Turning good manuscripts into great books.

My business motto sets a standard for my clients so they understand my editing style, including why I tend to be nit-picky about details many readers might not […]

Have you ever read a book that had so much description you got lost in the writing, but not in a good way—in a what-were-we-talking-about way?

Or how about this—the handsome hero in a romance novel is shown dow […]

Last month we talked about author voice (click here if you missed it). How is that different from character voice, and what do you need to know about character voice?

Author Voice vs. Character Voice

Your […]

One of the most common reasons authors push back against suggested edits is author voice—they’re convinced that everything they write is part of their voice, therefore any edits will change their voi […]

Every novel needs dialogue, but what is it, and how do you write it well? I’m glad you asked.

What is dialogue?

At the most basic level, dialogue is a conversation between characters. Like conversations in t […]

One of the best ways to find issues in your manuscript is to ask for feedback from others. Once you have that information, you can use it to find and fix problem areas in your story. A lot of authors understand […]

Most writers know that the first draft of their manuscript will never sell, but how many drafts does a writer have to write?

Honestly, the writing portion of a novel takes the shortest amount of time. The […]

Conflict, suspense, and tension are not the same things. They’re often used interchangeably, but they shouldn’t be. Each one of these has a different role and performs a different function in fic […]

Fiction genres seem to be spawning. Contemporary and historical fiction are now too broad of descriptors for readers who know exactly what they want: historical romantic suspense or contemporary magical realism. […]

Once the go-to point of view for novels, the omniscient POV isn’t as popular as it once was, but it’s making a reappearance in modern fiction. Many authors assume omniscient is easier to write because of its bro […]

When it comes to captivating your audience, point of view (POV) matters. While there are no right or wrong places to use different POVs, there are absolutely genres and styles that work well with specific POVs. […]

Every main character in every book has a backstory, but the readers don’t need to see or understand it all. There are times, however, when it’s necessary to include backstory in your manuscript to either f […]

Have you ever walked into your regular grocery store and cringed because they rearranged the store? You find dog food in the bread aisle and paper plates where the cereal used to be. Everything you need is […]

Confession: I use Grammarly. I know other writing professional who also use it. But Grammarly, ProWriting Aid, and PefectIt will never replace an editor. Despite the unlimited capacity of AI, there are a few […]

With 15+ years of experience writing and editing fiction, I can teach you a lot about plot, characters, style, pacing, and more, but I didn’t invent most of the techniques that I teach. To be completely honest, I […]

Characters are, of course, the lifeblood of fiction. All the twisty turny plot elements in the world won’t matter to readers if they are not bonded to a character they care about.” Just Write by James Scott Bel […]

Most people associate editing with fixing punctuation and grammar mistakes, but it starts much earlier than that. In fact, if you start with the PUGS—punctuation, usage, grammar, and syntax—you’re wasting time […]

Most novelists know they need to write a synopsis for their books, and there are lots of resources to teach you how to write your synopsis, but why do you need one?

Here’s the good news—a synopsis is not an exa […]

Most writers are familiar with the Happily Ever After (HEA), but not every genre—and not every story—needs an HEA. In fact, every story needs the same type of ending: the Satisfying Ending.

Writers and rea […]