#19 — Starting sections with pronouns When writing longer works, it's good practice to start each chapter or scene with the character's name instead of their pronoun. For example: Rose saw the fire hissing in the distance. vs She saw the fire hissing in the distance. This is for two reasons. 1) The character(s) referenced … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #19
Tag: chapter
Common writing mistakes #16
#16 — Misplaced modifiers Misplaced modifiers modify the wrong part of the sentence instead of what they intend to. They are fun to read though because they can sound silly. It makes more sense in practice, so here are some examples: Running away from me, I stumbled after my dog. Running away from me is … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #16
ARC Review — Remember Me
Title: Remember MeAuthor: Estelle LaureGenre: YA ContemporaryPages: 272 pagesPublication date: March 22, 2022 Remember Me is a tale that starts the day before Blue’s birthday. She wakes up with bottles of orange juice in her backpack, feeling slightly off the whole day. She doesn’t understand why, but she does have a strange note that says … Continue reading ARC Review — Remember Me
What to do if your writing/art frustrates you
I've noticed that when things get hard, some people shut down. They don't like the chapter they wrote, so they get so frustrated that they can't do anything. Or perhaps they are struggling to find the perfect word with twenty dictionary tabs open. Their foot taps at a hundred beats per minute while their mind … Continue reading What to do if your writing/art frustrates you
One of the greatest mistakes
I've mentioned that beta readers are useful on here before, which most of them are. But some can be harmful. A beta reader edited my novel a couple of years ago. He didn't read through it all though, but instead tore it apart and asked me to write it again. I thought through his advice … Continue reading One of the greatest mistakes
Book review – What Editors Do (Spoiler Free)
"Being an editor is a lifelong apprenticeship: the books you read, the jobs you have, influence your approach to any given text. Yet in a sense I'm the same editor I was at the beginning of my career, an idealistic former literature student who took pleasure in books whose form and content I understood to … Continue reading Book review – What Editors Do (Spoiler Free)
Common query mistakes
At my new internship, I got to see what was in the bottom drawer: rejected queries. For over an hour, I read query after query. The rejected queries all had repeated mistakes. Here's some of the most common ones: Misspellings One writer wrote aknolegments instead of acknowledgements. Spelling, especially in the writing career, is essential. … Continue reading Common query mistakes
Book review – Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet (Spoiler Free)
"It was easier to know it than to explain why I know it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact." Title: A Study in ScarletAuthor: Sir Arthur Conan DoyleGenre: MysteryPages: 123 pagesPublication date: November 1887Publisher: Ward … Continue reading Book review – Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet (Spoiler Free)
Writing origins
Sometimes it's good to look back at where you came from. For me, I was a small girl in Dallas. I tried writing a novel about puppies with super powers in a Captain Jack Sparrow journal. I handwrote many chapters that took up about half the journal before I stopped. I had a colored in map … Continue reading Writing origins
First book impressions matter
You got one chance and you can't throw away your shot. Everyone's watching the stage. It doesn't matter if it's a song, movie, play, or novel, a first impression needs to be top notch. If you don't catch the audience's attention in the first few minutes, you might not at all. There's a couple of … Continue reading First book impressions matter
Robin LeeAnn 