There’s really only one thing we can talk about today: CLIMAXES. The climax of your novel is, bizarrely enough, the premise. It’s the point of the entire story. Suppose you’re a writer working intensely on an incredibly deep and meaningful story. You’re an eighteenth-century American who’s been in Europe and… Read more“Pin-pointing your novel climax”
Tag: Fiction Writing Advice
Making a scene out of your climax
So you’re sitting at the table in the captain’s cabin across from Assuipe, guzzling wine and trying not to bang your elbows on the brass table rail that keeps stuff from flying off during storms. He’s allowed you to change your britches, but you’re still wondering whether your heart will… Read more“Making a scene out of your climax”
Telling your story in shorthand: the synopsis
You’ve got a query letter. You know what to put in your author bio. You’ve even looked up how many pages of your manuscript this particular agent you’re querying wants to see with your query. What’s missing? That’s right. Laura Mosko, Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market Editor, has outlined… Read more“Telling your story in shorthand: the synopsis”
Editing in Word with Track Changes
Please see the Free Edits of Novel Hooks and Climaxes for examples of Copy & Line Editing.
7 Things That Can Go Wrong & Generally Do
Let’s talk about querying. Because I found a great piece on querying the other day while investigating an agency with which one of my clients is in talks, Folio Literary Management. You’ve all read this advice before (although Mr. Kleinman’s is particularly well-written). So why is it that when you… Read more“7 Things That Can Go Wrong & Generally Do”
Understanding freelance independent editors
You don’t have to floss all your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep. —dentists’ motto Ever since I began this blog in 2009, everyone in the publishing industry has been weighing in on the big question: “Do you really need to hire an independent editor? Don’t agents love… Read more“Understanding freelance independent editors”
Understanding writer credentials
We’re talking this month about the mechanics of the publishing industry: understanding author bios, understanding freelance independent editors, understanding agents. So today let’s talk about understanding writer credentials. There’s something very important that you should know. Dashiell Hammett wasn’t the world’s greatest writer. He wasn’t even the world’s greatest self-marketer…. Read more“Understanding writer credentials”
How Did You First Get into Writing?
Now, July’s going to be a weird month here, as I’m often in Portland at OSCON with my geek husband for part of it and therefore out in the world loose on my own recognizance. So I’m going to throw a twist into things this month: because writing is, at… Read more“How Did You First Get into Writing?”
The Other 5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences
We’ve been talking about writers conferences here, in particular how to make friends and enemies at them. And as I promised last Monday, here are the other five things that should set off your bullshit alarm at writers conferences: A presenter who can’t be bothered to research what they teach… Read more“The <em>Other</em> 5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences”
5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences
‘Tis the season for writers conferences. And last week I told you a story about something that happened at a conference once. Now this week and next I’m going to re-run these two posts I wrote a couple of years ago about writers conferences for all of you out there… Read more“5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences”