I’m not here this week, which is why you can’t see me right now. But that doesn’t mean the conversation won’t go on. We’ve been talking this month about How You First Got into Writing and How Many Degrees of Separation You Are from Your Literary Idols. And today I’m… Read more“What Does Writing Mean to You?”
Category: Editing Services
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4 Ways Writing Reminds Us We’re Alive
It’s the Fourth of July this week, which is America’s version of a Summer Solstice extravaganza. We set off fireworks, eat too much barbeque, take a long weekend to look around at our loved ones, recognize their faces, and remember why we’re here. So let’s talk about four ways writing—because… Read more“4 Ways Writing Reminds Us We’re Alive”
How to Write Wrong, in 3 Easy Steps
Last week we learned how to characterize wrong. The week before that we learned how to plot wrong. And today I’m going to teach you how to cripple your book so that—even if your plot is maximum overdrive and your characterization nothing short of brilliant—no one in the industry will… Read more“How to Write Wrong, in 3 Easy Steps”
8 Ways NOT to Describe Your Main Character
This one, again, is thanks to @__Deb, who gave me my blog topics for the month of May. That girl’s just chock full of good ideas. (All wrapped up in hand-knitted sweaters.) I know you hear a lot of advice about making your protagonist heroic. Internally-conflicted. Easy for the reader… Read more“8 Ways NOT to Describe Your Main Character”
Free drawing for my book: The Art & Craft of Fiction
Hey, everyone, K.M. Wieland has a free ebook drawing going on right now at her blog for a copy of The Art & Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner’s Manual. You can look inside! That’s it at the top right of my page. I know. I ought to be the one… Read more“Free drawing for my book: <em>The Art & Craft of Fiction</em>”
#editingchat 4/28/11
Once again, my sterling memory rewards me. That and the big ole note I wrote to myself last week. It’s #editingchat day again, people, today at noon Pacific Standard Time. (That’s 1:00 pm MST. 2:00 pm CST. 3:00 PM EST. And I believe 8:00 pm GST for those of you… Read more“#editingchat 4/28/11”
We can’t leave fiction alone—Talking Revision
Last week, Roz Morris and I had the third of our four scheduled weekly editorial chats: Talking Prose. The week before we were Talking Character. And the first week we were Talking Plot. We’re running these chats here once a week throughout the month of April. We were deep and… Read more“<em>We can’t leave fiction alone</em>—Talking Revision”
The 3 Basic Aspects of Showing-Not-Telling
Hey, folks. It’s going to be a light-weight post this week, for two very good reasons: Last week’s post ate my brain. But at least now it’s written, so the next time someone asks me, “What’s really going on with publishing these days?” I can just give them a Mona… Read more“The 3 Basic Aspects of Showing-Not-Telling”
#editingchat 4/21/11
I remembered! May the heavens open and the angels sing. I remembered to tell you guys we’re holding #editingchat! Today at noon Pacific Standard Time on Twitter. You can go to that link and follow the conversation even if you don’t have a Twitter account (although you need to be… Read more“#editingchat 4/21/11”
We can’t leave fiction alone—Talking Prose
Last week, Roz Morris and I had the second of our four scheduled weekly editorial chats: Talking Character. The week before that we were Talking Plot. We’re running these chats here once a week throughout the month of April. We had great fun and talked about the very essence of… Read more“<em>We can’t leave fiction alone</em>—Talking Prose”