All right, so when writing one of the main goals is to draw the reader through the piece. This is done any number of ways with story and characters and plot, but that’s not what we are here to talk about. Instead, today, I’m going to forge into straight up writing craft specifics that are...Read More

When I first did the math to see how much editing per book cost, my heart just about jumped out of my chest. Holy crap, it was that much? I know how my clients feel the first time they see the numbers for an estimate. It’s not cheap. Not at all cheap. Or, if it...Read More

I don't identify tension as the stakes of a story. The stakes are the stakes. They can be high or low. That's sort of dependent on the story itself and its ins and outs. But tension is more akin to potential energy.Read More

Hey, friends! I’m sorry this blog has been quiet the last few weeks. The holidays have been catching up to me, and I’ve been really busy planning the writing conference I’m putting on with some friends of mine. More on that at the end, though. Let’s get into the reason you clicked the header, shall...Read More

One of the things that I realized was never taught in any of my creative writing courses in college or even discussed a lot in most of the writing groups I’ve been in is exactly what it’s like to work with a professional editor. So, since I have been on both sides of that experience,...Read More

Writers are typically categorized into two camps: plotting and pantsing. And never the twain shall meet. These two categories have been around as long as I’ve been in the industry (over fifteen years now), and they’re talked about in countless books about writing and publishing as the two primary methods used to craft a book....Read More

I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of things after my surgery and am finally beginning to have enough brain that I can think. Since I’m doing a talk on this subject for my Discord writing group this week, I figured I’d revisit the Beat Sheet and story structure. I’ve done several...Read More

I’m working on a class about this, so that’s forthcoming, but I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about and discussing what, exactly, this means. It is, in my opinion, vitally important (as you might have guessed by the fact that I’m creating a class about it). So what, exactly, do I mean...Read More

These five conversations will do a lot to help you communicate effectively with your editor and save you a lot of misery, frustration, and money. It will also save the editor frustration and hair-pulling because these conversations are just as important for us to have.Read More

When should you hire an editor? The real answer, at the end of the day, is: It depends. Where you are in the writing process tells you what kind of editing you want and who to look for.Read More