You may know it when you start, it might pop up when outlining, or you could have no clue until you’re writing the last chapter, but every book needs an ending, and every writer needs to work out the best kind to use. Luckily for us, there are plenty of options to choose from, such …
It’s often said that no one can be a harsher critic of a writer’s work than the writer themself. Not only are we the first readers, judges, and fans of our work, but we’re also the ones that tell ourselves that it sucks. Most of the time that’s right after we’ve typed “The End” and …
Continue reading 3 Essential Reminders For When (You Think) Your Manuscript Sucks
We’ll, after avoiding it for 2 years, COVID has hit me. I’m resting & reading while my sinuses & head battle it out. Unfortunately, that means no new blog this week as I didn't get to finish putting it together.Hopefully, I’ll be feeling better in a few days. Until then, take care, and please enjoy …
As writers, we’ve all been there. Enthusiastic to start a project one minute, doing everything to avoid working on it the next. While you could claim distractions, work, responsibilities, and life are impeding your writing progress, sometimes, the reason you can’t get any words down is that you’ve got a stuck scene. Fixing A Stuck …
Who has come across the writing advice to leave a writing session mid-sentence and make a note of where to pick up the next day? It’s something I heard years ago and have used in the past. Just recently, I was editing my latest draft and not feeling enthusiastic about it. I’m already a few …
While the key to being an excellent writer is practice, practice, practice, getting that practice can be tough. It requires a regular writing habit, which can be hard to forge and easy to drop when life gets in the way. Even if you can consistently write, distractions and interruptions can waste precious writing time. When …
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
Recently, I received some feedback from beta readers after sending them what seemed like the millionth version of my latest WIP. Already up to draft 9, I was hoping this was the one where I’d ironed out the problems raised in the previous round of feedback. I had not. The issues were still there, and …
Continue reading What To Do When You’ve Made A Mess Of Your MS
Well, you did it. You took that spark of an idea, fleshed it out into an entire book, edited the last page for the last time, and finished one final read-through. The book is done. At least it should be. As proud as you were, there was a little voice in your head as you …
Continue reading Editing Tips: What To Check When It Feels Like Something Is Missing
K.M. Allan 