The only just literary critic is Christ, who admires more than does any man, the gifts He Himself has bestowed. – JRR Tolkien

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novel

Story Pacing – Urgency – Hooking Readers

The First Fifty - Crucial - Pages of Your Book

Using urgency for your characters and putting them in peril to keep your readers engaged and turning the page of your book.

What is the Best Point of View to Use in Fiction?

Benefits and Drawbacks of Each POV in Your MS

How to use different points of view in your novel manuscript for fiction.

As a beginning writer who chose to write my first book in first-person narrative, I discovered the drawbacks of such an approach the hard way.

Halfway through the book,… Continue reading

Adverbs – Part Three

The Dreaded LYs

Do I really have to avoid adverbs in my novel manuscript? Should my story have less adverbs? How to use adverbs in fiction without overdoing it.

When discussing adverbs in regards to writing fiction, the kind we’re usually talking about are the ly words – like clearly, dearly, and madly.

Many high-brow critics complain that the use of… Continue reading

World Building – Information Dumps in Your Story

Are You Overwhelming Your Readers?

World-building in science fiction novels and stories - are you giving readers too much information at a time?

Have you ever run across a prologue like this:


(usually in sci-fi books)

Captain Briggs took the helm and began shouting orders. “Ensign, optimize the traspositional filtration valves to ignite the gravitational destabilizers.”… Continue reading

Sentence Fragments – Stylistic Choice?

Should I Use Sentence Fragments?

Should I use sentence fragments in my book manuscript? Is this bad writing or style?
Sentence fragments.


Who cares? You? Me?

Anyone?

Depends.

Writing nonfiction?

Probably wouldn’t.

Work, that is.

Writing fiction?

Could be.

Depends.

On what?

Style.

With some authors?

Might work.

Others?

Not so much.

A… Continue reading

Rewriting and Revising Before You Edit

How Many Manuscript Drafts Should You Go Through?

How many times should you revise and rewrite your book? What should I do about editing my manuscript?

When working on a book of any kind, if you haven’t gone through a minimum of three drafts, you probably don’t have a finished product.

The first draft should be… Continue reading

Edit Your Book

Why You Should Edit Before You Send to An Editor

Editing your book - what's the point of editing before sending to an editor? Does a book editor charge extra if my work is bad?

Whether you’re publishing your book yourself, sending to an agent, or to a publisher follow these important tips.

When you’re getting ready to send your manuscript off, always… Continue reading