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Hall_10:27
Writing Techniques

Seven Tips for Intuitive Writing: The Heart-Hand Connection

Award-winning author Jill G. Hall shares her top tips for how to dive into your latest project head-first.

  • By Jill G. Hall
    Oct 27, 2020
how_artificial_intelligence_can_help_authors_write_a_better_novel_j_d_lasica
Revising & Editing

How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Authors Write a Better Novel

In this post, J.D. Lasica of Authors A.I. shares how artificial intelligence can help authors write a better novel and questions whether A.I. could be a boon to future writers and authors.

  • By J.D. Lasica
    Jul 9, 2020
Tips for self editing
Revising & Editing

Polishing Your Prose: Tips for Self-Editing

Help your freelance writing land better with editors and increase your chances of getting published with these 11 proven tips for self-editing.

  • By Estelle Erasmus
    Apr 6, 2020
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Revising & Editing

Wait! 5 Novel Editing Questions to Ask Before Your Book Is Actually Done!

In this post, Kris Spisak shares 5 novel editing questions to ask before any next steps in the publishing process, including "does your story have a strong narrative drive," "is your protagonist too passive," and more.

  • By Kris Spisak
    Feb 10, 2020
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Revising & Editing

The Psychology Behind Poor Early Drafts and 5 Steps to Making Sense of Them

Mackenzie Belcastro addresses writers who are despairing over their early drafts, highlighting five ways you can persevere and discover your story within them.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 16, 2018
Lisa Preston featured
Revising & Editing

7 Strategies for Revising Your Novel

The rewrite is tougher than the draft. But the right rewrite strengthens your fiction into something that lasts to publication and gains a significant readership. Boost your novel-polishing skills with these seven strategies.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 5, 2017
nancy-ragno-featured
Revising & Editing

Proof Reading: Catching Wrong-Word Errors

Learning how to catch wrong-word errors will help you prevent them and correct them while you're proof reading your work.

  • By Guest Column
    Dec 15, 2016
ghostwriting checklist
Revising & Editing

The Copy Editing and Proofreading Checklist All Writers Need

Here are 26 important items you should check when copy editing and proofreading your manuscript.

  • By Guest Column
    Dec 12, 2016
first-draft-macallistertwd
Revising & Editing

9 Ways You Succeed When Your First Draft Fails

For every way our first drafts fail, they get us farther down the road to success. Here's what you can learn from your first draft.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 31, 2016
debbie-headshot-featured
Revising & Editing

5 Key Questions Writers Should Ask When Revising Writing

As a longtime nonfiction book and magazine editor, I’ve given notes on revising numerous manuscripts and articles. Here's what all writers should know.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 20, 2016
Bio Picture-king-featured
Revising & Editing

6 Things to Consider After You Write Your First Draft

Here are a few things to consider after you’ve written your first love—uh—I mean draft.

  • By Guest Column
    Feb 25, 2016
Terry Smith-featured
Revising & Editing

10 Reasons Why Freelance Writers Shouldn't Use Autocorrect on Mobile Gadgets

I strongly recommend bloggers to turn off the autocorrect on your phone. And here are 10 reasons to assure you.

  • By Guest Column
    Dec 1, 2015
Gillis_Steven_-_Author_Photo-featured
Revising & Editing

The Art of Writing is in the Rewriting

Writing is about getting down to it, about finding your way into the moment and sustaining the energy for as long as you can effectively. But the REAL writing is during revision.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 14, 2015
m.-alderson
Revising & Editing

7 Reasons to Write an Entire 1st Draft before Going Back to the Beginning

There are important benefits of writing a novel or memoir from beginning to end before going back and starting again. Here are seven of them that you should know.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 9, 2013
Revising & Editing

Cut Your Story Down to Size

Is your manuscript too long? Many of the queries I receive begin, “In my 200,000-word novel….” I stop right there. As I tell all of my clients, I can’t sell anything over 120,000 words by a first-time writer. “Help me cut it,” they say, knowing that I spent some 15 years as an editor before becoming an agent.

  • By Guest Column
    Sep 26, 2013
2nd-draft-proofreading
Revising & Editing

How to Edit and Polish Your Writing

Most manuscripts start out a little messy. Try these thoughtful approaches to polishing your prose.

  • By Guest Column
    Sep 3, 2013
how-to-not-write-bad
Revising & Editing

5 Ways to Deal with Word Repetition

Word repetition can really weigh down your writing and slow down readers. Try out these five simple ways to tackle word repetition and improve your writing skills.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 16, 2013
Revising & Editing

The 7 Deadly Sins of Self-Editing

Avoid these tempting traps, and save yourself from the kind of painful revision that can lead your manuscript to eternal damnation.

  • By Guest Column
    Mar 12, 2013
Grammar Rules
Revising & Editing

Can Critiques Be Useful Before a Draft Is Complete?

Is it a good idea to get feedback before you've finished your first draft or should you wait until it’s completed? Here's what you need to consider before handing off your work to others for critiquing.

  • By Brian A. Klems
    Jul 23, 2012
KlemsBlog-EditingSymbols1
Revising & Editing

How to Revise Your Writing (& Awesome Editing Symbols You Should Know)

Maybe I'm a nerd, but I love the editing process. I love recasting sentences to make them stronger, choosing specific words to make dialogue sing, correcting grammar until it's fit to print and drawing little squibblies all over the page (mainly because I like the way squibblies look). Honestly, I use editing marks so much that sometimes I get bored with the usual suspects and make up my own.

  • By Brian A. Klems
    Aug 25, 2011
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