We’re told that perfectionism is a good thing. We’re told it’s a trait to brag about when we’re in a job interview to showcase just how hardworking and detail-oriented we are. We’ve been conditioned to believe that being a perfectionist equals success—and that all of our idols have gotten where they [...]
Burnout sucks. It’s an unrelenting exhaustion that has you feeling completely zapped of energy. Your creativity, which has been running on fumes for miles, has officially petered out in the middle of nowhere. You can hardly think about writing, much less get any words down. At this moment, it may feel [...]
You did it. You sent pages off to your writing group or critique partner or beta reader... and they finally responded. You're both terrified and excited to see what they thought. Your heart is pounding as you open their feedback. Your eyes start scanning, taking it in. Your nervousness starts [...]
It’s almost November which means it’s almost time for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo for short)! NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November (roughly 1667 words a day) and writers all over the country come together to participate. The beauty of the NaNo [...]
Writers need outside eyes on our stories. External feedback will identify what we’re doing well, and where our stories need work. Working with a professional editor or book coach is one of the most efficient ways to improve our skills and write the best we can. However, we also need [...]
Editing, rather than drafting, is usually the hardest and most time-intensive part of writing a book, especially since there are so many stages. Knowing what kind of editing you need, based on where you are in your writing journey, is crucial to saving you time and setting you up for success [...]
It is impossible to write a good book alone. Writing can feel like a solitary act that you must struggle through, hunched over at your computer desk, without any support. This is not only far from the truth, but it’s dangerous! Getting outside eyes on your work is critical to [...]
Writing can feel like a solitary act which you must struggle through, hunched over at your computer desk, entirely alone. This is far from the truth. In fact, outside eyes on your work are critical to telling the story you envision. Writers write for an audience just as [...]
I just finished up my most productive month of writing ever. I set a goal to finish a draft of the project I’m currently working on, and while I didn’t meet my goal, I spent over 80 hours writing and wrote over 50k. Despite falling short, I consider [...]
Okay, writers. Time for some real talk. Have you ever felt like the words you’re writing don’t translate what’s actually in your head? Like your story is getting lost even as you type? Or perhaps you’ve finished a manuscript (woo!), but feel entirely overwhelmed because you know something isn’t working, yet [...]
Great scenes build an exhilarating push and pull between a story’s plot and characters. Plot events drive characters to make choices, and their choices in turn shape future plot events. This wave of tension locks in readers, compelling them to read chapter after chapter. With the 15 key elements in this guide, you can claim this page-turning power as your own! We’ve included two analyzed, annotated scenes to show you how it all works.
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