A writer’s journey (part eleven) – one more (editing) time with feeling

When I last updated, it was a little over a year ago, and I had gotten some editor's feedback. So, here's a quick update on all the editing that has happened. First and foremost, I had to split my book into two. Probably the saddest thing about it. I had never wanted to sell a … Continue reading A writer’s journey (part eleven) – one more (editing) time with feeling

How the publishing industry has changed

The publishing industry has changed a lot—especially on the traditional side—throughout this pandemic. So, I'm going to break down some of the most impactful changes up to date. Please note that this post is about traditional publishing. So, when talking about editors, it’s in-house editors instead of freelance editors. Longer wait times to hear back … Continue reading How the publishing industry has changed

2022 writing goals

Happy New Year! I surprisingly completed all three of my goals for 2021. I got a job in publishing as a freelance editor, which has been going well. I've even got fifteen five star reviews! I also polished up my novel, and, on top of that, an editor looked over it. I got two more … Continue reading 2022 writing goals

Fantasy and sci-fi tips from an award-winning editor

I attended a Reedsy Live where Jonathan Oliver gave some wonderful tips for fantasy and sci-fi writers that I'd like to share. Some of these tips are for all genres though. What's a word count for fantasy and sci-fi? For adult fantasy, he mentioned the range to be about 130,000 to 250,000 words. Sci-fi landed … Continue reading Fantasy and sci-fi tips from an award-winning editor

How does a book become a book? — part two

If you missed part one, here's a link. #3 — Editing your manuscript Don't panic, but this can take many rounds. Editing a book is difficult, and sometimes minds will disagree. You're about to dig deep into your work. How is your dialogue? Believable? Does your character's motivations seem valid, true to character? How is … Continue reading How does a book become a book? — part two

Should you go to AWP? My 2020 AWP experience.

I did a poll on Twitter and found that most of my followers don’t know about the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference. Or maybe you’re curious about going. Since I went this last March, I’ll let you know about my experience. Pricing For national conferences, this is one of the cheapest I … Continue reading Should you go to AWP? My 2020 AWP experience.

A small change for female writers

My old coworker got a job at Barnes & Noble and loves it. But she got so frustrated there once because an older man refused to buy a book from any female writer—in 2018. He's the customer that publishers are afraid of. Because some people still believe females cannot write well. Most female writers change their … Continue reading A small change for female writers

A writer’s inner fight

There are deadlines for my deadlinesShould I set another one?Print the page out and mark it upIs one word the difference betweenAcceptance and rejection? A house or a home?A school or a dictatorship?What's the difference betweenNinety-nine words and a hundred?Should I edit this another day? The deadline was thirty days awayNow it's six or sevenI … Continue reading A writer’s inner fight

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