Monday November 25
Subscribe to RSS Feed

Lesson from Mad Men Finale—It’s the Real Thing

May 19, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Taking tips from the series finale of Mad Men.

Share

Continue reading Lesson from Mad Men Finale—It’s the Real Thing »

2 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Proofreading Pays Off

May 13, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Proofreading can be tough, but your stories deserve the attention to detail that a good proofreading can provide. Learn some tips for proofing your own work.

Share

Continue reading Proofreading Pays Off »

16 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Story Openings in a Digital World—The First Page is a Sales Tool

April 28, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

A book’s opening words need to entice readers right away, especially readers who search for books online and who give a book only a few moments to capture their interest.

Share

Continue reading Story Openings in a Digital World—The First Page is a Sales Tool »

7 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Is Your Storytelling Unbalanced?

April 25, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

An examination of the storytelling modes to see how they effect story. Topics include narrative, dialogue, exposition, description, and narrative summary.

Share

Continue reading Is Your Storytelling Unbalanced? »

6 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Readers are Smart—Respect What They Bring to Books

April 12, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Readers don’t have to write books to know a lot about them—and writers would do well to respect the reader’s knowledge and expectations.

Share

Continue reading Readers are Smart—Respect What They Bring to Books »

12 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Writing Advice—What About -ing Words (Part Four)

April 8, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

There’s a lot of conflicting advice that tells writers to never use words that end in -ing or to not use -ing words under certain conditions. Explore both the advice and the rationale behind it.

Share

Continue reading Writing Advice—What About -ing Words (Part Four) »

28 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Writing Advice—Behind the Advice (Part Three)

April 6, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Explore the rationale behind writing advice before you choose to accept or reject it. Includes advice on semicolons, exclamation points, prologues, and opening stories with dreams.

Share

Continue reading Writing Advice—Behind the Advice (Part Three) »

5 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Smiling or Laughing Dialogue—A Reader’s Question

March 30, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Explore novel ways to look at the use of dialogue tags, especially at “said” and other verbs, such as laugh and smile, used as dialogue tags.

Share

Continue reading Smiling or Laughing Dialogue—A Reader’s Question »

42 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Writing Advice—Weighing the Advice (Part Two)

March 27, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

How’s a writer to know what writing advice is good and what is better ignored? A continuation of an earlier post.

Share

Continue reading Writing Advice—Weighing the Advice (Part Two) »

18 Comments, Join in »

Subscribe to RSS Feed

It Ain’t Over Till the Full Story Sings

March 23, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Many writers stop working on a manuscript before it’s truly finished. Polish stories to add resonance and to make them sing.

Share

Continue reading It Ain’t Over Till the Full Story Sings »

22 Comments, Join in »