Guest Post by Author R.A. McCandless Dragons are awesome, awe-inspiring, and absolutely alliteratively artistic. They’re also impossible. That’s what the Dragon Test helps you understand. Think about your story, your world, or the story you want to …
Tag: editing
Revision and Editing: creating a basic plan for whipping your manuscript into shape.
Often, when swept up by magnificent prose, I find myself overwhelmed. It is easy to look at a well-crafted story and think instantly that the genius of the author is impossible to replicate, especially when compared to …
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Charting Your Novel
The sun crept behind the towering Cascade Mountains, turning the sky red. My kitchen glowed, the ruddy light reflecting off of dirty dishes and a mottled counter top. I’d been writing for three weeks and had just …
Finding a Freelance Editor
If you are serious about your work, you need other eyes on it, reliable, knowledgeable eyes. Sometimes that can be found in a writing group or critique partner, and sometimes not. For those of you thinking about …
Write Your Heart Out
Sometimes writing feels a lot like trying to fill a bathtub with water using a flour sifter. With a blindfold on. Whilst someone smacks you repeatedly over the head with a fly swatter. It can be a …
Creating Action out of Feedback
One of the most exciting and harrowing times in an author’s life is the moment when they receive feedback, either from an editor or from their writing group. For me, this moment sparks a conflict between excitement …
Four Ways to Seek Out Meaningful Feedback on Your Manuscript
Writing is a fragile thing, and self-doubt and fear are creatures that can easily consume the desire to write. Be sure to carefully screen the people you give your writing to, especially earlier drafts. The people who …
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Never Underestimate The Influence Of Your Manuscript’s First Pages
After completing revision number 182 on my WIP, I believed I was ready for the next step. I polished my manuscript, found agents accepting unsolicited queries, put together my query, and sent it off. What followed was …
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A Week’s Worth of Writing Prompts
I thought I would collect my prompts for this week, scattered with a few tips and reminders. You can download a PDF version at the bottom of this post! Happy Sunday! One of the first things I …
Tibetan Lemonade 