The Blog
Writing Romance: Why Perfect Men Make Boring Heroes
Recently I was reading a promising romance novel, and then, in the midst of chapter six, I found myself placing the book face down on my kitchen table in frustration. The hero was absolutely perfect. And I was bored out of my mind. A perfect man—that sounds amazing,...
What is Developmental Editing? Does Your Story Need it?
Developmental editing may be an unfamiliar term to some writers and authors. This is, in the most basic of definitions, is editing that enhances your story. Have you ever read a book and felt the plot was all over the place, or the characters were inconsistent? Maybe...
5 Key Ingredients All Young Adult Novels Must Have
The young adult market is unyielding in popularity, at least for the foreseeable future, but this also means it’s a flooded market with content published daily. So the big question right now is how can an author stand out from the crowd? The answer is writing a...
How To Be An Editor’s Favorite Client
As an author, your relationship with your editor, your book cover designer, your agent, and your publishing house are all extremely important to your success. I believe in good and bad energy—what you put out, you get back in return. Day to day, I work my tail off to...
How An Editor Sees It (#10queries)
*Please note this post refers to the Twitter character count limit of 140 characters used 2017 and prior. The limit has since increased, so future #10Queries Tweets will likely be longer. Yay! I am a participating editor for a contest called #RevPit. It's an annual...
How To Feel Like Writing Again
Guest post by Ryan Lanz We’ve all felt it at one time or another. The story loses its shine and you’re left with a half-completed story. Why does this happen, and how do you continue? For a lot of writers, this is the mid-point of the story, but truly, it can happen...
Audiobook Tips for Authors
Audiobook Tips for Authors from a Listener * This is not based in research, only the personal reactions of a newly addicted audiobook listener. Lately I’ve become addicted to audiobooks. I love that I can do other things while I read a book; exercise, play mindless...
On Writing a Synopsis
Writing a synopsis is tough right? No wonder it’s called "The Dreaded Synopsis” when it’s time for a writer to create one. I’m currently working on creating my own, so hey, I’m right there with you. I just want to hire someone else to do it! But I know that no one...
5 Things Authors Can Outsource to a Virtual Assistant
Guest post by Jordan Hansen Writing is generally a pretty solitary thing. You get your coffee, your laptop, and a comfy chair, maybe you put on a highly curated playlist, and you go. Because writing is so personal in nature, it's not usually considered a task...
What Makes a Reader and Character Connect
Guest post by Ryan Lanz How does a reader connect with a character? This is a well-debated question, and one that many authors have asked themselves. It can mean the difference between a novel’s life and death. “Which of us has not felt that the character we are...