Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
Fact-checking is critical so that readers trust what you tell them and so they aren’t pulled out of your stories by inaccurate details. Fact-check your fiction.
Punctuating interrupted dialogue is a confusing topic for both writers and editors, but there is a definitive answer to the question, “how do you punctuate interrupted dialogue?” Use dashes.
Deciding between attributive and possessive can be tricky, but a few tips should help you decide if an apostrophe is needed.
Search your stories for text or practices that leach the power out of your characters’ declarations. A consideration of question tags.
When plain words work, use them. Don’t feel that you must use fancy words to elevate your fiction. Choose words that make your story feel real rather than pretentious.
To ensure reader satisfaction and a tight story, make sure that the protagonist solves the story problem. Make sure that the main character is involved in your story’s resolution.
Major characters grow and change. Have you remembered to show the ways in which your characters are changed by what happens to them?
If a character comes from a country different from yours or different from that of your other characters, make sure that he uses words and phrases peculiar to his country and not to yours.
Many writers have a “something other” that makes their writing style and their stories stand out. Explore your own something other and learn to play it up to create memorable fiction.
Rather than try to spell an accent, use other options for letting readers know that a character has an accent.
The reader will focus on what stands out. Turn the reader's attention where you want it to go.
Thank you for reading The Editor's Blog, an Internet resource for fiction writers,
freelance editors, and everyone who loves words
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Copyright © 2010-2018 E. A. Hill Visit Beth at A Novel Edit
Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
