For the last several weeks I’ve been meeting deadlines, editing, and reading through the submission inbox at Literary Wanderlust. Several of the pitches I received were decent. A few pitches were good. One or two pitches were really good. Regardless of the pitch quality I still read through each submission, including the synopsis and chapters. … Read more
After last week’s post on POV, I’ve been thinking about POV rules. I was contacted by someone asking about the particular POV they must use to write a story in a particular genre. It irked me. Not the person asking the question, but the whole POV rule concept. There are some out there in internet … Read more
Point of View I was at Colorado Gold Writer’s Conference last weekend, and I honestly do believe it is the best writer\’s conference in the United States. The workshops were spectacular, so much so that even NYT best-selling author Jeffery Deaver sat in workshops and took notes. It reminds me that there is always more … Read more
There are thousands of character creation tools available in books and on the internet. If you need a worksheet or other tool to help you create your characters, just Google the topic. You will find bazillions of listings for how-to’s, spreadsheets, charts, videos, documents to print out and fill in, name generators, character wheels, and … Read more
It’s now time to discuss our favorite part of the story: The Climax. The Climax in storytelling is exactly the same as it is in other areas of your life. The Climax is that highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of the story. It is that moment of greatest intensity. It … Read more
I was contacted recently by a friend of a friend. You know how that works. Somebody tells somebody else that they are writing a novel, and somebody says, “Oh, I know an editor. You should contact them to help you with…” Fill that in as you like. Now, I don’t at all mind helping writers … Read more
As an acquisitions editor for a traditional publisher, I read many (many, many) submissions from authors hoping to be traditionally published. Usually, submission packages include a synopsis (a synopsis is required for this particular publisher and are usually required for most publishers). Unfortunately, I continue to be surprised by the number of writers who either … Read more
I want to focus on some specific genre material to help authors figure out what they are writing. Knowing your genre is a very important step in the publishing process, and if you query, you will need to know your genre. If you independently publish, you also need to know your genre. Over time I … Read more
I am often asked to beta read or critique an author’s manuscript or partial manuscript, and I am usually happy to do this. A beta reader is a person who reads a manuscript with a critical eye and with the intention to improve the content of the work in progress. This is the general aim … Read more