The importance of readability in a novel is an exhaustive conversation, but a necessary one for writers wanting to sell books. Word processing and editing programs offer a wide variety of grade level and reading ease scales to determine who might be able to read and understand your work. Some writers analyze this closely while… Read more »
Punctuation can feel like a burden, something we either do correctly or not. After all, grammar guides and style books were created for a reason. But in reality, punctuation is a powerful resource to enhance our writing. Looking in any two grammar guides for rules about punctuation usage, we’ll be sure to find conflicting advice…. Read more »
Forewords, introductions, prefaces, and prologues can be important pieces of your manuscript—or they can be critical to avoid. So, it’s important to understand the differences between them. Using these terms correctly will assure editors and agents that you know your stuff and help you craft great front matter your readers won’t skip through. What is… Read more »
As writers, we joke that writing is giving birth to a story and that our characters are our children. Editing, therefore, is a traumatic event in the life of something we deeply love. As we edit, we experience a flurry of thoughts and feelings. In one moment, we berate ourselves for our mistakes. In the… Read more »
Editing is a natural and necessary part of the writing process. But many writers dread revising their work. They’re exhausted from writing the first draft and the thought of changing or deleting words terrifies them. Bestselling books don’t get that way by accident. Rounds of careful revisions are what makes writing shine. Take a page… Read more »
Writing a book is both exhilarating and terrifying. There will be times of blissful creative abundance and periods of deep wordless frustration. Surrounding yourself with a support network of family, friends, and other writers is vital to weathering the emotional storm of novel crafting. But what happens when our cheerleaders become hecklers? Kind words of… Read more »
