Telling a story when one ought to be showing it is one of the most common mistakes I see in writing of all stages. But don’t worry. Last night, as I was eating my steak and rice dinner (yum), two things hit me: how to spot when you’re telling and how to easily transform it into […]
So, this question came in from Alex last week, and I thought I’d address it in a post today. I’d really like to read about how you handle it when you’re in the middle of a draft and suddenly you realize that you need to change something BIG. Something which changes the story a lot, […]
Read Part 1 in this series. Read Part 2 in this series. ALL RIGHT. This is the last post on this–I swear. My usual disclaimer applies here–this is the journey to traditional publication as I know it. I’m basing this on my personal experience and the experience of other published authors I know. 🙂 Also, FYI, […]
Did you write a novel in a month during the hideous (yet exhilarating) NaNoWriMo? Or perhaps you’ve just got a novel lying around that needs some serious TLC. Are you lost on where to begin? Do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer thought of revising? Am I starting to sound too much like an infomercial? […]
I’m back. We won’t even discuss how hard it was to get the internet back. It was an ordeal. An EPIC ordeal. BUT, I came out with two wonderful things… Thing #1 Oh, what’s that? Why yes, it IS a book. In fact’s a A FINISHED SEQUEL. Yep, that’s right. A Darkness Strange and Lovely is now complete. […]
I said my method for selecting a setting in Something Strange and Deadly was unscientific, remember? Well, just look at how I wound up choosing Victorian times. I thought it was cool. I thought it would add conflict, what with the claustrophobic etiquette and patriarchy. Yeah. Very inspired, huh?
Recently, someone asked me: What is required to make a book saleable? That is a rather large-in-scope question, and as such, I’m afraid my answer will be kinda vague. All the same, I thought it was worth taking the time to answer for everyone. 🙂 My super broad response is the: The most important thing […]
Wow. You did it. You finished Lesson 5, and now you’re almost at the end! Can you FEEL THE EXCITEMENT? This lesson will be (compared to the others) a piece of cake. The first part is completely mindless. Supplies Needed Today: A computer Your revised, scrawled-upon manuscript A comfy chair
You might be a little worn out from Lesson 4. No worries–take a break. Give yourself some time. It’s always good to get distance between you and your novel. Now, I realize that not everyone will print out their novel, and I know not everyone will revise by hand. That’s fine. Do what you do, […]
So, you figured out what your Perfect Book would be in Lesson 3. Now we’re going to take that and apply it to your novel. This part is fun–like, no joke, this step is one of my favorites for the ENTIRE novel-writing process. You’re calling on your left-brain for organization, and you’re calling on your […]