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A Tale of Adverbs and the Comma

February 21, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

While most adverbs don’t require commas, some special adverbs do. A lesson on the use of commas with sentence adverbs and conjunctive adverbs.

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Honesty in Fiction

February 4, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Show characters as they are, revealing their fears and motivations and dreams. Keep characters open and honest before the reader so that the reader understands character motivation and emotions.

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Engage Readers—Feed Them Tasty Fiction

February 1, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Treat readers the way a chef treats his favorite customers—give them the good stuff, prepared with their tastes in mind. Make each story, beginning to end, a tasty one.

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Edit While Formatting—One More Chance to Get It Right

January 8, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

If you plan to self-publish, you or someone you hire will be responsible for formatting for print. Allow yourself time to format correctly and to adjust the text to fit into your book’s design.

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Heads Up—Holiday Sale at Bowker

December 28, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Bowker is offering 25% off their products and services, including ISBNs. This is a holiday offer, so I don’t know how long it will last.

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Lessons from the Movies—The Force Awakens

December 18, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Take a lesson from a review of the newest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens—give readers more than the expected.

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Why Writing Fiction is Hard

December 6, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Writing novels and long fiction is hard. But the task isn’t impossible. And writing is fun and satisfying. A bit of encouragement for those struggling with their fiction.

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No Golden Words or Sacred Cows

November 19, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Any word or line of text in a fiction manuscript can be changed. There are no golden sentences or sacred utterings that should stand unchallenged as you rewrite and edit. Writers should expect that the first draft will need extensive changes.

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Getting Specific—Addressing Readers’ Examples (Part 2)

November 8, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

What happens to the comma when you have a question mark or exclamation point midsentence where a comma should go?

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2015 NaNo Encouragement

October 23, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Encouragement and tips for taking on the 2015 National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) challenge.

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