January 2020

Master List – Editing Tips

A growing list of resources on how to revise and edit your own work: Step Away and Let it Sit Find a Great Beta Reader Join a Critique Group Organize your Novel Edits Revise your manuscript (this Self-Directed FREE 30 Day Workshop is a goldmine) Try the 10 Rs of Revisions Replace VERY with these alternate words Beware of adjectives and… Read more »

Master List – Show vs Tell

A growing list of resources to help you figure out how (and when) to show vs. tell: Never name emotions Use active verbs and action tags Prove it! Use sensory language and be descriptive Avoid telling emotions and motivations Know when to tell Describe emotions without naming them (and other tips) Writing with emotion Keep “intruder words”… Read more »

How to Spot (and Stop) Episodic Writing

In an excellent post about Episodic Writing, Alayne Kay Christian sums up some of the key aspects that comprise episodic writing and how to avoid it. But first, what is episodic writing? Episodic writing is when a story is comprised of seemingly unrelated events whose purpose is to escalate conflict for the reader’s entertainment. There is no primary goal for the MC… Read more »

Write a Story Readers Can’t Put Down

KM Weiland has a fantastic post on How to Plot a Book: Start with the Antagonist. I urge you to read it. It will set off all sorts of light bulbs in your creative mind. The gist of her post is simple (although don’t be fooled by its simplicity): We think of the protagonist as being the point of… Read more »