At some point in the editing process, you’ll need to share your writing. NOT with an agent yet—when you submit your manuscript to query, the agent shouldn’t be the only person other than you to have seen it! Instead, you should gather a good group of beta readers. What exactly are beta readers, you ask?Continue reading “8 tips for finding your perfect beta readers (Editing Your Novel: Part Two)”
Tag Archives: writing
How to make the most of the read-through (Editing Your Novel: Part One)
This post is part of the Editing Your Novel series. Click through to read about beta readers, the macro-edit, and the micro-edit. After you’ve taken a step back from your novel (however long that needs to be for you) you’re ready to jump back into it with the read-through. This step is pretty much summed upContinue reading “How to make the most of the read-through (Editing Your Novel: Part One)”
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: An intricate plot & stunning debut
Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone closeContinue reading “Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: An intricate plot & stunning debut”
What to do when you finish your first draft
So. You’ve done it. You had an idea, then sat down and did the work to turn it into an actual story. You wrote a first draft! Now what? Finishing a first draft, especially if it’s your first first draft, can seem like a daunting task, so that when it’s finally over, many writers areContinue reading “What to do when you finish your first draft”
Three questions to ask to create compelling characters
Characters are the heart of your story. If readers don’t connect with them, there’s almost no better way to guarantee they put your book down and never pick it back up. So how can we create characters that are compelling, yet believable? Likable, but realistic? It may seem like a lot of pressure, but thereContinue reading “Three questions to ask to create compelling characters”
Interview with author C.G. Drews
Today I am absolutely thrilled to bring you an interview with YA author, C.G. Drews aka Cait aka PaperFury! If you’re a writer, you may recognize Cait from her informative blog, her colorful bookstagram, and her witty Twitter updates. I followed Cait for a while online before I was finally able to get my handsContinue reading “Interview with author C.G. Drews”
Should I go to college for writing?
As February comes to a close, spring is upon us. For seniors in high school, there is another level of pressure: it’s time to decide about college. I’m 25 and I still remember the stress and crushing doubt of spring semester of senior year (both in high school and college—yay grad school!). Of course thereContinue reading “Should I go to college for writing?”
5 (more) podcasts for writers
Six months ago, I started this blog! Since then, by far my most popular post has been one of the very first: 10 podcasts to make you a better writer. As I said in the original post, I’m pretty obsessed with podcasts, so in the months since then I’ve discovered some more podcasts that I’veContinue reading “5 (more) podcasts for writers”
Deep Work: What it is and how to do it
Does this sound like you: You sit down to write, but only get a few sentences down before a text comes in and you have to check it. Then you try to write some more, but an email pops up and you need to respond. Then you’re barely back to writing before an Instagram notificationContinue reading “Deep Work: What it is and how to do it”
Dealing with creative burnout: Part Two
Last week I talked about what being burned out looked like for creative people, and some potential causes. Of course, the most important thing you can do to fight burnout is to avoid these causes as much as possible. Sometimes, though, this isn’t possible, and so incorporating other habits into your life can help preventContinue reading “Dealing with creative burnout: Part Two”