Holiday break

I’m going to take the next few weeks to rest, recover, and do some goal setting for the new year, so this will be the last blog post of 2022! I’ll still be answering emails and booking consultations though, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need editing or advice.

This might also be a good time to check out my classes on query letters and finding a literary agent, which you can take at your leisure!

Meanwhile, here are the top ten most-read posts I published in 2022:

1. How to utilize exposition and context in a novel
2. How to write good dialogue in a novel
3. Essential computer skills for writers
4. Avoid aimless stage direction
5. The Great Resignation hits publishing (This week in books)
6. What is the “narrative voice?”
7. How to craft a great mystery in a novel
8. How to show a character reacting to a dramatic moment
9. Novel revision checklist
10. How to write a synopsis for a novel

And here are some of my favorite posts from 2022 that didn’t make the most popular list:

• How to write a character who’s adrift
• Stepping off the script in life
• Can you see what is and isn’t on the page?
• Close off your protagonist’s easy off-ramps
• Don’t build scenes around the information you think you need to impart
• What happens on and off the page in your novel?
• There are no writing rules, but there are principles
• Show characters getting from Point A to Point B
• How to crystalize the stakes
• Are you an athlete or an artist?

Last but not least, don’t forget about the compendiums that should direct you to pretty much you need to know about writing and publishing!

• Writing advice
• Book publishing advice

Happy Holidays and I’ll see you again in 2023!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my online classes (NEW!), my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

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Art: Claude Monet – The Magpie