The Blog
Is a Copyeditor a Developmental Editor?
I recently received a question from a writer that made me realize now would be a good time to introduce or re-introduce myself—more specifically, what I do—to my subscribers: What's the difference between a developmental editor and other editors? It's only...
Fear of success or failure
Are you one of those people who is afraid of failure or are you afraid of success? If you’re neither—well good for you. I’m not bitter. Truly. 😛 Fear of failure is a standard fear. We don’t want to fail. We don’t want to deal with those feelings. But fear of...
Series Bible Must-Haves
So you’ve come to terms with Why You Need a Series Bible and you’ve decided on the tools you’ll use to Create YOUR Perfect Series Bible, but now what? What do you actually need to jot down while writing or what do you need to catch when you do a re-read? This answer...
Read aloud text to voice app
How many times have you heard the advice to read your manuscript out loud? The advice is repeated because it works. Reading your work out loud can help you catch errors, notice repetition, and prevents you from filling in what you think it says versus what it...
What Readers Want: Genre Fiction
We're kicking off another round of the What Readers Want series. This month we have an interview with Joselyn! Joselyn is an avid reader across multiple genres and a top reviewer on Goodreads. 1. What’s your favorite genre to read? For me it will be thrillers, horror,...
Boundaries
Recently I did something that still has me shocked to my core. Something that made me hyperventilate as I did it, utterly terrified of what this one thing would mean for my future. And yet, I was thrilled I was brave enough to take the chance. Ready? . . . I deleted...
Quick Edit Tip: Cheap Hooks
It’s natural to want to use the “cheap hook” for an opening of a story. For example, beginning with a line that tricks readers, shows a main character dying, or opening with an exciting moment and then suddenly jumping back into the past to show how we reached this...
Dialogue balance
Reader Q: I’m struggling with my dialogue scenes. How do I find the balance? How do I know if I've included too much or too little? I’ve been listening to the Writing Excuses podcast lately, and I heard them quote—I believe—Orson Scott Card on one of his dialogue...
Memoir Tips
I get a lot of memoir clients and I love working on these stories, but memoirs have challenges ahead of them that fiction does not. Here are some tips for enhancing your life-story so it captures your audience. Memoirs are a collection of factual memories from an...
Filter words: Do you need to eliminate these from your WIP?
If we’ve worked together at all, you may have heard me mention Filter Words, especially as I recommend against them. I know, mean editor. ☺ Filter words are words that put a filter, and in result a distance, between the character and the reader. Typically, I want my...
Put an End to Imposter Syndrome!
Download your free copy of these 8 tried-and-true strategies to stop self-doubt and imposter syndrome as a writer. And, build the power to resist it in the future.
