I’m embarking on the journey of traditional publishing, and the first step, after having a polished manuscript, is deciding whether or not you want an agent. Unless you’re only submitting to small presses that accept manuscripts directly from authors, I’d suggest getting an agent. And so, I am starting my Read more
Back when I first started these writing tips, I did a post on five mistakes new writers make. I meant to add more posts on other common mistakes, but I never got around to it. So, this week, I want to point out five more mistakes I often seen when Read more
I recently opened a side business for developmental editing since I love dissecting stories and finding ways to make them stronger. Many authors have supplemental income because writing books is not always a lucrative business. While I think that is smart, that isn’t why I opened my editing business. I’ve Read more
In the past, I’ve gone over the two functions of scenes and the three secrets of scenes, but today I want to talk about a scene’s cycle. A scene is the basic unit of story. By putting together multiple scenes, you create your book. However, you also have to make Read more
Every now and then, you find a book that really sticks with you. It connects with who you are. It resonates. But why? And how do you make your book do that for your readers? Today I want to discuss resonance and how to capture it with your story. Resonance Read more
If you want to publish a book for the world to discover, you cannot bury yourself in your writing and then pop up into the world when it’s ready to be published. You have to be mindful of what is going on in the publishing industry. It’s important to know Read more
Let’s dive into character development once more for our Character Under A Microscope series and talk about how your characters receive and show affection for each other. It’s commonly accepted that there are five love languages for people in the real world, and that can spill over into your story Read more
MacGuffin, sometimes spelled McGuffin, is a term used by screenwriters for something that gets the plot rolling but doesn’t have significance itself. This occurs almost always in thrillers, but it’s also present in most genres. Today, we are going to dig into the definition, purpose, and some examples of a Read more
I feel like I’ve read a million articles on how to do a book launch for a new release, and yet I still don’t feel like I have a clear picture of it. Despite the generic advice out there on the internet, I have finally found a solid method for Read more
When you write in any point of view that isn’t omniscient, you get to write a story through the eyes of a biased character. Every word of the book is filtered through the POV character’s eyes. The best part is that you can make your prose fulfill two roles: description Read more