There’s no question that Harry Potter is a worldwide commercial success on paper and on film, and an inspiration for thousands of writers around the world. J.K. Rowling’s struggles with publication are often-talked about by writers, but what few really discuss is her outlining technique, and in this blog post, I delve into the method behind her magical madness, and…
Tag: editing
The Three Stages of Editing
Let’s be honest – your book is going to spend far longer in the ‘editing’ stage than the ‘drafting’ stage. The blank page might be daunting, and spending hours deliberating over outlines or character sheets might feel like the most agonizing part of crafting a manuscript, but the sheer reality is that editing, in all…
Blog Swap: How Movies and Television Can Inspire and Improve Your Writing
The Blog Swap is exactly what it sounds like: friends Brett Michael Orr and Rae Oestreich had the idea to guest-post on eachothers’ blogs, with an added twist. Each month they’ll write a guest post based on a topic the other has assigned to them - anything from writing advice, to book discussions, or even…
Writing Tips & Tricks – With Guest, Alyssa Carlier
Today I’m teaming up with the wonderful Alyssa Carlier of Random Morbid Insanity, to discuss some tips for writers in all stages of their novel, from the initial planning and outlining, all the way through to polishing your manuscript before submission.
Show Don’t Tell Explained
“Show, don’t tell.” It’s the rule hammered into writers from the internet, their critique partners, their agents and editors; it’s so commonly repeated and shouted, written in red pen and scrawled in manuscript margins, that the phrase itself has started to lose meaning. And perhaps the most frustrating thing for most new or beginning writers,…
Brett Michael Orr 