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  • novel writing
    • Don’t Submit Your Dream Novel First
    • WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MIX GENRES WHEN STARTING OUT
    • Raise the Stakes or Lose Your Reader
    • PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 1951 CHRISTMAS CAROL
    • Speech-to-Text: A Writer’s Secret Weapon
    • The #1 Reason Readers Quit Your Book
    • The One Trick That Hooks Every Reader
    • Why Every Scene Needs Intent and Obstacle
    • The One Golden Rule Every Novelist Must Know
  • how to.. writing tips
    • HOW TO CONTROL YOUR NOVEL’S PACE
    • How To Create A Powerful Story With 6 Words
    • Why Writing Your First Book Is Brutal (Truth)
    • The Secret to Rereadable Novels
    • How to Write a Villain Readers Fear
    • Fix Your Ending, Fix Your Story
    • The One Trick That Hooks Every Reader
    • Why Most Flashbacks Kill Your Story
    • How to Write an Epic Trilogy That Works
  • working your novel
    • Speech-to-Text: A Writer’s Secret Weapon
    • Stop Writing Flat Characters (Do This)
    • UNDERSTANDING A CHARACTER’S WANTS AND NEEDS
    • Why Character Arcs Make or Break Stories
    • Why Passive Heroes Kill Suspense
    • Too Late to Write a Novel? Absolutely Not
  • beginning your novel
    • The Fastest Way to Create Real Characters
    • The Writing Skill Most Authors Ignore
    • The Emotional Secret of Unforgettable Novels
    • Why Writing Your First Book Is Brutal (Truth)
    • What Jokes Teach Us About Writing Novels
    • Why You Shouldn’t Start at the Beginning
    • Why Most Twist Endings Fail in Novels
    • How To Create A Powerful Story With 6 Words
    • Planner or Pantser? What Stephen King Really Does
  • editing your novel
    • HOW TO CONTROL YOUR NOVEL’S PACE
    • Fix Your Ending, Fix Your Story
    • The Smart Way to Research Your Novel
    • SEEING THINGS THROUGH A LITERARY AGENT’S EYES
    • Do You Really Need Apps to Write a Novel?
  • quick writing tip
    • The Writing Mistakes Bad Sequels Reveal
    • The One Golden Rule Every Novelist Must Know
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Ghost Noir

Posted on January 23, 2024April 16, 2026 by mark

Ghost Noir by Mark Douglas Doran click here to download https://markdouglasdoran.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Ghost-Noir-1-1.epub or available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509036 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-noir-mark-douglas-doran/1144658958?ean=2940179086932 William Grey is a P.I. for the dead. Ghosts are his clients. a tougher-than-nails detective who’s seen it all and then some. Hired by a beautiful woman to solve her murder. But is she who she really seems? What…

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Beyond Heaven and Hell

Posted on December 26, 2023March 7, 2026 by mark

Beyond Heaven and Hell by Mark Douglas Doran click here to download https://markdouglasdoran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Beyond-Heaven-and-Hell-ebub.epub or available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1499204 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-heaven-and-hell-mark-douglas-doran/1144535770?ean=2940167664838   12-year-old Luke is dead and his problems have just begun. His soul has been kidnapped by a one-year-old talking baby nicknamed Babylon. Along with two other kids John and Paul. They’ll be taken to an abandoned…

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The Baxter House

Posted on December 25, 2023March 7, 2026 by mark

The Baxter House: by Mark Douglas Doran click here to download https://markdouglasdoran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Baxter-House-.epub or available at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/1481403 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-baxter-house-mark-douglas-doran/1144382269?ean=2940179109532 https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-baxter-house/id6472549926   Tom Wilson, your average, awkward high school student living in the small town of Springbrook Gardens is the happiest kid possible. His favorite TV show Ghostly Hauntings has arrived for a live broadcast. Witnessed by the…

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Alien Invasion: and the Origins of Mankind

Posted on December 25, 2023March 7, 2026 by mark

Alien Invasion: and the Origins of Mankind by. Mark Douglas Doran click here to download https://markdouglasdoran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Alien-invasion-real-2.epub or available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1461814 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-invasion-mark-douglas-doran/1113044995 https://books.apple.com/us/book/alien-invasion-and-the-origins-of-mankind/id6468845965 What would you do if you knew something horrifying was going to happen that would lead to devastating consequences for billions of people and no one would believe a word you say when…

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Why Every Great Story Feels Like Family

Posted on April 15, 2026 by mark

The Secret Beneath Every Story You Love Why do some stories stay with us long after we’ve finished them? Not because of explosions.Not because of clever plots.And not even because of beautiful writing. They stay because they feel like family. Whether we realize it or not, readers aren’t just looking for entertainment. They’re looking for…

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Writing the Book No One Asked For

Posted on April 13, 2026 by mark

Write the Book No One Asked For   Opening Hook Walk into any bookstore and you’ll see it immediately. Rows of familiar covers. Familiar plots. Familiar ideas. It starts to feel less like discovery…and more like déjà vu. And if you’re a writer, a quiet thought creeps in: “Maybe I should write something like this.”…

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Why Watership Down Still Works

Why Watership Down Still Works

Posted on April 12, 2026 by mark

Why Watership Down Still Works (And What Writers Miss) The Promise Most writers think readers connect to characters because they’re human. They don’t. They connect because the characters feel human. And that’s why a novel about rabbits—Watership Down—has outlived thousands of “more realistic” stories.   It Was Never About Rabbits On the surface, the story…

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Why Great Stories Are Never About the Plot

Posted on April 12, 2026 by mark

Why Great Stories Are Never About the Plot Most writers think they lose an audience because “nothing happens.” That’s almost never the problem. The real problem? Something is happening…but none of it means anything. If you want to understand the difference, look at what happened between City Slickers and City Slickers II: The Legend of…

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Fear and Stress the Villain You Never See

Fear and Stress the Villain You Never See

Posted on April 11, 2026 by mark

  The greatest villain is the one you can’t see What if the most powerful villain in your story isn’t the one on the page…but the one your reader can’t stop thinking about? The truth is simple—and a little uncomfortable: If your antagonist disappears from the chapter and your reader forgets them,they were never truly…

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Life Is the Only Antagonist You Need

Life Is the Only Antagonist You Need

Posted on April 9, 2026April 9, 2026 by mark

You Don’t Need a Villain to Tell a Great Story Most new writers believe the same thing:   If there’s a hero, there has to be a villain.   Someone evil. Someone dangerous. Someone waiting at the end of the story for a final showdown. But here’s the truth most writing books don’t emphasize enough: You don’t…

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Why Most Thrillers Fail (And How to Fix Yours)

Why Most Thrillers Fail (And How to Fix Yours)

Posted on April 8, 2026 by mark

Why Most Thrillers Fail (And How to Fix Yours) There’s a hard truth about thrillers that most writers don’t want to hear: It’s not the twists that make a thriller work. It’s the characters. And when a thriller fails, it’s almost never because the plot wasn’t clever enough—it’s because no one cared who it was…

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How To Respect Your Reader (Or Lose Them)

Posted on April 7, 2026 by mark

Respect Your Reader—Or Lose Them There’s a simple rule most writers learn too late: If you don’t respect your reader, they will stop reading. Not because your idea is bad.Not because your story lacks potential. But because of how it feels to read. And nothing turns a reader off faster than feeling talked down to….

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The Death of the First Act and Cellphones

The Death of the First Act and Cellphones

Posted on April 6, 2026 by mark

Why Rushing Your Story Is Killing It There’s one thing the film and publishing industries fear more than anything right now. It’s not bad reviews.It’s not competition. It’s boredom. More specifically—the fear that the audience will get bored… reach for their phone… and never come back. And that fear is quietly damaging storytelling in a…

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Why Flat Characters Kill Your Story

Posted on April 5, 2026 by mark

  Stop Describing Characters in One Word   The Rewrite The Advice That Might Be Hurting Your Novel Here’s a piece of writing advice you’ve probably heard before: “Sum up your character in one word.” Lazy. Kind. Evil. Funny. It sounds useful. Clean. Efficient. And it might be quietly weakening your entire novel. Because the…

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The Trick That Makes Stories Unforgettable

Posted on April 4, 2026 by mark

The Spielberg–King Effect: Why Some Stories Don’t Let You Go Why do some stories feel like you’re watching… while others feel like you’re inside them? It’s the difference between observing a story—and experiencing it. And two masters have built entire careers on that difference: Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. They work in different mediums. They…

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Mark Douglas Doran

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A novel writer looking to help you become the greatest writer you can be. teaching the in and outs of writing your novel.

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    Editors Choices

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    • The Writing Mistakes Bad Sequels Reveal
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    • The MacGuffin Mistake That Kills Stories
    • How to Write an Epic Trilogy That Works
    • Why Stephen King Isn’t Really a Horror Writer
    • Raise the Stakes or Lose Your Reader
    • Fix Your Ending, Fix Your Story
    • Most Writers Get This 3-Hour Rule Wrong
    • The Real Work Begins After Draft One
    • The One Golden Rule Every Novelist Must Know
    • Design a Villain Readers Never Forget
    • Why Passive Heroes Kill Suspense
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