How to Write a Book or “How do I write a book?” is the most basic and yet the most complicated question I get from other writers. For fun, I plugged this question into Google and got some really bad advice. Like starting with the names of each chapter. Maybe that works for someone??? Okay, … [Read more…]
You want the essence of your writing to come through, but needless words and phrases can get in the way and weigh down your prose. Solution: put your writing on a five-step diet.
So you’ve finished a draft of your manuscript. Congratulations! That’s an accomplishment scores of people dream of and only a small percentage of determined writers achieve. The next step is, of course, revising your manuscript, maybe after getting a critique partner’s input or receiving feedback from a contest judge or an editor. You’re done with … [Read more…]
There are a number of reasons your young adult manuscript might be getting rejected by literary agents and editors. Lately, though I’ve noticed a series of common writing problems popping up in a lot of young adult manuscripts that might get them rejected. Does yours suffer from any of the following? Read on to see. 5 … [Read more…]
Transition words and phrases. As writers, we spend a lot of time talking about plot, character, setting, and description. We learn how to put all of those together into scenes and how to show character motivation with sequel. But then when it comes time to stitch it all together we often stutter… uh… okay… and … [Read more…]