Lately, it seems like everywhere I turn, I have something about AI in my face. AI will soon be running everything! Get on board before the world passes you by! You won’t be able to run a business without AI! Books will be replaced by AI drivel! And so it goes… I have done a lotContinue reading “My AI Manifesto with regard to my editing and book reviews”
Category Archives: Readerly on Writing
Top Ten Mistakes when Querying, continued
#1—Querying too soon. Okay, I hate to say it, but it’s true. Most writers query too soon. In the past, books could be less ready to go and still get picked up by agents or editors, and there are plenty of agents who still do editorial before they send an author’s work out on submission. Continue reading “Top Ten Mistakes when Querying, continued”
Top Ten Mistakes Authors make when Querying, continued…
ICYMI, #10 through #6 are available here and here. As promised, the last five are all content related and so a little more difficult to address than the technical errors. #5—Not connecting the reader to your main character It is vital that the opening connect the reader to the main character. This does not meanContinue reading “Top Ten Mistakes Authors make when Querying, continued…”
Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make in Submissions, continued…
See #10 and #9 here. #8—Spending time on the set up in the query. Think of the Query as a sales document for your novel. If you spend any of your precious (really) plot paragraph on set up, then you are not selling the actual novel. If you’ve done your job as a writer well,Continue reading “Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make in Submissions, continued…”
Are you making these submission mistakes?
I have been working with History Through Fiction as an Acquisitions Editor for over a year now, and I love it! HTF is a small press publishing well researched and immersive historical fiction. You can see more about the press, its mission, and see whether we might be a good fit for you here. ThisContinue reading “Are you making these submission mistakes?”
Don’t Cheap Out on Your Renovation or Your Novel Revision
Home Improvement is on my mind lately. I have an old house and it needs some work—I can do some of it myself, but I will have to pay professionals to do the things I cannot do. Looking at what the previous owners did, I have these words of advice: don’t cheap out when youContinue reading “Don’t Cheap Out on Your Renovation or Your Novel Revision”
What Painting has to do with writing…
You may remember, dear reader, that I recently moved into a house built in 1900, in a little Railroad town in Texas. If you have ever owned an old home, dare I say historic, then you know there is a lot to love, and a few things which are considerably less lovable. Full disclosure, IContinue reading “What Painting has to do with writing…”
Join me to find out how to Wallop Your What If
A lot of writers say, “I’m a pantser. I don’t plan, I just write.” I get it. Really. It’s such a minefield out there. Maybe you spent a ton of time outlining your first novel and ended up throwing most of it out. Maybe you wrote it by sticking to the outline, but then theContinue reading “Join me to find out how to Wallop Your What If”
New Podcast Episode: Fantastic First Pages
We are digging deep into first pages and what makes a great one. What does a first page have to accomplish? What Makes the first page good? Types of First Pages Examples of some Fantastic First Pages and a discussion of why they work NOTE: the URLs are affiliate links. If you purchase the bookContinue reading “New Podcast Episode: Fantastic First Pages”
Book Review: The Wedding People by Alison Espach
When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued by the premise—a woman goes to a fancy hotel to kill herself, but it turns out to be a destination wedding week and the bride keeps her from following through, because she doesn’t want her wedding to be ruined. In a world where it seemsContinue reading “Book Review: The Wedding People by Alison Espach”