You’ve come to the “write” place. (Pun absolutely intended.) This is a self-editing space where we explore all levels of editing (and all the structure that goes with it) to empower writers to assess and improve their own stories. I’m sharing my experience in developmental, line, and copy editing, writing, and project management to help writers hurdle and dodge the obstacles on their creative journeys.
Thanks for joining me.
Writing is hard. Writing a book, no way. It’s way easier to procrastinate. You’re not alone. It happens to the best of us. But with the non-zero writing days concept, you write one sentence of that story or book or outline. Just one. Guess what. You took a step forward. You had a non-zero day. Start today. See what happens.
Read MorePacing can grab a reader, pull them in, and keep them engaged or it can dwindle in the wrong spot and make them wish they hadn’t wasted their time. It can bore them or annoy them. A bad pace is like an energy vampire—annoying, prodding, sucking the will to read right out of your readers. So find the balance that makes them want to hold on to your book forever.
Read MoreStruggling with story-level revisions on your novel? You’re not alone. Your draft is a ball of character creations, setting details, and plot points that are woven together to create your story, so when you try to revise it feels like chaos—no clear starting or ending point. This is what makes developmental or story-level editing so difficult. One change could send the whole thing into a frenzied knot. It’s overwhelming, and to be honest, most writers decide to wipe out a couple of words, push some punctuation, and call revisions done. It makes sense. It’s hard. But what if you had a tool to help? A book map to guide you. To allow you to follow those threads without untangling everything.
Read MoreStuck on a book idea? Wish you had someone to bounce ideas back and forth with? Maybe ChatGPT can help. It might just be the tool to help you work through those gritty story details that you ar not ready to discuss with the world.
Read MoreIf you have embarked on the querying journey, or as I like to call it then you understand the sentiment. Pushing your words out into the world only to receive a form letter back is—well—devastating. The “roller coaster of no.”
You’re searching for your novel’s soul mate. You’re trying to match your style and work with the interest, list, and connections of an agent. It doesn’t always happen overnight, but there are a few things you can do to ease the pain of hearing “no” on repeat.
Read MoreThere is a level of organization and consistency that writers don’t think about in the initial sweep of words. And you shouldn’t, it’s too early. But eventually, you realize that there is some tracking that’s needed. This tracking can save you time and embarrassment. So don’t make avoidable mistakes in your writing. Use a style sheet to self-edit.
Read MoreYou’ve decided you're writing a book, finishing a book, revising a book, or taking on any big project. Congrats! You are already doing more than most. But now your brain is flooded with all the tasks and parts and timelines. How the hell will you get this thing done?
Let’s walk through the steps to make a sure-fire, finish-the-damn-thing plan.
Read MoreYour fingers finally punch out those two glorious words—The End—and then excitement, relief, and god knows what else pours out. It’s a complete rush. Unfortunately, the party doesn’t always last as long as it should. As writers, we know we’re faced with the next big phase. So here are the top three mistakes I see writers make as they barrel into the editing phase of their novel.
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