GEOCON 2019 Review
My first experience at GEOCON was a delight. I heartily recommend the conference, particularly to those who haven’t attended a writing convention before. GEOCON was small but educational. And above all, it was friendly!
Tag: Writing advice
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.
Editing the Copy, Reading the Proof: Copyediting vs. Proofreading
Though the terms are often used interchangeably, copyediting and proofreading are technically quite different. Join me on a mini etymological journey to clarify the difference and illustrate when you need each type of editing. And let me know if you spot any typos!
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 …
Editing by Reading
I’m working on a list of my top self-editing tips to send to people who sign up for my email list. So those of you who are on the list already will have that coming to you in the future! But I’ve decided to go ahead and expand on some …
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 …