Title: Lady Night Author: Rita A. Rubin Genre: YA Fantasy Pages: 370 pages Publication date: November 1, 2022 Thank you, Rita A. Rubin, for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for a fair review! Lady Night—the sequel to Amulet of Wishes—starts off like an Avengers movie. The readers get thrown right into … Continue reading ARC Review — Lady Night
Tag: dialogue
ARC Review — The Rose Vol. 1
Title: The Rose (Vol. 1)Author: P.D. AllevaGenre: Sci-fi thrillerPages: 316 pagesPublication date: October 7, 2020 Thank you, P.D. Alleva, for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for a fair review! I don't pick up thrillers often, but I'm glad I picked up The Rose. This story follows multiple POVs as the world … Continue reading ARC Review — The Rose Vol. 1
Common writing mistakes #18
#18 — When to start new paragraphs Deciding where to start a new paragraph is important. Readers can get confused or lost if everything’s all in one. So, I made a list of the top three reasons to start a new one. Who's speaking changes If a different character talks, start a new paragraph. Having … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #18
ARC Review — Amethyst
Title: AmethystAuthor: Jesse Nolan BaileyGenre: Horror / FantasyPages: 152 pagesPublication date: September 24, 2020 Thank you BookSirens and Jesse Nolan Bailey for giving me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for a fair review! In Amethyst, Rashell's brother is missing, and no one seems to care except her. She sends out a letter … Continue reading ARC Review — Amethyst
Common writing mistakes #13
#13 — Dialogue tags vs. action beats Dialogue tags can be tricky. But they're easy to understand after knowing the difference between them and action beats. Dialogue tags show who's speaking and how they're speaking. These can include but are not limited to: Begged Exclaimed Grumbled Muttered Mumbled Said Screamed Shrieked Snapped Whispered Yelled Dialogue … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #13
3 tips to spice up your dialogue
Dialogue is critical. It’s not necessary, but in stories where it’s present, it needs to flow and keep the story going. That can be hard though. Small talk keeps the story still. Sometimes dialogue can feel like an info dump. So, how do we keep it interesting? Goals Give every character a goal—usually a different … Continue reading 3 tips to spice up your dialogue
3 questions to build your characters’ voices
One of my favorite panels from DV Con was about voice. The presenters brought up many powerful points. They mentioned questions to ask about your main character (MC). Preferably, you'd ask these questions before you begin writing. But if you're like me, you don't know your characters as well on the first draft, so this … Continue reading 3 questions to build your characters’ voices
Is “said” worthless?
In college writing classes, we sit in a tight circle, facing each other. Sometimes, we critique our own works; other times we discuss writing. But one time—and only once—everyone raised their voices against what I suggested. I disagreed with the author using the word said for every single dialogue tag. I raised my hand and … Continue reading Is “said” worthless?
Common writing mistakes #9
#9 — Overusing character names Lately, I've seen a few writers overuse character names. They would use a name almost every chance they could. Here's a fictional example: John walked over to Laurencia with the biggest smile on his face. He turned with his back away from Laurencia, careful not to let Laurencia see the … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #9
Common writing mistakes #8
#8 — The Words Feel and Felt No matter what POV you write in, you’re going to come across the words feel or felt at some point. When I edit novels or when I edit my own work, I find a lot of feels and felts. These words are sometimes glossed over without realizing the potential that could be brought to your … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #8
Robin LeeAnn 