Raise your hand if you hate the word plot. Plot is one of those words that, as my favorite writer George Saunders notes, isn’t very useful for us writers.

Today, I’m going to share a definition of plot that I actually find actionable and tell you how I use that definition to write my novels. I’ve used it to write and publish three novels and counting.

It’s also going to help you plot your book quickly. Ready? Let’s go. 

Everybody has to start somewhere on their writing journey. We all have things to learn. I've published three novels and I still have a ton to learn.

But there are a number of mistakes that are quite common for new writers to make when it comes to actually writing books and stories. I want to share the top five common ones that I see. So let's go.

Today I'm going to share with you five books that I think every writer needs to read. For a writer, a good book on writing can be your best friend.

My favorite books on writing have literally changed my life and how I view the world.

I'm really excited to share those with you today, but their power also goes both ways. A bad book on writing can derail you and that has happened to me, so I'm also going to tell you the book that did that for me, which I tell everyone not to read.

So let me share my favorite books and my least favorite writing book with you now. Let's go!

Let's talk about the secret to writing stories that are actually compelling. I'm going to give you five strategies for writing a book that people aren't going to put down after 30 pages. Let's go!

I decided to write a novel in 2011 and I'd never written a novel before. I'd honestly never even written a short story. I was a lawyer who had just left law to decide to launch a writing career.

I thought it would take me a year. Instead it took me six, six years to write my first novel!

I kept writing it to please other people. I was trying to fit a mold of what I thought they wanted. Who are they? People in the writing classes I was taking, or the teachers of those writing classes.

Let me guess, you're here watching because you don't want your dialogue to sound like a third grade play? "Hello there, sir. To whom shall I address this letter?"

I'm going to give you FIVE TIPS for writing dialogue that sounds like people actually talk!

Writing my first novel, When You Read This, my agent gave me the feedback that she loved it, but everyone sounded like me. Whoops. So how did I write like other people talk? I wanted to be realistic, but I also needed to capture different character voices in my prose.

When I was 18 years old, I signed up for my first college creative writing class, The Short Story. My experience turned me against feedback-based writing programs forever.

Today we’re talking about—DUNH DUNH DUNH—the 3-act structure.

I used to be very intimidated by the 3-act structure. I listened to a very intimidating audiobook called Story and it included some line about how, if I made one wrong decision, my entire story would fall apart, and I turned it off immediately.

There are four types of point of view in literature, and choosing the right one for your novel is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.

First, good news: You’re actually only picking from three, because no one writes in Second Person, unless you’re looking to be very adventurous

When I was 18 years old, I signed up for my first college creative writing class, The Short Story. My experience turned me against feedback-based writing programs forever.