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It’s THAT time of the year again—the time where we set writing goals for the year ahead. Setting goals is an important part of a writer’s life. Without goals that keep us moving forward, it’s too easy to procrastinate and put off starting that book or finally finishing it. With …
I know once you finish your novel and type “the end,” you are probably either sick of the story and just want it off your desk or you are eager to get it into the hands of your editor and, eventually, your readers. But after finishing your first draft, that’s …
Today, I’d like to talk about something few writers ever seem to think about: paragraphs. Most authors start new paragraphs completely by instinct instead of making conscious choices, and that usually wastes a lot of potential and can even lead to confusing readers. Often, authors don’t seem to know where …
In previous blog posts, I talked about why you need an editor and what an editor might cost. But where do you find a good editor? How can you avoid hiring an incompetent editor who will do more harm than good? Here are a few general tips on how to …
One of the questions I get asked most often is: What does editing cost? My answer is always: it depends. How much an editor will charge you for editing your manuscript depends on several different factors. Factors that influence editing costs Type of editing: In a previous blog post, I …
Since we all have busy lives, I thought I’d give you three quick tips you can apply to your manuscript or add to your self-editing checklist right now. Each of these tips will help you avoid point of view (POV) violations that will jar readers out of your story and …
You have heard the old saying “variety is the spice of life,” right? That’s definitely true for writing! If your prose is full of repetitions, your readers will quickly become bored. So your task during the revision process is to go over your manuscript and keep an eye out for …
Lately, I’ve seen a lot of submitted manuscripts with so many grammar and spelling mistakes that could have been avoided with a thorough spellcheck and careful proofreading. Of course, delivering a good story is still the most important thing when it comes to writing fiction, but typos, grammar mistakes, and …
We have all heard the advice to show, don’t tell in our writing. But how do you know you’re telling? 10 red flags that indicate telling 1) Conclusions If you give your readers conclusions, you are telling. To show, provide them with enough action, body language, and dialogue so they …
Human communication is mostly nonverbal, so it makes sense to use plenty of body language, gestures, and facial expressions in our writing. Showing your characters’ emotions through their body language is also a wonderful way to avoid telling (More about showing vs. telling here). Instead of saying she was nervous, …