In this part of our series about the jargon of the writing community, we’ll talk about terms that relate to writing or editing your work. You’re likely to hear these phrases from critique group members, beta readers, or your editor. Think of these terms as “good writing advice”. Oxford Comma (aka Serial Comma): A comma…
Bestsellers have always been created by word of mouth. One reader loves a book and tells other readers. They love the book and tell more readers. In a few weeks, or months, a bestseller is born. Publishers obviously try to influence the process. They pick out books on their lists they think have the potential…
There are iconic writing craft books—think Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird or Stephen King’s On Writing. And then there are many “also rans,” books that may not have garnered the acclaim or audience of such bestsellers. But wait! These are gems. They may hide in the shadows because the craft book shelf is crowded to…
Could you take your work in progress, change every single word—and still tell the same story? Is it possible to write a novel without one familiar, cliché phrase? Or description? Or scene? How do you guard against overusing tried and true verbiage? Stale descriptions? How do you turn a stereotype on its head? Do you…
I’m not the most coordinated person, so juggling physical objects would be an exercise in futility, and if they were sharp or heavy objects, probably a lot worse. But I’ve also found that juggling all the parts and pieces of my life can be just as hazardous to my health in this semi-post-pandemic time. We…