Use Action Beats with Dialogue
An action beat is a sentence that follows a line of dialogue, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. The speaking character does something before or after their line of dialogue.
Early Readers Provide Critical Feedback
Most writers are aware they need to enlist the help of early readers to get critical feedback for their books, but it can be confusing to know what kind of reader you need and when you need them.
To be clear, having people read your manuscript before you publish it is an excellent idea. Not only will you receive valuable feedback, you’ll build your capacity to be vulnerable when you share your work.
Let’s dive into the different types of early readers you may need, when to utilize them, and the best strategies for ensuring the feedback you receive will be helpful.
Numbers in Books
The “rules” about how to style numbers still trip up veteran writers (and editors). There are a lot of rules, and numbers is one of the topics that style guides often have very different ways of handling, which adds to the confusion.
In the US book-publishing world, we use the Chicago Manual of Style to determine how to treat numbers in text, whether fiction or nonfiction.
Self-Edit: Trim Unnecessary Words
Tighten your writing by trimming unnecessary words and let your verbs do the heavy lifting.
Read Like a Writer
To read like a writer means to read material not for pleasure, but for education.