Stop writing character voice as word choice 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 […]
The secret to authentic character voice Read More »
What to expect when working with a book 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.
Best practices for working with a professional editor Read More »
The question every writer asks wrong “Is my writing good enough?” is one of the first questions most writers ask when they get in touch about editing or coaching. Unfortunately,
Is my writing good enough? Read More »
When to hire a professional editor Getting a manuscript ready for professional editing is notoriously painstaking work. It drags you into seemingly endless rounds of scrutiny: searching for plot holes,
When are you ready for professional editing? Read More »
Writing books that actually teach craft 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
Updated: Best books on writing for writers Read More »
Words that signal deeper revision needed 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
Cues for review or revision Read More »
Tangled 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
Tangled up in Track Changes? Read More »
Top 10 reasons to join a writing group Writing is a supposedly solitary endeavor, but successful authors know that a supporting writing community is worth its weight in gold. Like-minded
Top 10 reasons to join a writing community Read More »
How much do novelists really earn? So how much money can you make writing novels, anyway? For traditionally published author income, short of a few blockbuster outliers, the total is
How much money do novelists make? Read More »
Reclaim control of your creative process 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
The Conscious Writer: Taking back your creative power Read More »
