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Deny, Deny, Deny

December 26, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Ramp up story conflict by repeatedly denying characters what they want or need.

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Character Rants and Breakdowns—Let ’em Rip

December 21, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Give your main character a tour de force moment where he reveals his true personality and all the needs and fears he’s been repressing and stuffing deep for a lifetime.

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Celebrations in Story—Marking the Special Days

December 18, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Use celebrations and holidays in your stories to make characters real, to tap into emotional moments in a character’s life.

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Weed Out Author Intrusion

December 13, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Author intrusion is disruptive and annoying. Look at ways to identify and cut out the writer’s obvious intrusions into a story.

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Apologies for Formatting Issues

December 11, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

My apologies to those Firefox and IE9 users who’ve had to deal with ugly formatting on The Editor’s Blog. I hadn’t realized how bad the problem was. Clearing your cache will allow you to see the correct version of the blog. Please don’t hesitate to tell me if you ever have problems with the blog. […]

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Why I Would Decline an Edit

December 7, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

I don’t take on every manuscript that’s sent to me for editing. The simple reason is that many are not ready for a professional edit. A look at my reasons for turning down an edit.

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Take Me Somewhere New—Tell Me A Story

December 3, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

A reminder of the power of story to take us where we’ve never been, to make us into people we can only imagine.

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Story Threads—Tie the Elements Together

November 30, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Unrelated story events and characters and setting make for unsatisfying, even bad, fiction. Check out ways you can connect story elements to create full and satisfying stories.

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Bitches and Bastards, Maybe. But No Perfect Characters Wanted

November 24, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Nice characters make for bland fiction. Don’t strip imperfect characters of their personality and flaws, not if those flaws and traits make them who they are and what you need in your stories.

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Write with Fire

November 20, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Too much attention on writing mechanics and rules can discourage writers when instead they should be encouraged by what craft allows them to create. A reminder to think about the fire and passion of fiction.

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