Getting into the writing game doesn't just mean composing entire books, dreaded synopses, and query letters, you also need an author bio. Yep! As much as you might want the focus to only be on the art you've created, agents, publishers, and readers are going to want to know about the person behind the pen, …
Unless you're a super-organized planner who stuck to your writing outline religiously, there will come a point during editing when you'll re-read a scene and have to make sure it includes everything you wanted. This is my dilemma as I work on my current work in progress. I wrote the draft back in 2017, so …
If life—and more specifically, 2020—has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t have control over everything. When it comes to writing, control is very much a balancing act. You can control which characters are in your story, but you can’t always control what they want to do (even if you think you can with that …
When you're the writer of a manuscript, everything about the story makes sense to you. And why wouldn't it? You're the one who has spent hours writing your way through countless drafts. The trouble with being the person who's worked on the story so intensely means it can be hard for you to notice when …
Continue reading Unintentional Story Issues, And How To Fix Them
By the time you're at the tail-end of the writing process, you are so sick of your words you'll do anything to not read them again. This usually happens right around the time you have to read them, though, because you're getting your MS ready to query or publish. But instead of begrudgingly wading through …
Is there anything as good as reading a story and coming across a plot twist so great it completely blows you away? When done right, a plot twist will turn a tale on its head, get readers turning pages, and talking about your work to anyone who'll listen. If that sounds like something you want in …
Concentration is hard to come by at the best of times, but as we're currently experiencing the worst of times, it's downright rare. Time to write is just as scarce some days, with new Coronavirus world responsibilities taking priority. When you do get the chance to write, you might find that diving straight into work …
If you've entrenched yourself in the writing world, you've no doubt heard what doesn't make for a good book opening. These tips range from ditching prologues to the ultimate pressure inducing advice: the opening sentence/paragraph/page must automatically engage the reader or they won't read on. While this advice is enough to make you consider taking …
Many of us will kick off April 2020 in the comfort of our own homes. This isn't a collective vacation, it's the new normal as the world adjusts to coronavirus. For some writers, this has been their way of life for years. For others, the initial burst of enthusiasm for working in their PJ's, extra …
