Titling a work (any work) can be one of the harder parts of writing. Whether it’s a novel or even a simple school paper, trying to condense massive quantities of material into a single word or phrase that is both memorable and packs a punch is no easy feat. There are a few ways writers …
Category: Tips & Tricks
The Social (Media) Network
If you ask a writer what the most difficult part of getting a book from a computer onto a shelf is, they’re most likely not going to respond with ‘writing.’ Although this might sound crazy for those who are currently writing and asking themselves, “How is this easy?”, it’s not easy. No part of the …
Why Support Groups are Crucial for Writers Everywhere
A couple days ago, I was sitting with a good friend of mine named Emma. I was trying to think of something to write a blog post about. When I told her this, she jokingly responded that I should write the blog post about her. I laughed, thought for a moment, and then said, “Okay.” …
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Self/Traditional Publishing
If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t actually know that self-publishing was an option when I first started writing The Scavenger. I was still under the impression that writers sent a printed copy of their manuscript to a publishing house and then (within a few weeks) would receive a letter back of either acceptance …
Time Flies — or, Rather, Runs Away
Unless you're a full-time writer (and very few of us have the honor of holding that title), finding time to write in day-to-day life can be pretty challenging. I have a tendency to overbook myself, then keep myself awake at night thinking of all the things I didn't have time to do during the day. …
Choosing the Perfect Beta Readers
Finding Beta Readers for your manuscript is no easy task. For those of you who don’t know, this is the technical term for people who read a writer’s work before it’s published and give feedback (a book guinea pig of sorts). Editors can be used in a similar way, but Beta Readers are usually free …
Three Things I Learned From Hiring a Manuscript Editor
When I originally started writing The Scavenger, I had always assumed I wouldn’t have the budget for a professional editor. It had never really been a question after I had started looking at prices and saw what people could charge. But as I continued drafting and editing my work, it became more and more apparent …
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Poisonous Words
Everyone has those words that make their skin crawl. Language has the ability to make you feel things. That’s what I love about being an author; we have the ability to conjure emotions with ink on paper. As you continue writing and learn what makes you tick as an author, you’ll find those words and …
My Editing Process
Within the writing process, one can find a few subsections. One of these sections is editing. I once thought of editing as extremely boring and time-consuming, but I’ve learned to view it a bit differently. One of the many writers I follow is Jenna Moreci (she’s a Youtuber with a hilarious sense of humor that …
No new ideas? No problem!
“Nothing. No ideas. Useless. Empty. Brain.” Hiro Hamada utters these extremely relatable words during Disney’s Big Hero Six. As a writer, I can completely understand the devastating feeling of wanting to work but having no inspiration to do so. It can be really frustrating and can easily result in falling into a rut. To prevent …
J. L. Willow 