Lara Zielinsky

Spotify Podcasting

I have connected this blog to Spotify podcasting and set up “Helping You Put Your Best Book Forward.” Mostly it will simply be a way to make the blog audio-accessible for visitors. You’ll see “episode” links at the top of blogs I have turned into audio. However, you can also subscribe to the podcast atContinueContinue reading “Spotify Podcasting”

21!

Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com I’m putting down the pen a moment to note something. I have been the editor of 21 books published so far this year! By far, my most prolific client is Ami Wright, an author of sci-fi fantasy romances. But you’ll find women’s fiction by Annie M. Ballard, Christian fictionContinueContinue reading “21!”

One a day keeps the goal in play

Spotify recording of this post can be listened to here. This is a bonus wrap-up of my NaNoWriMo 2022 posts covering ideas for maintaining a pace to achieve your goal. Listen to this blog on Spotify Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com If you write every day in November, the pace necessary to reach 50kContinueContinue reading “One a day keeps the goal in play”

Plan your audience

Listen to this blog in Spotify This is the fourth of four posts (there will be a bonus next Tuesday) that I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out ofContinueContinue reading “Plan your audience”

Plan your characters

Developing character, by Lara Zielinsky Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the third of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your mad dashContinueContinue reading “Plan your characters”

Plan your setting

City plan, generated by Probable Train Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the second of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your madContinueContinue reading “Plan your setting”

Plot Your Story

Listen to this blog on Spotify This is the first of four posts I am sharing in the lead up to National Novel Writing Month (aka “NaNoWriMo”). Each Tuesday, I will have another few thoughts to share on how to get the most useful story out of your mad dash toward the pinnacle of 50,000ContinueContinue reading “Plot Your Story”

Creating setting

Listen to this post on Spotify or Anchor An historical story will not use the same words (or even sentence structures) as a contemporary one. And a book with a college-educated protagonist will feel different from a book with a middle school protagonist. Word choices, what’s described about where and when they are, the imageryContinueContinue reading “Creating setting”

Throw away the crutches

Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com Copy editing (and line editing – I do both together) are organized around making sure your story is streamlined and contains the best word choices to suit the characters, the tone or tension of the situations, and the setting or time period. The application of grammar rules is balancedContinueContinue reading “Throw away the crutches”

Homophoning and Malaproping

I don’t usually discuss copy editing, grammar and punctuation here on this blog, but beyond there, their, and they’re is a whole host of words that can get written incorrectly in the draft because you’re more attuned to hearing language than writing it. Homophoning This error tends to show a lack of reading. Why? BecauseContinueContinue reading “Homophoning and Malaproping”