Dialogue: Where the Heck Do Commas Go?
Formatting dialogue can be difficult. Understanding commas and dialogue tags will help you put your commas in the right place.
Category: Writing Tips
Here you will find posts on writing advice, as part of my crusade to help you improve your writing. I believe that editors are most effective when they help authors learn to write better.
Lessons I Learned from NaNo 2018
With a great deal of last-minute writing, I managed to win 2018’s National Novel Writing Month by writing over 50,000 words in November! Along the way, I learned (and relearned) some valuable lessons.
Preparing for National Novel Writing Month
My goals for National Novel Writing Month
POV in Fiction: What’s the Point?
Pardon the title; I couldn’t help myself. Today I want to talk about point of view, or POV. The POV is the perspective from which your story is being told. Unless you’re writing your autobiography, your POV is not your own voice. It’s generally the voice of one of your …
How to Respond to Editorial Feedback
I’ve alluded in previous posts to the idea that editors don’t expect authors to accept all of their suggestions, particularly in my posts on the editing process. I talked about the logistics of accepting or rejecting changes in Microsoft Word Track Changes. I’ve talked about how writing doesn’t really have …
Knights of the Writing Table: The Importance of Community
Writing may be a solitary endeavor, but it is definitely not a solitary art. That probably doesn’t make sense. Let me explain. Writing is between you and the paper (or screen). Unless you’re writing with a co-author, you will be the one putting together the words. But the art of …
A Tale of Two Books: Writing a Satisfying Ending
I’ve been thinking a lot about satisfying endings lately. In the last few weeks, I read two recent YA books. Both post-apocalyptic, both science fiction, both basically about superheroes. Both by female authors, if that matters. Upon finishing The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina, I thought, “This is one of …
Double Duty Writing
Writing and editing advice are full of pithy phrases like Show Don’t Tell, Said Bookisms, or White Room Dialogue. Unfortunately, I have yet to come across a popular saying to describe the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard: Every sentence should serve multiple purposes. Frankly, you could probably …
How to Show and When to Tell
“Show, don’t tell” is a phrase that gets flung around a lot in writing and editing circles. I’ve seen people complain about it and even come to hate the phrase. Perhaps in part because it is used a lot. But I think a fair portion of the dislike of the …
Developmental Editing
I wrote a series of articles on the editing process for a publisher I’ve worked for, Crystal Publishing, and they were kind enough to let me re-post the articles here on my blog. Last time, we talked about the basics of the editing process. Today we’ll delve into my favorite …