How to Streamline Your Editing Experience

I imagine every editor has, at one point or another, dropped their head into their hands and ululated, “Why didn’t I tell my author this one tiny thing before it became a massive catastrophe?!” So, in an effort to prevent further histrionics, here are some things you, the author, can do to streamline the editing… Read more »

Episode 19: How to Rock Your Post-NaNoWriMo Revisions

Hello and thank you for joining me today! This episode covers one of my favorite topics: revision. A lot of people (mostly non-writers) think revision just means running your story through spell-check, change a few words here and there, then poof! Your manuscript is ready to submit. We writers know better than that. Revision is… Read more »

Ask Becca: Seven Steps to Editing Like a Master

“I finally finished my ten-book epic fantasy series! Now I’m ready to start editing. How do I do that, exactly?” –The Next J.R.R., G.R.R., or J.K. Woah! Slow down there, turbo. First of all, congratulations on reaching the editing stage! That’s a step that most budding authors don’t get to. But you’re looking at this… Read more »

When You Finish a First Draft

NaNoWriMo is officially over. And you’re probably officially wiped out. And officially the owner of a very new, very messy, but very finished first draft. Or not. Maybe you’re the owner of 50,000 words, and you still have a ways to go before you bump into the words “THE END.” But if you’re a writer,… Read more »

What I Learned About Building a Book from Stuart Horwitz

Stuart Horwitz is the founder and principal of Book Architecture, a firm of independent editors based in Providence and Boston. Book Architecture’s clients have reached the best-seller list in both fiction and non-fiction, and have appeared on Oprah!, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, and in the most prestigious journals in their respective fields. Horwitz… Read more »

Writing for Teens: Interview with Elana Johnson

We end our week-long celebration of Teen Literature with an interview today with the charming Elana Johnson.  I began following Elana’s blog when I first started exploring the blogsphere for fellow writers.  Immediately it became one of my go-to writing blogs because of her honest, no-nonsense advice and her generosity to other writers.  She’s one… Read more »

How to Make Sense of Critiques

Sooner or later, you’re going to get feedback on your work.  Whether it’s from an editor or agent, or from friends and family, or from trusted writer friends, you might as well get used to the idea. But what do you do when you get all that feedback?  My temptation is often to cut up… Read more »

What Type of Critique is Right for You?

When it comes to getting a tune-up on your writing, you have lots of different options. In fact, sometimes the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming and it’s hard to recognize what kind of help or feedback you really need. In this post, you’ll get to know some of the choices so you can… Read more »