The Write Chemistry: Find your ideal editor
When you need your sword and shield just to confront the editing process, something’s amiss. A battle for the soul of your story and writing is a sure sign that …
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What’s involved in editing your novel?
Whether you’re self-publishing your novel or trying to vault to the head of the slush pile, it’s generally true that commercial-quality books are supported by commercial-quality production. Hiring skilled, experienced …
Skillful scene openings for fiction
Skillful scene openings involve more than a provocative opening hook. A smooth opening ushers readers into the scene without immersion-breaking confusion or disorientation. The first technique helps you judge the …
Will readers swallow your plot?
We’ve all read stories where the characters didn’t seem to be doing what a reasonable person would do in that situation. Heck, they’re not even doing what an unreasonable person …
Book coaching vs. editing: What’s the difference?
If you’re all about the credo “move fast and break things,” you may feel confident diving from writing into self-revision and then editing. But if you like to get the …
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3 action-reaction misfires that flatten your writing
Action and reaction—everything in a story depends on what the characters do about whatever the story pits against them. Stiff, disconnected, or missing character reactions snap the chain of cause …
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Feedback or Editing: What sort of input to get when
Should you—could you—be getting feedback on your book from peers or readers, or is it time to get professional eyes on your manuscript? My latest post as a resident writing …
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The secret to authentic character voice
Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get under the …
Best practices for working with a professional editor
It’s actually happening: You’ve hired a professional editor and it’s time to send off the manuscript. Congratulations! Now it’s business time. What should you expect from the editing process? Are …
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Is my writing good enough?
“Is my writing good enough?” is one of the first questions most writers ask when they get in touch about editing or coaching. Unfortunately, I can’t answer that because there’s …
When are you ready for professional editing?
Getting a manuscript ready for professional editing is notoriously painstaking work. It drags you into seemingly endless rounds of scrutiny: searching for plot holes, questioning the characters’ motivations, adding zing …
Updated: Best books on writing for writers
Do you get sucked into spending more time reading about writing fiction than actually doing it? I’ve just updated my short list of the best books on writing, so you …
Cues for review or revision
It’s all too easy to overstuff your writing when you’re striving for a natural, unstrained tone. We lean on filler words in conversation to soften our speech and build connections, …
Tangled up in Track Changes?
If you’ve never used Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature before, the idea of getting your manuscript back from an editor filled with all sorts of lines and squiggles you have …
Top 10 reasons to join a writing community
Writing is a supposedly solitary endeavor, but successful authors know that a supporting writing community is worth its weight in gold. Like-minded colleagues keep you aloft during the long, parched …
How much money do novelists make?
So how much money can you make writing novels, anyway? For traditionally published author income, short of a few blockbuster outliers, the total is probably neither as substantial nor as …
The Conscious Writer: Taking back your creative power
When a manuscript isn’t firing on all cylinders, there are so many ways to shift responsibility: Characters that run away with a life of their own. Plotting systems that strip …
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Publishing options: Which one is right for you?
Today’s publishing options have changed since you first dreamed about getting your book into print. Most authors arrive on my editorial doorstep declaring their intentions of finding literary representation, with the …
Prewriting: 6 parts of the writing process that aren’t writing
This article is about the parts of writing a novel that don’t involve writing. It’s not about the business side of being an author. It’s not about book design …
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How to Begin Writing Memoir
Many authors are first called to writing by the lure of memoir. Exploring the interior of one’s own life is heady stuff. And in a world held at arm’s length …
Productivity for Fiction Writers: Small strategies to keep you inching along
Stories demand so much from us. Taking apart the engine of a story and putting it together—that’s hard work, my friends. Much as your brain tugs at the knots of …
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How long should you query your manuscript?
The decision on how long to query your manuscript can’t be determined by a formula. There’s always the chance that your very next query will knock at the right door …
Keep It Rolling: Writing momentum hacks for authors
We’re all familiar with the idea of getting the ideas on the page first, then revising and polishing later. You’ll spin your wheels endlessly if you indulge your desire to …
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Productivity for Fiction Writers: Giving yourself the opportunity to write
When writing is a habit and not merely a goal, tackling a creative project as large as a novel becomes manageable. Despite everything happening in the world today, writing can …
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The Editing Podcast’s 18 writing blogs for editors and authors
Just look at this lineup of writing craft blogs and resources for authors and editors from Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle of The Editing Podcast. Denise and Louise are two …
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