Skip to content

K.M. Allan

Writing Advice From A YA Author Powered By Chocolate And Green Tea

  • Home
  • Blackbirch
    • Blackbirch: The Dark Half
    • Blackbirch: The Beginning
  • Blogs
  • Writing Checklists
  • About
  • Contact

Tag: advice

Taking Stock: Resetting To Hit Your Writing Goals

On December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 By K.M. Allan17 Comments

Just like handover notes will help when coming back to a project after time away, taking stock as you move from one year to the next is a great habit to get into. It also helps shift you into the right head and physical space to achieve your writing goals, with a reset if you're …

Continue reading Taking Stock: Resetting To Hit Your Writing Goals

How To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Progress

On October 8, 2021 By K.M. Allan31 Comments

As writers, we’ve all had those moments when it’s been hard to sit down and write. It could be because other responsibilities have kept us away from our writing desks, or illness has sidelined us. Then there are those times when we’ve been able to write and we just… don’t. When that happens, it’s down …

Continue reading How To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Progress

Motivational Tricks To Keep You Working On Your Manuscript

On April 23, 2021 By K.M. Allan31 Comments

When you set out to write a novel, you quickly learn that it takes a lot of drafts. There’s the first draft, which is laying down the story. The second works out what the story is missing, and every draft after is refining until it becomes the finished book. How many drafts that takes depends …

Continue reading Motivational Tricks To Keep You Working On Your Manuscript

5 Ways To Describe A Character Without Using The Clichéd Mirror Look

On April 9, 2021 By K.M. Allan28 Comments

Just as book trends see certain genres fall in and out of favor, there are certain elements of books that once worked but now no longer do. One such example is the clichéd mirror look, aka when the author has the MC look in a mirror and describe themselves so the reader knows how they …

Continue reading 5 Ways To Describe A Character Without Using The Clichéd Mirror Look

The Chapter Checklist

On March 19, 2021 By K.M. Allan17 Comments

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know I’ve spent the last few months editing my latest WIP. It’s book 3 in my Urban Fantasy YA series, Blackbirch, and I’m aiming to have it published in the first half of this year. I spent most of 2020 rewriting the draft I penned back in …

Continue reading The Chapter Checklist

Writing Do’s And Don’ts: Room Settings

On March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 By K.M. Allan23 Comments

There are so many things to include when penning a book. Not only do you need to create relatable characters, a plot that works, and a world that is believable, but you need to fill that world with details. One thing that can be easy to overlook when it comes to details is room settings. …

Continue reading Writing Do’s And Don’ts: Room Settings

5 Ways To Avoid Info-Dumping

On February 19, 2021 By K.M. Allan29 Comments

When you become a writer, one of the "rules" you're advised to learn is to avoid info-dumping. If you haven't heard of it before, it's when the writer bombards the reader with everything they think they should know—all at once. While you might think there's no way you do that, info-dumping is an easy trap …

Continue reading 5 Ways To Avoid Info-Dumping

3 Steps For A Productive Writing Session

On January 8, 2021January 22, 2021 By K.M. Allan17 Comments

I usually like my first blog for a new year to be all about resolutions, but after the year that was 2020, and with 2021 shaping up to be more of the same, making resolutions or plans is a moot point (or a cow's opinion—a reference for anyone who spent a good chunk of lockdown …

Continue reading 3 Steps For A Productive Writing Session

Point Of View Errors! How To Spot And Fix Them

On December 11, 2020 By K.M. Allan16 Comments

Ah, point of view (POV), a writing essential to include in your book but something that you can get so easily wrong. It doesn't take much to slip from the view of the character who is telling your story, and you might not even notice you've done it. That's where the following advice comes in …

Continue reading Point Of View Errors! How To Spot And Fix Them

Posts navigation

Older posts

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,300 other followers

Follow K.M. Allan on WordPress.com
K.M. Allan

K.M. Allan

YA writer and blogger. Author of The Blackbirch Series, The Beginning and The Dark Half (books 1 & 2) are out now! I'm also an identical twin, but not the evil one.

View Full Profile →

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Goodreads
  • RSS Feed

Search

Blackbirch: The Beginning

Blackbirch: The Dark Half

Recent Posts

  • Writing A Book: 6 Ending Types
  • April 2022 Roundup
  • 3 Essential Reminders For When (You Think) Your Manuscript Sucks
  • Ep 106 | The Merry Writer Podcast
  • March 2022 Roundup

Top Posts

  • Questions To Ask Your Beta Reader
  • What To Include In An ARC Ebook
  • 5 Ways To Avoid Info-Dumping
  • Writing A Book: 6 Ending Types
  • Invoking The Five Senses

Follow Me On Instagram

#DemocracySausage #australiadecides2022 #alboforpm
Did you catch my latest #blog post about book endings? There are 6 types that you can use. Which is your fave? Check out the link in my bio!
Trying to keep my #reading streak going by finishing at least two #books this month. Right now I’m working my way through—& really enjoying—The Old Friend by @chantelleatkinswriter, which is an eclectic mix of creepy tales & relatable poems. What’s your #CurrentRead?
#WritingTipWednesday - Giving Each Question An Answer.
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
  • Follow Following
    • K.M. Allan
    • Join 4,300 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • K.M. Allan
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...