements to your content to make it more appealing.

6. Edit and revise: No one gets it right on the first try, so be prepared to revise and edit your content. Take the time to review your work and make sure it is clear, concise, and well-written.

7. Add a call to action: A call to action is a statement that encourages your audience to take a specific action. This could be signing up for your email list, following you on social media, or purchasing your book.

8. Promote your content: Once your content is created, it’s important to promote it to your target audience. Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to get your content in front of the right people.

9. Engage with your audience: Engaging with your audience is an important part of content creation. Respond to comments, ask for feedback, and encourage your audience to share your content with their network.

10. Keep learning: Content creation is an ongoing process, and there is always more to learn. Keep an eye on industry trends and be open to trying new things to see what works best for you and your audience.

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are finding these tips helpful. I have written a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and if you want find out more about me and my work, click this link here.

Good luck with all your projects.

Kind regards

Barnaby

Barnaby Taylor Author, Fiction, Writing

Five Tips for Authentic Dialogue in Your Novel

Effective dialogue is an essential element of any good story, and it can be especially important in historical fiction where authenticity is key. Here are five tips to help you create authentic and engaging dialogue in your novel:

Research the time period and language: To create authentic dialogue, it is important to understand the language and colloquialisms used during the time period you are writing about. This can include slang, regional accents, and other linguistic quirks. Do some research and take note of how people spoke during that time so you can accurately represent it in your writing.

Use dialogue to reveal character: Dialogue is a great way to reveal character and show the reader who your characters are. Pay attention to how your characters speak and the words they choose, as this can give insight into their personality, background, and motivations.

Avoid modern colloquialisms: It can be tempting to use modern colloquialisms and slang in your dialogue, but this can take the reader out of the story and break the sense of authenticity. Instead, try to use language that is appropriate for the time period and setting of your story.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: While it is important to be authentic, don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles of dialogue and see what works best for your story. Play around with different ways of expressing your characters’ thoughts and feelings, and see what feels most natural and effective.

Edit and revise: Like any aspect of writing, dialogue can often benefit from revision and editing. As you work on your story, pay attention to how your characters talk to each other and make sure it sounds natural and authentic. Don’t be afraid to cut or rewrite dialogue that doesn’t work or feels forced.

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are finding these tips helpful. I have written a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and if you want find out more about me and my work, click this link here.

Good luck with all your projects.

Kind regards

Barnaby

Barnaby Taylor Author

Ten Things I Wish I Knew about Writing a Novel Before I Started

If you’re thinking about writing a novel, congratulations! It’s an exciting and rewarding journey, but it can also be a little bit intimidating if you’re not sure what to expect. Here are ten things I wish I knew about writing a novel before I started:

1. Writing a novel takes time. Like, a lot of time. Don’t expect to sit down and crank out a masterpiece in a week or even a month. Writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself and be prepared for the long haul.

2. Writer’s block is real, and it’s not fun. No matter how much you love writing, there will be times when the words just don’t seem to come. Don’t worry – writer’s block is a normal part of the process and it’s something that every writer experiences from time to time. Just take a break, go for a walk, and come back to it with fresh eyes.

3. Your first draft is going to be terrible. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your first draft is probably not going to be a work of literary genius. That’s okay! The first draft is just a starting point, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to revise and polish your work later.

4. Your characters will take on a life of their own. As you start to write, you might be surprised by how your characters start to develop their own personalities and motivations. Don’t be afraid to let your characters lead the way – they might just surprise you with where they take the story.

5. Research is your friend. If you’re writing about a topic that you’re not familiar with, don’t be afraid to do some research. It will help to make your story more authentic and believable, and it can also be really fun to learn about new things as you write.

6. Writing can be a solitary activity. If you’re the type of person who loves to be surrounded by people, you might find that writing a novel can be a bit isolating. Don’t be afraid to take breaks and socialise with friends and family, but also be prepared to spend a lot of time alone with your thoughts.

7. It’s okay to take breaks. Writing a novel is a big commitment, and it’s important to take breaks and recharge from time to time. Don’t feel guilty about stepping away from your work for a bit – it will actually help you to come back with fresh eyes and new ideas.

8. Editing is just as important as writing. The writing process doesn’t end when you finish your first draft – there will be plenty of revising and editing to do. Don’t be afraid to cut out the things that don’t work and to seek feedback from others. It will make your work stronger in the long run.

9. Writing a novel is hard, but it’s also really rewarding. Writing a novel is a lot of work, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding experience. When you finally hold that finished product in your hands, all of the late nights and writer’s block will be worth it.

10. You’ll never stop learning. No matter how much you know about writing, there’s always more to learn. Embrace the process of learning and growing as a writer, and you’ll be on your way to creating something truly special.

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are finding these tips helpful. I have written a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and if you want find out more about me and my work, click this link here.

Good luck with all your projects.

Kind regards

Barnaby

Barnaby Taylor Author, How Do You Write?, Writing, YouTube

How Do You Write? – A Brand-New YouTube Series

How do you write_ FRONT TITLES (1)

Hi Everyone

Clearly because I have nothing better to do with my time, I have decided to launch a brand-new  series on my YouTube channel called ‘How Do You Write?’ In each episode I will be sharing some thoughts on how I write. I will also be joined from time to time by special guests who will be talking about how they write. I currently have two episodes uploaded to YouTube and if you are interested here they are.

If you sit through them both you’ll see that Episode 2 is a bit slicker than Episode 1. That’s fine, I like to think it says something about the writing journey. In any case, you can’t upload newer, revised versions of videos on YouTube, only delete them, so I took the decision to leave Episode 1 as it is. I might review that decision in the future, depending on how the series goes.

My daughter watches a lot of YouTubers and the one thing I have learned from watching them with her is that it is really necessary to ask people to like your videos and subscribe to your channel so please could you like my videos and subscribe to my channel.

Thanks for reading and for (hopefully) watching.

See you soon.

Barnaby

Barnaby Taylor Author, Writing

The Digital Divide: The Fun of Formatting

IMG_1052

Hi Everyone.

Editing.

I spent three years writing a doctoral dissertation and used to love the hours I spent fussing over commas and colons. I could while away a whole afternoon formatting a single footnote and then be satisfied that this was all I had done for the day.

I worked in an enormous university library somewhere in the south east of England – it was the size of a decent shopping centre  – and had a small perch/nest (room) overlooking a large reading room. With the exception of the occasional undergraduate who was happier talking than actually reading, the sense of silence was awe-inspiring.

I treated my doctorate like a job and wrote between 9 and 12 everyday Monday to Friday. Then I would stop for lunch.

After lunch I would return to my perch and not write.

I would do anything else I felt was necessary dissertation-wise, but I avoided writing anything new.

Once I left the library for the day it was as if my doctorate didn’t exist. I was lucky to be able to forget all about it and not lay awake at night worrying whether I would finish it or not.

The next morning I would be on the bus at 8am and spend the hour it took to get to my perch reading two newspapers.

I didn’t always feel like writing but I did always feel like sitting in my perch.

I’m no longer sitting in that library but I do still eat my lunch at 12 Monday to Friday.

I hope you have a productive day whatever you are doing.

Barnaby

P.S. How do you work?

 

Barnaby Taylor Author, Digital, Fiction, Writing

The Digital Distance: To Print or Not to Print?

IMG_1052

Happy New Year Everyone

It is that wonderful time of year when all things are reset and everything begins back at the beginning.

Or does it?

The Viro project is still up and running and perhaps it is due to my years of academic training but I still need to have something printed before I can truly get to grips with it.

Like everyone else, words accumulate on-screen on a daily basis and whilst I know that they are there in front of me it also feels like they are somehow far away.

I can keep adding words (and I do keep adding words) – one of the many values of completing a PhD is the daily discipline it forces you to adhere to –  but the profoundly intimate relationship I have developed with every single one of my millions of words is also simultaneously extremely impersonal.

This is not to say that they are not my words. They most certainly are – each and every one. Perhaps I am simply acknowledging the digital distance that can now exist between oneself and one’s work.

Nor do I yearn for anything older or more intensive.

I love writing by hand but couldn’t contemplate accumulating as many words as I have managed to do over the years if I had to keep turning a page.

I save the pleasure of handwriting for cards, letters and the occasional note to school.

All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I have printed a draft of Book One in the Viro series and am now copy-editing it.

I’m not going to lie; this is not my favourite part of the whole process but it does mean that I get to use my favourite pen.

Have a great day everyone.