To write well, you actually need to, well, write! Writing is a skill that needs to be honed. What are you currently doing to sharpen that skill? If you want to take your writing to the next level, it’s time to take writing exercises seriously. It’s time to assign yourself some homework.
Tag Archives: writing
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!
Can I prevent libel in my writing?
At some point in your writing career, you will ask yourself the question, “Should I say that?” Whether it’s how you’re characterizing a person or the image you’re trying to strike for a company, you’ll wonder if it’s a good idea to publish the potentially offensive material. After all, you are responsible for what you publish. If you’re putting out something unflattering, you open yourself up for libel. But not everything we write needs to be flattering, does it? Sometimes you want to showcase the negatives! Sometimes you want to showcase the negatives! So what can you do to prevent libel in your writing?
Should I write a fan fiction?
You sure should write fan fiction and likely already have—at least partly, in your head. When you think of how a character should have acted or what you wish had have happened instead, you’re essentially starting your own fanfic. This is a brand new world of ‘what ifs’ you get to explore. How far you want to explore that world is up to you.
What is a title information sheet and when would I need one?
In publishing, when your book gets presented to the editorial team as a real candidate for selling, your story will be reduced to a single page of to-the-point information known as the title information sheet. This piece of paper is the marketing pitch for your book, and contains important printing details the publisher will need to know for pricing reasons (among other things). So what goes into a title information sheet?
7 ways to crush writer’s block
Oh, writer’s block, how we loathe thee. When writing’s got you down, here are some ways to break through to the other side.
What style guide should I use?
Style guides are used by publishing companies to help them define the rules of language they’ll follow for their publications. While authors may not need intimate knowledge of one, understanding the purpose of each and maybe even learning a couple of rules to improve consistency in your writing is a great idea. Figuring out what style guide to use is pretty simple, and we’ll overview what factors you should consider in this article.
What is a style sheet and how do I make one?
An under-used tool amongst writers, the style sheet is the go-to reference for editors. Why? Simply put: A style sheet helps you maintain consistency, keep track of important dates and characters, and even reminds you whether you preferred the Oxford comma or not (you heathen).
Why on earth do you need an editor?
The goal of any editor is to bring out the strongest version of the text in front of us, no matter what stage it’s at. We are ever-so-careful of the suggestions and comments we make as we strive for better understanding of the material and its design. You have a goal in mind for this work and we’re the intermediary who helps you reach your target audience the most effectively.
Right Your Writing 