To be an editor, you have to sense when phrases don’t sound right. We must be self-editing and rewriting all the time to create the best product possible. Here are a few ways to manage the editing process, so you can achieve the best final piece.
Category: Research
Place as Character
Cities do not speak. Beaches do not dance. Mountain ranges do not dream. Places are not, intrinsically, human. The humanity we derive from them is based in our own perception, the sights, sounds and smells that form a location or environment in our mind. There is no natural anthropomorphism to a place, and that is why it is so important that we put it there.
Damn Hard Writing
From the outside, writing doesn’t look too hard. After all, I spent eight to ten hours a day on my computer, doing the thing I love most in the world. What could be difficult about that? I get to research unique and interesting things, and tell the stories that I want to tell. It’s the dream job. And it is the dream job, but it’s sure as hell not an easy one.
We Found Love in A Different Genre
Why aren’t these books marketed as romance novels and why do so many stories have love-story plots or subplots but scoff at the ones that do so intentionally?
Writing Lessons From Reading Romance
But despite all those things people tend to say about romance, reading it has made me a fundamentally better author, both in and out of the genre. These books are often escapist and fantastical, yes, but I have taken many important writing skills and themes away from them. Here are just a few.
A Juggling Act
If you do find yourself in the midst of more than one long-term project at a time, here are a few tips and tricks for keeping all the books in the air.
The Takeaway From NaNo 2019
National Novel Writing Month isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Here are a few things I both learned and re-learned during this year’s challenge.
If You Give a Writer a Word
I have a Faulkner quote hanging in the top right corner of my vision as I sit at my desk, and it’s come to be something I live my life by.
From Prologue to Fin
Each book follows its own journey and that’s okay. As long as I still arrive at the final product, I’m pleased. That being said, there are still a few rituals I follow for all of my stories, no matter the genre, length or series.
Character Interviews – More Than Just Talking To Yourself
There is no right or wrong way to go about an interview, but I’m going to share some of my favorite techniques for better understanding, empathizing and, eventually, sharing my characters with the world at large.
Holland Rae, Writer 