Should you pay a professional beta reader? Hot take: Professional beta reading is an oxymoron. The core value of beta reading is the reader’s role as a stand-in for your […]
Should you hire a professional beta reader? Read More »
Social media etiquette for novelists In between tales of snowy, uphill treks to school (spoiler #1: I lived in the desert) and drinking out of the garden hose (spoiler #2:
Social media etiquette for authors Read More »
Do you need an NDA or copyright to send your manuscript to an editor? One of the quickest ways to make an editor, agent, or publisher not want to work
Do you need an NDA or copyright to send your manuscript to an editor? Read More »
Making art and life with “The Bear” My entire household of creatives has been glued to the screen for Hulu’s The Bear for a very specific reason: its unflinching exploration of what
Making art and life with “The Bear” Read More »
Writing goals: Stay in your own dance space Even passive or constrained characters drive their own stories. When a character is unable to physically act, the story must dip into forces
Goals for Writers: Staying in your own dance space Read More »
Unlock character arcs with tarot archetypes This week’s post at The Writes of Fiction explores a topic I’ve been exploring from a writer and book coach’s point of view for
Unlock character arcs with the archetypes of the tarot Read More »
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
What’s involved in editing your novel? Read More »
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
Best practices for working with a professional editor Read More »
“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
Is my writing good enough? Read More »
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
Updated: Best books on writing for writers Read More »
