4 hours agoMember-onlySo … You Wrote A Draft That Keeps Growing and GrowingWhen it just keeps going and going and going…what do you do? Have you ever seen $300 worth of chicken nuggets and dollar menu soft tacos? I had just earned a big paycheck, $325, and I was desperate to impress her. She was already my girlfriend, it was my longest…Editing Your Ms9 min read
3 days agoMember-onlyAvoid The Research Hole And Get Your Writing GoingLet’s tackle some practical advice and truth. She used scissors. Those big orange-handled ones that your Mom would always tell you not to lose or play around with. She used scissors to cut up my research paper, the thing I spent weeks writing, the thing I needed to write in…Writing Research10 min read
4 days agoMember-onlyA Writing Coach and Editor Answers 3 Of Your Questions About Drafts and EditingYou asked, I’m answering. Just don’t fall off the stage. That’s all I could think about as I paced back and forth in front of 250+ people the last time I taught a writing workshop at a convention. The room was a cave, a big open space that was probably…Writing5 min read
Aug 5Member-onlyYou Need To Know About The Differences In EditorsNot all editors do the same job They laughed me right out of the restaurant. I was young, I still had all the hope and naïveté that the young have, and I was wearing a tucked-in button down shirt with my second best pair of khakis and my uncomfortable dress…Writing7 min read
Aug 4Member-onlyWhen You Learn These 3 Things About Beta Readers, You Have An Easier Time In PublishingHere’s what beta readers are and what they aren’t My old computer had diskettes. (For the younger crowd, they’re the reason why the save icon looks the way it does). I was allowed a variety of cheap text-based games as a kid, along with a few games with very minimal…Writing7 min read
Aug 3Member-onlyStop Thinking About Other Writers As Competition Because They’re NotThey’re just other writers, we’re all in this together Maybe you’re like me, blessed with a terrible competitive streak but double-blessed with a sense of inadequacy that everyone will always by default be better than you. I can’t remember my first competitive experience. I assume it was probably a race…Writing7 min read
Aug 2Member-onlyIf You’re Having Trouble Describing Things, Practice ThisAn old cinema technique can improve your writing in minutes A few days ago (was it a few days ago? these weeks seem to be centuries one minute and seconds the next) I mentioned how every sentence is a camera. This is usually something I get a fair amount…Writing10 min read
Aug 1Member-onlyWe All Need To Write Better Reviews. Here’s How.Everyone wins with better communication I love a guide. I’m a gamer from the early Nintendo Power days, so guides for things have been a part of my creativity for what feels like forever. Whether that guide is super detailed (looking at you Final Fantasy Boy Band Bro Out and…Writing10 min read
Jul 29Member-onlyYou Are Not Your StarsDon’t live and die for your reviews or ratings “This pot pie is one of the worst I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten pot pies for years.” — 1 star. “This story was not great, with confusing characters and bad dialogue.” — 3 stars. “Could have been better.” …Writing9 min read
Jul 28Member-onlyHere’s The Problem With The Show-Don’t-Tell DebateCan we please stop making this a fight now? You never expect to find the good drugs at a bad flea market. But there I was, half-drunk at 10 in the morning on a wine slushy, looking for my then-girlfriend’s friend of a friend who allegedly had a large amount…Writing12 min read
