Tag: writing tips

Synopsis: Why All Writers Need One Even Though They Hate It

There is one word known to strike fear into the hearts of most writers. Synopsis. Many of us would rather perform brain surgery from space using a lemon zester and a squirrel than be forced to boil down our entire novel into one page. Yes one. But alas we need a synopsis for numerous reasons. First and …

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Self-Editing: 7 Tips to Tighten the Story & Cut Costs

A fallacy among many emerging writers is that authors only write the books. Then, once finished, agents will fall in LOVE and someone else will do ALL the editing. *clutches sides laughing.* Yeah…no. And woodland creatures don’t help with housework. Sorry to break the news. Bummed me out, too. The hard truth is the onus …

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Research Matters: The Devil is Always in the Details

Research can be a double-edged sword. It can elevate writing to an entirely new level, but can also be a place we hide, procrastination masked as ‘work.’ Recently, I posted on the dangers of premature editing and gave tips to help keep us moving forward on that first draft until it is FINISHED. A common …

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Hook Your Readers: 3 Tips to Catch & Keep Your Audience

How do we sell our stories? That is the big question. It is the reason for craft classes and editing and cover design and agents and editors and all the time on social media. And while platforms and covers and algorithms do matter, there is one tried and true way to sell more books. Write …

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The Dangers of Premature Editing: Pruning Our Stories vs. Pillaging Them

Editing is essential for crafting a superlative story. We clip away the excess, delete the superfluous and prune away the detritus to reveal the art. Yet, editing is something we’re wise to handle with care. While lack of ANY editing is a major problem today, editing too much, too soon is just as big of …

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