Ignoring Structure: When to Toss the Blueprint
The strongest queer romance stories don’t just bend structure. They ignore it in a way that still keeps readers glued to the page.
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Fiction Writing
Structure Your Queer Romance Story
Story structure isn’t as intimidating as you might think. For queer romance especially, it’s crucial to have in your writing toolbox.
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Being a Full-Time Author Isn’t Easy
Being a Full-Time Author Isn’t Easy (But It’s Not Impossible) Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash A full-time author isn’t the tortured soul penning out their tale in a barely lit basement with nothing but cobwebs for company. Being a career author, too, isn’t just taking your headphones and writing implements
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Self-Publishing Responsibilities of Queer Romance Authors
Self-publishing a queer romance novel looks easy. There’s actually a lot more work to it than you may believe. Queer romance authors should take their responsibilities for producing quality work.
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My Early Queer Romance Writing Days
My Early Queer Romance Writing Days Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Queer romance writing feels like something I stumbled into by chance. At the same time, it feels like the natural result of my overall fiction writing journey. As an adolescent and preteen, I drifted toward reading romance thanks to
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How to Find the Right Queer Romance Story Coach
It can be hard to find the right queer romance writing coach for you. Here are a couple questions to ask that make that decision easier.
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How to Create Character Depth Through Inner Monologue
Inner monologue shows who characters are on the inside. Here’s three tips on building more well-rounded characters using their inner thoughts.
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How to Use Dialogue Effectively
Give your readers strong verbal exchanges with this week’s tips on how to effectively use dialogue in your fiction.
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Adjusting My Freelance Editing Business
Although Q1 wasn’t my best quarter, as a freelancer, the only easy day was yesterday. Q2 is waiting.
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Give Your Characters (and Yourself) A Break
Resting isn’t just for writers to put aside their manuscripts. Characters need to put aside their worries for a time, to remember why they’re in the fight in the first place.
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Psychoanalyzing Your Novel’s Characters
Psychoanalysis isn’t just for the doctor’s office. Applying Freud’s theories can help you build stronger, more realistic characters.
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How to Use the Right Critique Partner
Here’s a few questions to ask as you seek a writing critique partner to address the conflict problems you may be having with your own manuscript.
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How to Write Your Story in Reverse
Organizing your story from the end to the beginning connects events in a way that your drafting (and especially your revising) stages become easier to reflect on one word at a time.
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How to Write a Story from Start to Finish
This week, I cover the misunderstood title of “pantser” in fiction writing. More importantly, I provide a few tips on how you can “pants” your way to a first draft without the internal panic.
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Ordinary Does Not Mean Boring
Introducing a reader to your novel isn’t just about the character’s external journey taking place. Readers need an understanding of your protagonist beyond their external goals.
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Use Supporting Characters to Help and Hinder Your Protagonist
Famous duos run through books, TV shows, movies, and all other forms of media and entertainment. Here’s just a few of those duos, why their connections run so deep, and how their roles should be replicated to your own fiction writing.
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Avoid the Dreaded DNF
DNF’ing a book is a part of every reader’s life. There are foundational ideas that lower the chances of an author’s target reader closing their book for good.
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Stay True to Your Characters
Reflect on who your character is versus who your character wants to be, even just one word at a time.
Stay True to Your Characters Read More »
Alpha Readers vs. Beta Readers and When to Find Them
Alpha readers and beta readers work hand in hand, but they very much belong at opposite ends of the drafting process.
Alpha Readers vs. Beta Readers and When to Find Them Read More »
How Many Drafts Is Too Many?
In fiction writing, authors always reach a point where they believe their story is never going to be finished because it’s just not perfect yet. This week, I offer a look at what each subsequent draft of a novel should cover, so you don’t lose yourself in the rabbit hole of fixing every minor error before you either move forward with self-publishing or hiring a professional author.
How Many Drafts Is Too Many? Read More »
Niching: Genre Writing
Last week, I wrote about the importance of understanding your skill sets and abilities within the book editing process, and why I chose the specialties I did. This week, I cover the other side of the equation: genre writing. There are a few ways fiction authors can decide the subgenre that best fits their style and personalities. Read on to learn more!
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How NaNoWriMo Changed Me as a Writer
The end of 2023’s Camp NaNoWriMo came six weeks ago. It was my first year participating. Check out this week’s article on how that participation affected my approach to fiction writing and the lessons you can think about applying to your own processes!
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Fan Fiction to Original Fiction: Is It Worth the Jump?
Fan fiction has so much more to offer authors than the opportunity to play around with their favorite TV, book, or movie characters. Writing fan fiction offers the chance to hone your craft. This week’s blog article argues why that’s the case.
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Craft Books: Writing Resources
There are countless writing craft books on the shelves these days, spanning fiction and nonfiction, and every genre within those categories. I highlight two that I’ve discovered, two that should serve as the foundation of every fiction writer’s craft library.
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The Editing Process: Proofreading
The final stage of the editing process is proofreading. In this week’s article, I go just beneath the surface of this process, and why it’s so vital for authors to go through this prior to moving forward in their book publishing journey. While proofreaders focus on the smallest details, they can still help authors improve their story “one word at a time!”
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