This will be short and sweet. I have a longer Harry Potter post coming soon! Writing tip of the day: do you find yourself using the phrase “began to” in your action scenes? Consider these: 1. The noise got louder, and my heart began to thud harder. 2. When I saw they were chasing me,…
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One giveaway that I’m working on a manuscript by a fairly new writer (or with a writer who hasn’t worked with an editor before) is an abundant variety of dialogue tags. Elmore Leonard advises writers to use only “said.” (Don’t know who Elmore Leonard is? Raylan Givens is shaking a finger at you and insisting you…
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As writers, we like words, don’t we? We like the way they sound. We like stringing them together in long, elaborate sentences. We work hard to make our words say what we mean. Sometimes, we work too hard. Sometimes, we just need to say what we mean and get out of our own way–and out…
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As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an editor who writes, which I think helps me identify with my clients and their writing process and concerns. I’ve been on that side of the fence (working on my fifth novel now), and I know what kind of work it takes to complete a whole book. I also know…
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As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an editor and a writer. I self-published one of my novels in 2014 (see the “My Book” tab), and I have another that’s in the revision stages and one that I’m currently writing. I think working on both sides of the editorial fence—writing and editing—enables me to really relate to…
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