Word Count
What should my word count be? is a question that every writer asks at least once in their writing career, and with good reason.
A Holiday Card Punctuation PSA
Apostrophes do NOT make a word (including your last name!) plural.
As You Know, Bob . . .
Dialogue should be sharp and serve to move a scene forward. It should also reflect the way people speak to one another.
How many times have you actually said, “As you know . . .”
What’s Your “Why”?
Some folks, who respond well to accountability, write because they have a deadline.
For others, they won’t eat, or pay any of the bills, if they don’t write.
And for others still, writing creates the space in their brains they need to find peace.
Reading in Your Genre
What’s your favorite book, or who’s your favorite author, in the genre you write?
If you can’t answer that question, then it’s time to head to the library or bookstore.
Style Sheets
Style sheets are one of my favorite organizational tools during the line editing process. They will save you so much time as you move from line editing, or copyediting, to proofreading.
Story Elements (for Nonfiction Folks too)
Story elements are the building blocks of a story.
Specifically, characters, plot, and setting are the foundational pieces. No character? No story. No plot? No story. No setting? No story.
Time to Write
Last month I asked what writing problem you would solve if you had a magic wand, and several of you said you’d magic up more time to write. Last I heard, the Ministry of Magic still isn’t loaning time turners to Muggles, so what else can you do to find time to write?
Welcome to the Teaching Corner!
I’ve always been a teacher at heart, and I love sharing what I know about editing and writing to help authors grow. This is why I created the blog “An Editor’s Teaching Corner for Writers.”
Each post will contain a writing tip from one element of the Teaching Corner Framework, which consists of Mindset, Content,
Mechanics, and Feedback to help you grow as a writer. So what kinds of things will I be teaching?
Mindset: Mindset tips will cover everything from imposter syndrome to defining success, to creating a writing practice that works for your individual style.
Content: Content tips will dive deep into story elements and other ideas that make your writing unputdownable. Nonfiction folks, don’t worry, I’ll explore content areas for your growth, too.
Mechanics: Mechanics tips will cover ways to improve your writing at the word and sentence level. Think all things punctuation, grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.
Feedback: Feedback tips will explore how to source feedback and what to do with it once you’ve received it.
What kinds of things will I not cover? The Teaching Corner won’t explain publishing or marketing tips. That is not my wheelhouse, and there are other folks who are doing a great job with this already. However, I promise to share helpful resources in these areas whenever I run across one.