So You’ve Decided to Hire a Freelance Editor

Ok, so we’ve established that you really need to hire a freelance editor before you throw your manuscript out to the proverbial wolves of public opinion. But how in the heck do you know what kind of editing you need? And who in the world do you find to help you? What can your editor… Read more »

Ask Becca: The Give and Take of Critique: Part 2

“I just read a friend’s story, and I don’t really like it. She’s pressuring me for feedback. What should I say?” –Backed Into a Corner Remember how two weeks ago, I compared receiving critique to helping your child enter a beauty pageant? Now imagine you’re a random onlooker, who knows nothing about pageants or kids, and… Read more »

Why Hire a Freelance Editor?

You’ve been slaving for months, maybe years, writing 1000 words a day or fitting in a few paragraphs whenever you have a spare moment. You’ve written and rewritten scenes, sections, chapters to get them just right, spent hours researching the cultural habits of obscure tribes in the Amazon (or wherever your inspiration came from), all… Read more »

Ask Becca: The Give and Take of Critique: Part 1

“Nobody in my critique group understands my writing style. They don’t get the type of art I’m trying to create. Do I suck at writing, or should I listen to them? What should I do?” –Artist in a Sea of Mediocrity I’ve never been to a pageant, and I’ve never been a mother, but I’d… Read more »

What Is “New Spin,” Anyway?

Here at DIY MFA, we love to share exciting new books and up-and-coming authors with our audience – you! That’s why I started New Spin, a bi-monthly DIY MFA column that covers everything that falls within alternative storytelling and new approaches to reading books: literary mash-ups, books that put a new spin on classic stories… Read more »

The Amateur’s Guide a Professional Book Package Superpost

Do you judge a book by the cover? Readers and booksellers often do. Having the right book package is one of the most important aspects of the publishing process. Over the past few months, our DIY MFA photographer Melinda VanLone took us through a series of posts about crafting the perfect book package–one that is not… Read more »

April Weekend Writing Sprint Recap

Two weekends ago we hosted our second DIY MFA Weekend Writing Sprint, a weekend writing extravaganza! Around 200 writers joined this virtual writing retreat from around the globe. It was EPIC, though I’ll admit by the end of the weekend I felt a bit like the sea lions pictured on the right. What impressed me… Read more »