When starting a new novel, a writer needs to overcome several challenges. Planning your plot is definitely one of those. You must decide on the elements that will define your story and that will help you deliver it to your audience in the right way, by creating a clear structure that helps readers progress from […]
October 14, 2016 by 26 Comments Editing Your Novel7 Things You Need to Know About Plotting and Editing
August 15, 2016 by 29 Comments Editing Your NovelHow to Find the Right Critique Partner: The 6-Step Checklist
Sometimes figuring out how to find the right critique partner feels about as daunting as finding the right marriage partner. First, you just have to find someone who’s interested, and then you somehow have to make sure this someone is the right someone. No pressure, right? There’s a lot on the line in choosing the right person to critique […]
August 1, 2016 by 47 Comments Editing Your NovelHow to Use Scrivener to Edit Your Novels
As a writer, you need tools that help you organize your thoughts and eliminate distractions, so you can focus on what’s really important: the story. One of the best tools (of all time?) for this is the powerhouse writing software Scrivener. I started using it a few years ago, and it has transformed my writing process. […]
June 15, 2016 by 29 Comments Editing Your Novel8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)
Have you ever been asked to edit someone else’s work? Do you need tips for editing without ruining friendships? You’re not alone! If you’re part of a workshop group, or if you have a bunch of writer friends, then you’ll probably find yourself acting as an editor at some point. Perhaps: In a group workshop […]
May 29, 2016 by 61 Comments Editing Your Novel6 Tips for How to Organize Your Novel’s Edits
Imagine this: you’ve received a ton of great feedback from your beta readers, critique partners, and/or editors. I mean a ton. You’re ready to dive in and start putting their suggestions to use. But… where do you start? How can you organize your novel’s edits so you can actually make sense of them? One of the reasons […]
April 20, 2016 by 55 Comments Editing Your NovelTop 4 Editing Tricks for Creating a Seamless Narrative
Narrative flow can be difficult to define, which makes it difficult to understand. However, most writers are also readers, so you may be more familiar with narrative flow than you might think! While reading, have you ever: Found yourself turning page after page, unable to put a book down? Been so engrossed you haven’t noticed […]
March 20, 2016 by 43 Comments Editing Your Novel5 (More) Ways to Trim Your Book’s Word Count, Pt. 2 of 2
For every author desperate to trim your book’s word count, there’s another author who insists every word is precious. After all, a book wouldn’t have turned out long if it didn’t need to be long. Sometimes that true. If Charles Dickens had whacked away at his word count (not that he would, since he was paid by the […]
March 14, 2016 by 34 Comments Editing Your Novel5 Ways to Trim Your Book’s Word Count, Pt. 1 of 2
This is not a post for the writers who have trouble writing books that aren’t long enough. This is not a post for writers who say they’re going to write a short story and actually end up writing a short story. Nope, this is a post for writers who set out to write a nice little 100,000-word […]
March 4, 2016 by 87 Comments Editing Your Novel15 Places to Find Your Next Beta Reader
Where can I find a beta reader or critique partner? Without doubt, that’s the second most frequent question I receive from writers (right after where do I find a good editor?). This can be a tough question to answer for the simple reason that a beta reader or critique partner isn’t someone you simply vet and hire, […]
January 25, 2016 by 61 Comments Editing Your NovelYour NaNo Novel Is a Hot Mess! How to Edit Your Book
Yay, you wrote a book! Now what are you supposed to do with it? Writing a manuscript often feels like a sprint to a finish line–but then you reach that finish line, only to realize it’s really just the beginning! In many ways, completing a first draft is the easy part of the writing (what? no! […]
