I’ve ran into an interesting problem with my beta readers that’s baffled me for weeks. Pacing. Every single one of them said my first chapter’s pace was just too slow. But that didn’t make much sense to me. I have prose scuffed down to a satisfying crisp. I had a sequence of events moved by … More What Beta Readers really mean by “Pacing” problems

When to admit #Pantsing a novel doesn’t work – Converting to the Snowflake Method #writingtips … More Why I Need the Snowflake Method

I have a handful of blogs I follow, and Jane Friedman is by far one of my favorites. Here’s a shout out to her latest post: Writing Advice for Children and Teens  Excerpt: For fifteen years, I’ve been parceling out advice and wisdom on writing and publishing, all squarely directed at the adult writer. As the … More Writing Advice for Children & Teens from Jane Friedman

Are you pursuing traditional publishing? Do you feel your manuscript is ready to be put in front of an editor or agent? Go through this list before you do! (If self-publishing, further recommendations are at the end of this post.) According to Literary Agent Paula Munier in her new book: Writing With Quiet Hands, there … More 3 Drafts to a Publishable Manuscript

This is a book review for The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card for both readers (maybe you’ll decide if you’d like to read it) and for writers (what you can learn to do, and not to do in your own novel). There are no spoilers in this review. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars … More The Lost Gate – Book Review for Readers & Writers

3 Pillars of Character Development – Achieving Complex and Real Characters While any novel will likely struggle with enough Character Complexity, I find that novels with high-worldbuilding elements may run into this issue more than others. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the world lore, and leave the characters as cardboard cutouts positioned up on a … More 3 Pillars of Character Development