Writers are students. Sometimes this is the result of nothing more than sheer necessity: we seek answers for our questions because writing has turned out to be far more difficult than we anticipated. But often, writers are students first and writers second. If this is you, then concentrating on how to grow as a writer […]
March 26, 2018 by 66 Comments How to Become a Writer7 Frequently Asked Writing Questions
The amazing thing about being a writer is that you get to be part of a writing community. Especially now, in the Internet age, you have access not just to the writings of the great minds who have gone before, but also to the shared wisdom, common sense, commiseration, and encouragement of all your contemporaries. If […]
March 12, 2018 by 43 Comments Editing Your NovelHow to Spot and Avoid Self-Indulgent Writing
As writers, we have the opportunity to live lives of creativity, in which we get to craft whole worlds that conform to our every whim. Whether you’re writing your first book or your thirtieth, it’s always going to be a heady experience. But this comes with certain inherent pitfalls. Sometimes all this power can go […]
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 41 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 […]
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! […]
September 21, 2015 by 72 Comments Editing Your NovelHow to Edit Fiction: Watch Me Correct My Own Story in Real Time
Teaching writers how to edit fiction is one of those things that can be surprisingly counter-intuitive. Most books and articles about editing are actually nothing more or less than books and articles on good writing. After all, the fundamentals of good self-editing are the fundamentals of good writing. The skill set for good editing is no different from that […]
