Reference: Managing Attributions in Dialogue Scenes: Who Said That? (Florida Writers Association) One of the toughest things to explain, IMHO, is when attribution is necessary, when it’s not, and whether it goes in front or behind the dialogue. This blog linked above from the FWA is very bare bones and I don’t think goes quiteContinue reading “Attributions in Dialogue”
Category Archives: advice
Processing Feedback
In a previous blog, I discussed the steps to go from first draft to done and ready to publish. Step 2 is getting feedback. Whether this is from alpha readers, beta readers, developmental editors, you need to get feedback from people who look out for what readers need to be able to read your workContinue reading “Processing Feedback”
Editing Yourself
I generally recommend only that you edit yourself after a very long break – and stick to broad concepts. Unless you have already internalized the grammar rules – or are willing to look them up when you’re not absolutely sure (professional editors do this all the time) – it is next to IMPOSSIBLE to copyContinue reading “Editing Yourself”
From Draft to Done
Listen to this post in Spotify or on Anchor.fm In today’s blog post, I’m going to try to discuss the entire writing process from first draft to publication- or submission-ready. Where you are in the process should give you some clues as to what type of editing assistance you may need to get to theContinue reading “From Draft to Done”
What comes after NaNoWriMo?
Welcome to December, NaNoWriMo-ers! Yay! you’ve got 50k. But do you have a story? self-editing Ran across this blog by author Amy Jewell which offers some issues pantsers might come across as they are trying to edit. As I read I kept hearing myself mutter, “I have a solution for that in my February workshop…thatContinue reading “What comes after NaNoWriMo?”
What’s word (count) go to do with it?
Stacey Carroll has a great post about word counts and where they fit in short stories, novellas, novels, and even the different genres. Go read it. I won’t repeat it here. What I want to talk about is answers to the questions “how many words make a scene?” This question about word counts really shouldContinue reading “What’s word (count) go to do with it?”
Backstory: When and Where
This blog from Helping Writers Become Authors (K.M. Weiland) compares two movie adaptations of The Scarlet Pimpernel (one of my favorite books/movies; I love Leslie Howard!) to discuss some points of when and how to best convey your character’s backstory. Here’s my take on how and when to include backstory. This topic also answers questionContinue reading “Backstory: When and Where”
Publishing timeline
a guide for self-publishing authors who want to use editors I’ve had a number of conversations the last few weeks with authors who approach me about editing, but they have surprisingly unrealistic timetables for going from draft through editing, to publish-ready. This blog will primarily address the editing parts of the publishing process: beta readers,Continue reading “Publishing timeline”
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