Dialogue tags can be tricky. But they’re easy to understand after knowing the difference between them and action beats. Dialogue tags show who’s speaking and how they’re speaking. These can include but are not limited to: Dialogue tags are formatted with a comma before the ending quotation, and a period goes after the tag. For … More CWM: #13 — Dialogue tags vs. action beats
Preparing a manuscript for an editor can seem daunting, but it’s easy to do once you understand the basics. Here are six things to keep in mind while preparing: Putting everything in one file. I have never had this one, but I’ve heard from other editors how authors will send their work in one chapter … More How to prepare your manuscript for a book editor
Recently, I’ve seen some writers try to up their vocabulary. It feels as if they’re opening a thesaurus and writing the words they find down. Some of these words include specific plant or animal names, scientific words, uncommon verbs, etc. Grackle. Fervent. Reveille. Ostentatious. Imbibes. But it’s better to use plain language. I attended an … More CWM: #12 — Not using plain language
Editors are essential. It’s also important to communicate some information with them when reaching out to get their services. Here are six things to keep in mind: WORD COUNT, NOT PAGE COUNT Knowing how many pages there are isn’t as helpful as one might think. There is a general standard that every page is about … More 6 things editors need to know before editing your work
Showing instead of telling is difficult. Most of the time, it’s hard to think of how to show something. I forgot who gave me this writing tip, but it’s one of the best ones I know: show through action. Or, in other words, show through your character interacting with the world. Here’s an example: It … More Best way to show instead of tell
I’ve had a few authors use commas to add detail after detail onto a sentence. But they don’t realize how jam-packed the sentence becomes. Here are two fictional examples: Laurence came through the door, looking for answers, looking for something to turn his path around, and looking for that foolish cat who messed up from … More CWM: #10 — Adding too many details with commas
We’ve all heard the saying show, don’t tell. Even as I edit, I find instances where I need to point that out. However, telling does have a purpose. It’s about how it’s used. And perhaps understanding it more will help writers know when and when not to use it. There are two main concepts where … More When to tell instead of show
Lately, I’ve seen a few writers overuse character names. They would use a name almost every chance they could. Here’s a fictional example: John walked over to Laurencia with the biggest smile on his face. He turned with his back away from Laurencia, careful not to let Laurencia see the paper behind his back. John … More CWM: #9 — Overusing character names
There are many POVs with questions surrounding all of them. I want to break them all down and discuss the biggest concerns in different posts. Today, I’ll talk about third person POV. THIRD PERSON Third person has the most variety out of all POVs. There are three types: third omniscient, third objective, and third limited. … More POV talk: third person
There are many POVs with questions surrounding them. I want to break them all down and discuss the biggest concerns in different posts. Today, I’ll talk about second person POV. SECOND PERSON Second person is one of my favorite POVs to read. When it’s done well, it creates a powerful story. It addresses the readers … More POV talk: second person
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