Category Archives: Readerly on Writing

Reading this book about knowing when to quit combined with a podcast about how to build your writing habit got me thinking.  Do you know when to quit? I don’t mean you should quit writing.  I mean quit doing something that keeps you from writing.  Just like our main characters, we have choices.  When weContinue reading “Know when to quit…”

I have been working with authors for a while now.  One of my favorite things to do is a manuscript review.  Lots of coaches don’t like doing them, but I love getting the complete picture of the work so we can take it apart and figure out how to put it together in revision thatContinue reading “Cause and Effect is Your Friend”

You have a draft and it is exciting!  Put it away for at least a couple of weeks or a month (even 2) while you plan another project or do something else.  Now, take it out again and let’s start thinking about revision in layers. You may have seen my earlier post about the LayerContinue reading “The Layer Cake Method of Revising a Novel”

Hello Friends!  It’s November, so we all must be writing… To help you figure out what to do with your NaNo draft, a bunch of Book Coach friends and I put together a giveaway of revising resources, just in time for the end of the month.  The Giveaway page includes introductions to each of ourContinue reading “NaNoNowWhat?”

In September, I had been on a training plan to complete a half marathon in October.  I signed up for a 10k here in Tallinn as part of that training.  However, I also made a date with a friend to go to the symphony on the same day.  I didn’t think it mattered, since racesContinue reading “That time I ran the Tallinn Half Marathon without finishing my training schedule…”

I am honored to have Debra Borchert as a guest writer this month!  She and I have worked together on the third book in her series, which is still in revision.  Her books are sweeping sagas of the French Revolution.  Debra’s love and knowledge of French culture and history are evident all the way through.Continue reading “Guest Post from Debra Borchert, author of Her Own Legacy”

We had so many entries in the giveaway, that I decided to give two prizes. I an’t wait to start working with these 2 writers! If you didn’t win this time, you can still get help from your friendly neighborhood book coach. Take a look at the options and send me a message, I amContinue reading “Congratulations! Winners in the SNOTY giveaway…”

I know many of us are planning for NaNoWriMo.  I encourage you to set realistic goals and use NaNo to accomplish something meaningful for your book.  If it’s 50,000 words, great!  But maybe it’s a complete outline, or a Blueprint with a few scenes, or a specific number of scenes, or something else… I wouldContinue reading “Planning for your Draft and maybe Nano…”

I am a big fan of The Great British Bake Off.  As a baker, I love watching the creativity, the beauty, the sheer miraculousness of what the bakers on that show pull off week after week.  I also happen to love cake.  I have written before how writing is like baking (see here), but asContinue reading “The Layer Cake Method of Drafting a Novel”