Whether you’re pursuing traditional or self-publishing, self-editing is one of the most crucial skills any writer can possess. It’s not an exaggeration to say that novels are made or broken by the revision process. But it’s very difficult to see your work objectively, and novels are wondrously complex. I find it helpful to be systematic […]
writing advice
What makes a great setting in a novel
The Reading Rainbow theme song really had it right. One of the best parts of reading is the way books open up new worlds to us, whether a story is set in an unpronounceable ancient kingdom, the far reaches of outer space, ancient history, the distant future, or even the real world but maybe somewhere […]
Don’t be too easy on your characters
We writers can get really, really attached to our characters. They become almost like family members. We want the best for them. Sometimes it can be difficult to see them make mistakes, to see their flaws, and to let the bad qualities shine through from time to time. We can be way too nice to […]
J.K. Rowling…… (This week in books)
This week! Books! As thousands of people around the world continued protesting injustice and brutality in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and at the start of Pride month, J.K. Rowling decided to double down with views on transgender people widely seen as transphobic, first in a series of tweets, then on a more […]
The 8 essential elements of a story
Not only do I find editing novels and helping authors achieve their vision incredibly meaningful, it’s such an interesting exercise because it forces you to think very deeply about storytelling. It’s a wonderful challenge to be forced to articulate what’s working and not working in a story and, most importantly, why it’s not working. Lately […]
Why you should start before you’re ready (This week in books)
This week! Books! Also writing! Austin Kleon has a pretty awesome blog, and I especially loved this recent post about the importance of starting an artistic work before you really think you’re ready. It’s easy to get paralyzed by the planning when in actuality it may be time to just get going. The Mister Rogers […]
