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WHAT THE MIDDLE OF YOUR NOVEL MUST DO TO SUCCEED
First, read widely. Pick a few books that, as I like to say, are “hard to kick holes through). There’s a reason some books are “unputdownable.” Sure, authors can hook you. A lot do. But books (and authors) that are successful keep you guessing. They provide insights and aphorisms that make you see the world in different ways. They continue building upon the hook they put into your lip and give you more hooks to make you stay. Which books do that for you?
Cully Perlman
Apr 299 min read
2026 FICTION CONTEST AND LITERARY SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
And here’s a truism: if you’re going to give yourself the best chance of success with your fiction this year when it comes to submitting it to different outlets, make sure you follow the fiction contest and literary submission requirements to the T. You’ll find these requirements (or submission guidelines) on the contest and entry pages, and if you’re logging into Submittable or Duosuma or Moksha or Subfolio or wherever, the submission requirements should be pretty prominentl
Cully Perlman
Apr 85 min read
HAVING THE CONFIDENCE TO WRITE A FIRST DRAFT OF A NOVEL
As writers, it’s difficult to not struggle with imposter syndrome. Tennessee Williams said, “What's talent but the ability to get away with something?” Lara Erlich, in Animal Wife, wrote, “In none of her lives will she be brilliant or famous or content. Her mediocrity will hound her through a kaleidoscope of futures.” Mark Twain said, "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure."
Cully Perlman
Mar 118 min read
WRITING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
Edit. A lot. I know, I know. I’m using “A lot” a lot. Good. It’s called repetition, and I’m doing it on purpose. Repetition is something that emphasizes. Repetition creates a rhythm. A mood. It makes you, the reader, remember what I, the writer, wants you to remember. It helps with clarity and other things we writers do in terms of the tools at our disposal.
Cully Perlman
Feb 1711 min read
YOUR EVOLUTION AS A WRITER FROM BEGINNING TO FOREVER
Beginning writers are easy to spot. Often, it’ll only take a line or two for someone with experience to realize what stage of writing you’re at, and what they’ll expect to encounter as they read your short story (most writers begin writing short stories, as they are, well, short, and thus less intimidating to attack when learning how to write). I was a beginning writer many years ago, and I recently found a few of my short stories. They were better than I expected, but they w
Cully Perlman
Feb 312 min read
How to Write First Drafts of Novels in Weeks or Months
The shortest time it took me to write a first draft of a novel is three weeks. That’s writing all day every day, including weekends. I get that way sometimes, where I have a lot to say about some topic or other, and the stars align, writing-wise. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it’s pretty special. It’s a magical feeling I get where I sit down, I start writing, and the writing does not stop. For anything. Not to watch a TV show or movie. Not to read. Not to do any
Cully Perlman
Dec 9, 202510 min read
NovelMasterClass’s 200th Blog Post – What Makes a Writer a Writer?
NovelMasterClass’s 200th Blog Post – What Makes a Writer a Writer? Today’s a special day. Today is NovelMasterClass’s 200th Blog Post – What Makes a Writer a Writer? It’s a milestone that’s taken just over three years to accomplish, and I’m proud of what I’ve done in that time. Today marks the two hundredth post thrown up on NovelMasterClass.com . We’ve had interviews with some great authors, professors, and nonfiction writers, and we’ve learned plenty about the craft of writ
Cully Perlman
Dec 1, 20257 min read
5 Great Examples of Scenes in Novels
When we read fiction, we love a lot of it (if the book is well-written), but it’s always the scenes that we remember. The scenes are what’s visual for us, even above description, though the term “description,” when you’re first starting out as a writer, might trick us into believing that’s what we’ll remember, i.e., the things “described” by an author because they’re visual. Now, I’m not saying that that is always the case, but it pretty much is, at least in my view.
Cully Perlman
Nov 18, 202512 min read
IS FINDING TIME TO WRITE IMPOSSIBLE?
Finding Time to Write is up to You. We're all Busy. We all have Jobs. Ask Yourself This: Do I Really Want it? For some people, the answer is absolutely. For others, not so much. I bring this up today because someone in one of the writing groups that I’m a part of on social media made the comment that they weren’t able to start anything because they weren’t going to be able to finish it, or something to that effect. They have a full-time job (I don’t even think they have kids,
Cully Perlman
Oct 28, 20256 min read
5 Motivational Writing Tips to Get You Back to Work
So, on this beautiful Friday (it’s beautiful where I’m at and looks to be pretty nice all over the U.S., though Tropical Storm Melissa looks like it’s becoming a hurricane), I want to share 5 motivational writing tips to get you back to work.
Don’t Edit While You Write. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, and you know what it means. But it doesn’t have to be a full-on, abandon that adverb that sticks out like a sore thumb sort of “don’t edit.” Take that thing out!
Cully Perlman
Oct 24, 20255 min read
5 Writing Prompts to get You Writing
I rarely have any issues writing, not because I don’t struggle sometimes but because I don’t believe in writer’s block, as I know it’s just not being able to write what I want to write when I want to write it. Sit your ass in the chair and the muse will come, my friend the writer John Dufresne, says, and he’s right. The must doesn’t come to you and then you sit down to write. So, that’s what I do.
Cully Perlman
Oct 22, 20254 min read
10 Self-Publishing Resources to Help You Get Your Novel Published
Today I want to provide a list of resources for you brave authors, you rebels heading out on the publishing journey all on your own. You’ll likely have heard of some of the resources I’m going to mention (KDP, IngramSpark, Scrivener, and more), but there’ll be some in here that you may not know about. I’ll try to provide as much of a descriptive blurb as possible so you know before clicking through to the site what to expect.
Cully Perlman
Oct 20, 20259 min read
THE UPS and DOWNS of WRITING FICTION
I read something funny one time about a writer, though I can’t remember who that writer was, but someone interviewing the author asked a question (and I’m paraphrasing) about what they thought when some other author got a novel published or received a high advance for their book. Naturally, the interviewer was expecting some nicety from the author or whatever, something like, “I love her!" But instead, the writer replied, "I hope she gets hit by a bus."
Cully Perlman
Oct 14, 20256 min read
How to Write a Book as a Subject Matter Expert
You need to know who your readers are, what solutions they’re seeking out, i.e., what problem(s) they’re trying to solve, and how you, as the SME, are providing them with the actions they can take based on the information you’re providing
Cully Perlman
Oct 8, 202511 min read
The Complexities of Writing Literary Novels
In literary fiction, plot often takes a back seat to character. The focus is on the interior lives of protagonists—their fears, desires, contradictions, and growth. Creating nuanced, believable characters is a complex endeavor. It requires empathy, psychological insight, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. Literary novelists must avoid stereotypes and stock figures, instead drawing on memory, observation, and imagination to breathe life into their creations.
Cully Perlman
Sep 25, 20255 min read
I Haven’t Written a Word of Fiction in Two Months, but It’s Not Writer’s Block
Norman Mailer said writer’s block was a “failure of the ego.” Hilary Mantel and others recommend getting away from the desk and engaging in other activities to get the juices flowing. (Hilary Mantel died in 2022, but she said it when she was alive!). Jack London said you must actively pursue inspiration rather than waiting for it. And Anthony Trollope made sure he stuck to a strict schedule so that he produced writing consistently. You do what you must.
Cully Perlman
Sep 16, 20255 min read
Isn't it Ironic? Maybe Not.
My daughter, who’s much more intelligent than I am, noticed the issue about two seconds in. “That’s not ironic,” she said, which 1) made me proud how quickly she picked up on the error, and 2) made me wonder how the lack of irony in those lines was allowed to make it past whoever was in charge of making sure the examples in the song were, indeed, ironic.
Cully Perlman
Sep 3, 20255 min read
The Hunt for Your Literary Agent
Literary agents are the middlemen and middle women between you and the trade publishers, often referred to as the Big 5—Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and their imprints, meaning the smaller publishers beneath them (there are also . Of course, you can go a different route, e.g., self-publishing, using a vanity press, hitting the independent publishers like W.W. Norton, Graywolf, Akashic, Algonquin . . .
Cully Perlman
Aug 15, 20253 min read
Is My Idea a Short Story or a Novel?
What’s the underlying message I’m trying to communicate? Is it faith versus doubt? Government overreach/government against the people? Man/woman versus self? Revenge? For me, it’s likely a good combination of all of those and various/many? more. It’s just how I write, and from what I’ve read, most writers are (intentionally or not) doing the same. i.e., incorporating more than a few themes, either in their shorter works or their novels.
Cully Perlman
Aug 5, 20256 min read
Writing a Sense of Place
A setting can take three basic forms. One is the natural world, or in an outside place. In this setting, the natural landscapes of the world play an important part in a narrative, along with living creatures and different times of weather conditions and seasons. The second form exists as the cultural and historical background in which the narrative resides. Past events that have impacted the cultural background of characters or locations are significant in this way. The third
Cully Perlman
Aug 1, 20254 min read
Writing is a job. It's fun. It's trying. It's hard. But if you're committed to getting published, you have to put the work in. Come to Novelmasterclass.blog to get tips, read and watch interviews and book reviews, and learn how to write.
THE LOSSES
A novel
"I've just read Cully Perlman's hefty, ambitious, and radiant debut novel, The Losses, and I was flat knocked out. This is much more than a promising first novel by an inordinately gifted writer; it is a dazzling literary achievement. Perlman is an enchanter, casting his spell with lyrical prose, evocative details, and spellbinding characters. He explores familial chaos, reckless behavior, and tragic love with poise, savvy, and tenderness. What talent, what nerve, what a wondrous and spellbinding novel."
--John Dufresne
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