Today, I’m honored to be hosted by Therese Walsh and Kathleen Bolton on their fabulous site Writer Unboxed. Be sure to stop by their site to read my guest post “The 4 Pitfalls of Praise.” What author doesn’t enjoy logging on to Amazon and finding a positive review or checking the inbox and receiving an email from […]
January 24, 2010 by 47 Comments Editing Your NovelIs Your Inner Editor a Voice of Discouragement? Learn How to Harness It
The infernal internal editor is the shoulder devil common to all writers. You sit down to write a simple paragraph of description, a few lines of dialogue, a scene transition—and before your finger has even hit the first period key, your inner editor is screaming in your ear. It’s not good enough! Nobody talks that way! You […]
November 8, 2009 by 51 Comments Editing Your Novel6 Reasons Not to Listen to Your Critique Partners
Your critique partners, critters, alpha readers, beta readers, proofreaders, editors, loyal slaves and subjects—whatever you want to call them, they’re a vital part of any author’s arsenal. No matter how talented and studied we may be, we’re always going to need an objective pair of eyes to look at our work and point out the […]
September 27, 2009 by 26 Comments Writing LifeWhy Somebody Is Certain to Hate Your Book–and How You Can Deal With It
Anyone who doubts the subjective nature of art need look for persuasion no farther than Amazon’s review pages. For instance, Stephen R. Lawhead’s Hood received opinions varying from the effusive Lawhead at his best. and Rip-roaring good story. to the insistent No real plot, resolution, or drama. and Slow, uninspired and pointless. How could the […]
September 20, 2009 by 23 Comments Writing LifeShould Authors Be Writing for a Specific Audience?
Authors write to be read. We write not only for ourselves, but to share our thoughts, our words, our stories with others. Unless we happen to be Emily Dickinson (whose work was never published during her lifetime), we inevitably realize our words will be read by someone other than ourselves (even if it’s only our […]
May 5, 2009 by 27 Comments Editing Your NovelWhy YOUR Opinion of Your Writing Is the One That Matters Most
Sometimes it pays to think of yourself before others. Many of us grew up with the Golden Rule etched into our psyches. And most of us would probably like to think we follow that rule as often as possible. But when it comes to your writing, the Golden Rule isn’t of much use. In fact, […]
May 18, 2008 by 68 Comments Editing Your NovelShould You Keep Your Writing a Secret?
I spent most of 2006 preparing to write a story about an apparently amnesiac young woman who is rescued by three very disparate friends during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Almost from the very beginning, this tale of mistaken identity, murder, and disappearing royalty had me bursting with excitement. I couldn’t wait to begin writing. […]
