Writing and Editing Tips

Have you ever read a story where the main character felt flat or boring? I have.

Don’t get me wrong, creating compelling characters for your story is not an easy task—but it is necessary if you want to write a story that works.

Just like in real life, your characters should be...

Romance is one of the best-selling genres in mass-market fiction with a large fan base of readers who just can’t get enough. In today’s post, I’m going to go over the key scenes that every romance novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre.

I’m...

How do you know if the idea you have is strong enough to support a full-length novel?

Is there a way to know the difference between a good idea and one that's better left in your idea folder? 

If so, can you do this before spending all that time writing the first draft?

The...

In the last post on story structure, we went over the second story milestone – the Inciting Incident. As a reminder, the Inciting Incident is an event that upsets the balance of your protagonist’s life, gives rise to their object/s of desire, and foreshadows the story’s...

How do you get readers to keep reading past the first page of your novel?

With all the books available to them in bookstores and online, it’s more important now than ever to immediately capture your reader’s interest and give them a reason to buy or read your book over someone...

Whether I’m editing a client’s manuscript, studying one of my favorite books or movies, or editing my own work-in-progress, the main thing I want to know is – does this story work? And for those of you that are starting new stories or editing your own drafts, I’m sure...

How do you start writing a book?

Is there something you should do first, second, and third?

As a developmental editor and book coach, I get asked questions like this all the time. And each time someone asks me what to do first, my answer is the same – first, you need to...

How many words are typically in a fantasy novel? What about a steamy romance? Or a nail-biting thriller?

When you’re starting a new writing project, how do you know how long your book should be?

And why does word count matter anyway? Is this really something you need to pay attention to?

...

Every book needs editing. And if we’re being honest, editing your own work is nearly impossible. That’s where professional book editors come in.

Working with an experienced book editor is one of the best investments you can make for your book and your writing career.

Why? Because...