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Becoming a Writer Later in Life
Is it ever too late to become a writer? Plus a workshop for writers over 50 and grants for older writers
Nov 20, 2023
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Michelle Richmond
453
115
How to Write a Novel: 10 Steps to Get You Started
A Practical Guide for First-Time Novelists in Any Genre
Jul 1
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Michelle Richmond
17
2
Research and the Novel: On Accidentally Finding Your Way
If you enjoy this post, you might also enjoy my workbook Novel Starter: 50 Days of Exercises and Advice to Get Your Novel off the Ground, available as a…
Jul 21
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Michelle Richmond
15
3
Recent posts
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5 Things Worth Reading
Patricia Highsmith's final months, an art spy in Paris, rebuilding in Malibu, and more
Sep 24
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Michelle Richmond
13
5
10:51
Writing a Short Story
a deep dive into how a short story happens
Sep 2
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Michelle Richmond
3
1
Getting Lost in the Writing
How do you know when your obsession has gone too far?
Aug 11
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Michelle Richmond
14
4
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Craft
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Research and the Novel: On Accidentally Finding Your Way
If you enjoy this post, you might also enjoy my workbook Novel Starter: 50 Days of Exercises and Advice to Get Your Novel off the Ground, available as a…
Jul 21
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Michelle Richmond
15
3
The Art of Pacing
How to get readers to stay up for one more chapter, regardless of genre (plus an exercise in pacing)
Jul 17
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Michelle Richmond
3
1
How to Write a Novel: 10 Steps to Get You Started
A Practical Guide for First-Time Novelists in Any Genre
Jul 1
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Michelle Richmond
17
2
The Art of the Name: 6 Tips for Choosing Character Names in Fiction
This post is excerpted from Fundamentals of Fiction Writing: Mastering the Short Story.
Jun 16
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Michelle Richmond
6
1
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Publishing
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Five Fiction Writing Contests in 2025, plus a Call for Novella Submissions
Do you have flash fiction, a short story, or an unpublished story collection?
Jun 22
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Michelle Richmond
15
How One Professor Helped His Students Publish 95 Books
Plus two great resources for nonfiction book proposals
May 26
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Michelle Richmond
8
3
The Best Book Formatting Software for Independent Publishing
How to Create Beautiful Paperbacks and Ebooks the Easy Way
Apr 19
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Michelle Richmond
3
How to Break into Publishing Without a Referral
Two Strategies That Work Better Than the Slush Pile
Apr 11
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Michelle Richmond
4
How I Met My Literary Agent
I've been with my agent for twenty years. Here's my story, and why our partnership works.
Feb 15
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Michelle Richmond
8
5
Inspiration
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In Praise of Solitude
making time for creative silence
May 10
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Michelle Richmond
29
8
Why Influence is Overrated: Finding Your Creative Focus in a Noisy World
If you’ve been on Substack for a while, you might be familiar with Russell Nohelty of The Author Stack.
May 1
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Michelle Richmond
24
20
Dispatches from the Writing Life
five writerly posts that inspired me this week
Apr 26
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Michelle Richmond
14
2
On Notebook Fragments and Our Many Writing Selves
plus OPACITIES, a little book that will probably inspire you to write
Apr 22
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Michelle Richmond
6
4
