He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled
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How to Create Brilliant Book Titles (With Examples) 
A good book title can mean the difference between a bestseller and a lifeless shelf-dweller. If you don’t believe me, look up First Hundred Million by editor E. Haldeman-Julius. He explains that changing just the book title can rocket a book from selling 6,000 copies a year to 50,000 copies a year. In this post I’m going to give […]
Read More Write the Perfect Ending: 6 Ways to Satisfy Readers You’ve been dreaming about this moment since the beginning. It’s what you’ve been working towards this whole time, and now you’re finally ready to wrap it all up and create that perfect ending to your story. So how are you going to do it? Consider this your brainstorming session. Learn from these examples how to end a story, and […]
Read More How to Create Secondary Characters Nobody goes through life without some help, and the same goes for your main characters. It’s nearly impossible for a story or novel to be complete without a few secondary characters to support and put a spotlight on your lead. What would Holmes be without Watson? Or Alice in Wonderland without the Cheshire Cat? Or the Merchant […]
Read More 10 Career Mistakes Writers Must Avoid This writing advice would have saved me a lot of broken drafts and a lot of failed expectations. After you read this, pick your favorite 3 or 4 points and tape them to the wall above your writing desk. Remind yourself of this writing advice often enough, and you’ll have a much better chance of success. 1. […]
Read More 50 Flash Fiction Prompts These flash fiction prompts will challenge you to create short and gripping narratives that are under 1000 words. Though many are categorized, don’t feel limited! Flash fiction can be whatever you want it to be. Whether you use the bite-sized stories you write as exercises, standalone pieces, or segments of a larger work, the condensed length is […]
Read More 18 Writing Conferences Every Writer Should Attend Conferences are fantastic ways for writers to meet agents, editors, and colleagues, to get feedback on their writing, and to get away from their desk. Most of these cost money, but some have scholarships, and others are relatively cheap, so don’t let finances keep you from furthering your writing career. Here are 18 conferences that […]
Read More 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Young Adult Novels Writing young adult novels is a bit like playing Concentration, the memory game where you have a bunch of mixed-up pairs of cards facedown and have to match them up by randomly flipping over two at a time. You have to remember how it felt to be sixteen and simultaneously enamored and terrified of the world. Anyone who was an avid reader […]
Read More Writing Encouragement That Will Cheer You Up Writers everywhere have a similar problem. When I tell people that I want to have a career in writing, most of them look at me like I grew 2 extra heads. I’ve even had someone tell me it is “a waste of money to go to school for writing.” I don’t let their comments affect […]
Read More 15 Steps to Finding a Fantastic Book Editor 1. Find A Book Editor in Creative Ways Don’t just Google a book editor. You’re going to find the most famous editors that way, the ones swamped with clients and with a 3 or 4 month wait time. You’re also going to find the most expensive ones that way, and expensive doesn’t always translate to best. […]
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