Category: revising

  • No Filter Words: An Easy Way to Improve Your Writing

    No Filter Words: An Easy Way to Improve Your Writing

    I am always looking for quick and easy ways to improve my writing. I know there are plenty of long and hard ways: years of practice; studying writing of established authors; hours of self-editing and so much more. So, let’s talk about a relatively quick way to give your writing more punch: Get rid of…

  • Say It Aloud

    Say It Aloud

    “If you’re using dialogue, say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.” -John Steinbeck  Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-using-laptop-4051170/ My Linktree

  • Waiting for the Right Idea When Writing

    Waiting for the Right Idea When Writing

    I just put placeholders into the text, and then at some point a better idea might occur to me—or it might not—and I go back. I have a big whiteboard above my desk, and if I have even half of a good idea I write it down on the whiteboard and see if I like…

  • Friday’s Findings: Two Column Method to Drafting

    Friday’s Findings: Two Column Method to Drafting

    I’ve discovered a way to create a rough draft more quickly and conveniently. Sometimes, I’ll have a page of notes about a scene I want to write. But going back and forth from the page with my notes to the page where I’m composing my rough draft slows me down. I tried a split screen,…

  • How These Writers Faced Their Challenges

    How These Writers Faced Their Challenges

    11 top writers on their greatest writing challenges and how they overcome their demons . . . Right click and hit save as to download and read. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-red-tank-top-jumping-on-obstacle-3763879/

  • NaNoWriMo Day 29: Seeking the senses

    NaNoWriMo Day 29: Seeking the senses

    On Thanksgiving Day, I accompanied my mom and her husband to volunteer at a church serving T-day meals to the homeless and low-income families. It was a nice break from working on my NaNoWriMo project. The three of us ending up on the team of volunteers who picked up paper plates and cups from those…

  • Infographic: Writing Style

    Infographic: Writing Style

    Writing style is one of those things that is a balance between noticing it and not drawing attention to itself. Below are some suggestions to add your own writing style to your fiction. Download this infographic. Photo by Rogério Martins

  • Friday’s Findings: July 2022 Camp NaNoWriMo Update #4

    Friday’s Findings: July 2022 Camp NaNoWriMo Update #4

    Working on more than one WIP at once Well, Camp NaNoWriMo will be over Sunday night. So far, I’ve written 25,7000 words out of my 25,000 goal. But one of my less tangible goals was to successfully navigate three WIPs simultaneously. I’ve definitely learned some things about writing three WIP at once. Good things. For…

  • Friday’s Findings: July 2022 Camp NaNoWriMo Update #3

    Friday’s Findings: July 2022 Camp NaNoWriMo Update #3

    Since last November’s NaNoWriMo, I’ve been using what I call the scratchpad method for my writing process. Ever since, I’ve been honing and improving it for my way of writing. Each month, I start a new document and almost every day, I write whatever for that day. That could be a scene for two for…