If you’re an author, aspiring or published, chances are you’ve heard of “show vs. tell,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have a solid grasp of what it is. At times I struggle with the concept myself, as evidenced by the “Stop telling!” comments my editor makes on the early drafts of my novels. I […]

Every author has a different way of getting to the finish line, but is there a best way? Expert Anne Janzer, who wrote a book called The Writer’s Process, says the path to publication includes researching, thinking deeply, outlining/structuring, drafting, revising, and editing. I asked her for her top three process-related tips for aspiring authors, and here’s what […]

Do you spend hours tinkering with a single paragraph to get it just right? I used to do that too. When you’re not sure what to write next, do you go back and polish what you’ve already written? Same here. When I was writing my first novel, Perfect on Paper, I spent a lot of time tweaking every […]

Many novelists, especially those who are writing a first book, create protagonists who are based on themselves, so it is natural for them to write their stories in the first person. (I did this with my first four novels.) Other authors choose to write in the third person. Here’s a quick refresher on the difference between the […]

Sometimes I think my favorite part of the writing process is when, after months of toiling at my desk, I finally get to the point where I type in “The End,” sit back in my chair, and exhale. I’m not exactly sure why I enjoy this part so much because it’s not as if the […]

In my last post I addressed how using too many exclamation marks in dialogue can negatively affect the reader’s experience. To catch the issue, I suggested that authors read their dialogue out loud. While that was a post was about an overuse issue, reading your work—not just dialogue—out loud can also help identify another common problem I […]

I recently met a debut author who was kind enough to give me a signed copy of her indie novel. I liked her a lot and really wanted to like her book too, as I’m always rooting for indie authors (and of course am always looking for a good read). Unfortunately, however, I didn’t make it through […]

This morning I received an email that made me smile…or maybe even grin. It was from an aspiring author named Becca. In particular, I loved this part of her message: “Reading through your blog has been very educational and exciting for me. I love all your knowledge, advice, and mostly your encouragement to not give […]

It took me nearly five years to get my first novel, Perfect on Paper, published, so when it finally happened I was over the moon. I’d worked my tail off to make it happen, and after all that effort, at long last I could exhale, sit back, and enjoy myself as the sales rolled in. Or […]