Self-Editing: Using Beta Readers and Critique Partners
Self-editing should involve many revision passes. One or two passes should be reserved for implementing feedback from your beta readers and/or critique partners. Learn how to find these people and how to implement their feedback in this tutorial.
Published On: 10/21/202410.2 min readBecome a Book Marketing Pirate: 17 Tips to Sell More Books
Marketing a book can be tough, but if you become a white hat pirate, it will be a cinch. Follow these 17 tips teaching you how to become a book marketing pirate and sell more books today.
Published On: 09/11/202413.4 min read5 Tips for Writing Characters That Don’t Suck
Your main character(s) can make or break your book, so it is worth the time to get it right. Learn how to create a compelling character that will keep your reader turning the pages.
Published On: 08/08/202411.5 min readMisplaced Modifiers
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is separated from the word it describes. Learn how to spot them and fix them to avoid confusion and unintended humor.
Published On: 07/25/20245.5 min readMake Your Nonfiction Book More Reader Friendly
Too many boring nonfiction books exist. Don’t add to the pile. Instead, write a good nonfiction by making your book more reader friendly, using these tips.
Published On: 07/10/20249.7 min read6 Tips for Writing a Self-Help Book
Self-help is an oversaturated market so your book may flop, but it also has a built-in audience, which can help your book soar—if you write a good one that is. So learn 6 tips for writing an effective self-help book that will reach audiences and do well.
Published On: 06/12/20246.2 min readCommon Mistakes in Fiction Writing
Save money on your editor and learn to edit for the most common word- and sentence-level issues in fiction. You will learn to be a better writer for having gone through this process and you will save money.
Published On: 05/22/202410 min readEffective Organization for Nonfiction Book
When the organization of your nonfiction book is random and ideas seem disjointed, it impedes flow and makes it harder to follow your ideas. Even if your ideas themselves are clear, the lack of organization can muddle them. So learn how to determine chapter order, use headings and subheadings, and write effective transitions.
Published On: 04/10/20249.6 min readHow to Deepen the Interiority
Readers want to know your characters even in a plot-driven story. They don’t have to like your characters, but they have to know your characters. So how do you make this happen? By revealing character interiority. Without effective interiority, you hold your readers back from really engaging and immersing themselves in your story. Learn all about one of the secrets to a compelling novel, interiority: what it is and how to use it effectively.
Published On: 03/13/202411.4 min readLarceny: Police Procedures for Crime Novelists
Crime novelists need to make sure they get the details right when it comes to police work. So in this blog, learn the steps the police go through once a theft is reported to find the criminal and charge them with larceny, burglary, and/or robbery. And as a bonus, learn how to spice up detective work, so it isn’t too boring.
Published On: 02/14/20245.4 min read3 Reasons to Use Free Indirect Speech
Free indirect speech is a powerful tool when writing in third person. It gives you the intimacy of first person but with the flexibility of third person. Learn what it is and why you want to use this tool.
Published On: 01/10/20247 min readA Guide to Self-Publishing a Book
Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. Because there are a lot of steps in the process, it can be a steep learning curve. Learn how to do each step well and the supporting help available to aid you in your journey.
Published On: 12/27/202318.5 min readPutting Zombie Rules to Rest for Good
If you are confident you can’t end a sentence with a preposition, shouldn’t split an infinitive, never should use the passive voice, and more, then, I have news for you: your English teacher may have led you astray.Let’s put those so-called grammar rules to rest, like the zombies they are.
Published On: 12/11/20238.9 min readShowing and Telling Part 3: Fixing Your Told Prose
“Show, don’t tell” is popular writing advice, but it can be tricky to understand what it really means. Telling is not always bad. But when it takes the reader out of an immersive experience or seems dry, you want to revise to show, don’t tell. This blog shows you how to do that in a variety of ways with clear examples.
Published On: 11/28/20237.5 min readTitle Style Capitalization
Capitalizing words in titles and headings follows a set of style rules. It isn't as simple as capitalize the "big" words and lowercase the "small" words. This blog will walk you through those rules with clear examples.
Published On: 11/16/20234.1 min readVarying Sentence Beginnings for Fiction Writers
While writing is highly subjective, some objective guidelines for good writing exist. For one, if you start too many sentences in a row with the same pattern (not necessarily the same word), your passage can sound monotonous or choppy. This isn't always the case. But it is a general objective guideline that good writing entails varying your sentence beginnings. Learn the various patterns for starting a sentence and when it's fine to have several in a row start the same way and when a rewrite may be in order.
Published On: 09/29/202310.3 min readShowing and Telling Part 2: When It’s Okay to Tell
No story can be complete without some telling. The advice "show, don't tell" should really be know when to show and when to tell. Learn when it is okay and even preferable to tell.
Published On: 08/23/20234.8 min readNarrative Distance: What It Is and How to Use It Effectively
Using narrative distance effectively improves your readers' experience. Its important to know when to close the distance and when to go wide. This tutorial will teach you how to do so.
Published On: 07/24/20238 min readWhy are there errors remaining after I paid an editor?
While editors strive to do their best, it isn't realistic to expect perfection. So you will still find errors, but just know that some of those "errors" you found aren't actual errors. This blog discusses these issues and your options.
Published On: 01/14/20225.4 min readWhat’s Next: Marketing Your Book Post-Publication
Many authors hit marketing hard during launch, but then stop. Learn eight strategies you can use to continue to market your book post-publication.
Published On: 01/06/20213.9 min readShowing and Telling Part 1: Finding Your Told Prose
“Show, don’t tell” is often repeated advice. This advice can frustrate writers because they believe they are showing when, in fact, they are telling and because no story can be complete without some telling.
This tutorial will focus on the first point of frustration: believing you are showing when you’re not.
Published On: 05/14/202012.2 min readDealing with a Heavily Edited Manuscript
I get that a heavily edited manuscript can look like an editor bled all over your work, but it often looks much worse than it is. Tracked changes can look overwhelming, but then when you dive in, you will see that a lot more of your original was retained. Learn how to effectively deal with a manuscript that looks like a battle zone, but really isn't because the editor is on your side.
Published On: 04/16/20207.9 min readStrategies to Reduce Wordiness
Using these strategies, you can learn to write more concise, powerful sentences. Learn how to get rid of unnecessary wordiness through a variety of strategies.
Published On: 03/05/20207.8 min readAction Beats: It’s All about Dem Beats
Action beats reveal a character’s movement, emotions, and motivations; affect the rhythm and tension of the scene; and can establish the setting. Learn how to write effective action beats and use them purposefully.
Published On: 09/24/20199 min read6 Self-Editing Tasks to Reduce Your Editing Costs
If you can afford full editing services, you should do so. With that said, the more thoroughly you do self-editing, the less your full service editing services will cost you. This blog outlines five self-editing tasks you can do to reduce your editing costs.
Published On: 07/24/201910.4 min readProofreading: Your Last Line of Defense
Authors sometimes think they need an proofreader when really they need an editor. Learn the difference between proofreading and editing, why proofreading comes last, and what proofreading includes.
Published On: 06/26/20195.8 min readThe Cost of Editing & How to Stay in Your Budget
Editing is expensive, but it helps if you understand the reason behind the cost. This blog explains why you aren't being ripped off and why paying rock-bottom rates may not be a good idea. It also outlines various ways you can save on the cost of editing if you have budget restraints.
Published On: 06/10/201915.1 min readHow to Build and Grow Your Author Newsletter
Increase your book sales by creating an author newsletter. This blog walks you through 6 steps to building your newsletter and growing your audience.
Published On: 05/27/20198.7 min read5 Unnecessary Explanations to Avoid in Fiction Writing
Authors often include unnecessary explanations, which can annoy and frustrate readers. Trust your readers to follow your plot and your characters' development without explanations. This blog discusses five types of unnecessary explanations and gives examples so you can avoid overexplaining your novel's plot and characters.
Published On: 05/14/20196.8 min read11 Steps to Creating Your Own Style Sheet
This tutorial walks authors through the process of creating their own style sheets. At the end of the blog, I have included some free downloadable style sheet templates.
Published On: 04/23/20193.7 min readAll About Style Sheets
When a copyeditor works on your manuscript, they will prepare a style sheet. Learn what it is used for and how it can be helpful if you provide one for your editor.
Published On: 04/09/20193.6 min read10 Realistic Expectations for Working with an Editor
Before starting the editing process, it helps to know what to expect from your editor. Having realistic expectations sets you up for a sucessful author-editor relationship.
Published On: 01/26/20199.3 min readHow to Fix Info Dumping
Readers do not enjoy info dumps. Learn what info dumps are, why it is a problem, and how to fix them.
Published On: 11/13/201810.7 min readHow to Spot and Correct Head-Hopping
Head-hopping is an easy trap to fall into. If you head-hop, it can pull your reader out of the scene and leave them feeling disoriented. So learn what it is, how it differs from an omniscient narrator, how to avoid it, and how to correct it if you do spot it.
Published On: 10/30/20188.1 min readVarying Sentence Beginnings
If too many of your sentences start the same way, your writing can begin to sound choppy and monotonous. This article explains how to vary your sentence beginning sand how to know when to do so.
Published On: 10/17/20188.6 min readHow to Use Word’s Track Changes
Word's Track Changes is the industry standard for editing your manuscript, so it's important you know how to use this tool well.
Published On: 07/24/20187.9 min readHow to Write Effective Direct and Internal Dialogue
Dialogue reveals character and moves the action along, but poorly written dialogue can have the opposite effect. This article explains how to avoid common dialogue mistakes, when to use internal dialogue, and gives examples of good and bad dialogue.
Published On: 05/22/20188.5 min read8 Strategies to Reduce “Be” Verbs
Many writers tend to overuse "be" verbs. While we need these words, strong writers often reword sentences to eliminate them, choosing powerful verbs instead. This article provides specific methods to eliminate them. Read and apply these strategies to strengthen your writing.
Published On: 05/09/20186.7 min read3 Common Dialogue Tag Pitfalls
When writing dialogue tags, authors often fall into these common pitfalls. Avoiding these pitfalls will strengthen your dialogue tags, improving the pacing and characterization. So read this blog to discover how you can avoid these pitfalls and write better dialogue tags today.
Published On: 04/24/20188.3 min read4 Levels of Editing and Their Pricing Explained
Editing is essentially broken into four levels. This article will help you make an informed decision on the levels of editing you need, regardless of the term being used, and what to budget for your project. Click here to learn what type of editing you may need and what to expect to pay for it.
Published On: 03/27/20189.5 min readPurpose of an Editor
This article will help you see how an editor works with you to make your material the best it can be in the time available. Understanding this will help you have realistic expectations and a better collaborative experience.
Published On: 02/27/20183.8 min readEffective Transitions that Aid Your Reader’s Comprehension
When writing an essay or a nonfiction book, it is important to have transitions connecting your topics together. This blog post describes how to do that in easy to follow steps, and then provides examples from essays and nonfiction books.
Published On: 02/13/20185.6 min readLearn the Difference between “Good” and “Well”
People often say "good" when they mean "well," and grammar nazis often correct people who are actually using the right one. Learn which word to use.
Published On: 11/11/20178.1 min read