Tag Archives: writing process

What is a manuscript assessment?

You’ve written a book you’re nervously in love with. Now what? Contrary to every neophyte urge in your authorial body, you are not to immediately send your work out to every publishing house you know. Sorry! Instead, you’re in for an age of reviewing. Yaaaaay . . .
So, what is a manuscript assessment and how is it different from a beta read? Let’s get into it.

Mood (writing) board

Mood: I don’t want to write. I don’t feel like it. The scene I have to write doesn’t match my mood at all and therefore I can’t write anything.

Sound familiar? Good. You’re having a very normal writer experience. The thing is, your mood—as a professional writer, that is—doesn’t matter. Like, at all. If you’re wanting to make a career out of your writing, you’re going to have to get comfortable mighty quickly with writing through discomfort or even your own discordance. But you can do it smartly, in a way that feels less like pulling teeth and more like productive work. If that doesn’t sound appealing, I don’t know what would!

Let’s talk trash: dealing with garbage in fiction

Whenever you’re diving into world creation, it’s important to keep in mind what kind of trash you’re also likely diving into. While you can easily see today’s trash, particularly what’s in your own area, it can be hard to imagine new landscapes of garbage. So that’s what we’re going to overview today: How to forecast your trash, where to find information about the trash of the past, and why it’s so important to get it right.

Why do I see so many mistakes in published works?

Ah, yes. Your favourite newspaper has a typo in its headline or you’ve found desert when dessert was meant. It happens! And, obviously, it happens to established authors and at established publishing houses. But… how?

How to self-edit (properly) in 5 steps

Oh, what? An editor saying you can self-edit? Don’t get too excited. You can do it, and you should do it, but you should not be the last person to do it. That said, there are some pretty standard steps involved when reviewing your work before you send it out into the world (or even to an editor!).