Writing Groups for Self-Editing
You’ve written a chapter of your memoir, or the first page of your novel, or a writing contest entry. You’ve meticulously self-edited, and now you want to know if what you’ve written “works” for...
View ArticleI Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Editor! Or Do I?
Your novel/memoir/nonfiction book is complete—congratulations! Now you’re ready to send it off to a literary agent or publisher, right? Whoa, slow down a minute! Your very first step is to self-edit...
View ArticleAre You Missing Great Content?
Twice a day I check Twitter and WordPress for information I think my followers will appreciate, and when I find valuable content, I post links to articles and blogs on my Facebook page. The information...
View ArticleBeware of Snake-Oil Salesmen in the Editing Biz
In the past week I came across two websites that offer unusual editing services. Unusual isn’t bad, but in these particular cases, unusual is definitely NOT good for authors. One of these companies is...
View ArticleCritique Groups for Self Editing
You’ve written a chapter of your memoir, or the first page of your novel, or a writing contest entry. You’ve meticulously self-edited, and now you want to know if what you’ve written “works” for...
View ArticleOnline Critique Karma: Scribophile
After author JH Mae commented on my post “Critique Groups for Self Editing,” I asked her to share her thoughts about Scribophile, the online critique group she uses. JH was gracious enough to not only...
View Article4 Easy Ways Self-Publishing Authors Can Save Money on Professional Editing
Self-publishing can be expensive. Between editing, cover design, formatting, printing, and marketing, you can spend a small fortune if you aren’t careful. Even if you’re a DIY author who controls every...
View ArticleHow to (Almost) Instantly Improve Your Writing
If you are serious about your writing, you’ve probably searched for the magic formula that will guarantee publication of your work. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there is no magic...
View ArticleReaders for Writers: Beta Readers, the Superheroes of Your Writing Team
One of the writers I’ve come to know and admire through writing this blog is JH Mae, who asked me to write a guest post about beta readers. Please join me at By, JHMae, and while you’re over at her...
View ArticleHappy One Year Blogging Anniversary to Me!
I received official notification from WordPress that my blog is now a year old: Thank you to friends, followers, and everyone in this wonderful writing community for your friendship and support. I love...
View ArticleThe Divas Recommend: How to (Almost) Instantly Improve Your Writing by...
The Divas Recommend: How to (Almost) Instantly Improve Your Writing by Candace Johnson (via http://writedivas.com) Hello Diva followers! On this week’s The Divas Recommend, we bring you the fabulous...
View ArticleSample Chapters: Step 7 of How to Write a Compelling Nonfiction Book Proposal...
You’re coming into the home stretch of writing a book proposal. If you’ve been following this series, you’ve already learned about writing your author bio, the information that should go into your...
View ArticleHiring an English Major to Edit Your Book Is Cheating Yourself
I belong to a listserve of freelance editors, and I find the topics of conversation interesting and often thought-provoking. One recent topic that elicited many comments was about pricing the work we...
View ArticleAn Editor’s Skill Set, Part III: Feedback
Anyone who writes appreciates how much work it is—in fact, the better the writing, the more likely that writer has spent many hundreds—even thousands—of hours working to hone his or her skills. Yet, no...
View ArticleRespecting the Author’s Voice in Editing
An editor’s work on a manuscript is something that should never be obvious to a reader. In fact, the only time a reader should even think about editing is when it isn’t there or isn’t very good. When...
View ArticleLessons Learned from Writing the Second Novel: Guest Post by Kristen Otte
One of my favorite perks of working as a freelance editor is developing a relationship with an author. I recently had the good fortune of working with author Kristen Otte on her just-published second...
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