The Origin of the Character: Creating Better Backstories
Backstory is what happened to your characters before page one of your story. Not everything—the reader doesn’t need to know what she had for breakfast on her tenth birthday, unless it led to anaphylaxis, and that pertains to the story you’re writing. Backstory adds depth to your characters. It helps the reader to connect with […]
The Perfect Polish
“The End.” You’ve typed the final words, and your manuscript is complete. What next? If you’re like most people, this is when you search for an editor. Even talented writers need a second (or third) pair of eyes to look over the manuscript and polish it so that it gleams. Assessing Your Needs First, assess […]
Four Types of Edits Every Author Should Know
An Editor’s Guide to the Proces Note: All editors are different. Just because one editor may follow process A, does not mean that a second editor following process B is wrong. This breakdown is intended to provide general information to get you started, but your mileage may vary. Types of Editing When we talk about […]
The Indie Author’s Guide to DIY Editing
When and Where to Spend Your Limited Resources What if we told you that your book doesn’t need to be perfect to be published? Following the Michael Anderle school of thought, the goal is to hit a MVP—minimum viable product—with our books. We want to write to genre expectations; it’s the story and characters that […]
What’s Your Type?
How to Use the Magic Melding of Letters and Art to Sell More Books Typography is more than letters spelling out your title. It’s the music to your lyrics. The frame for your painting. The signboard for your reader’s journey. Together with your title, author name, and cover image, the magic of type draws readers […]
Battling the First Draft and Winning
Drafting is how we get books. Books are our business. This means drafting is our business. Finishing our drafts is our top priority. No finished draft, no book. No book, no readers. The perfect first draft, that great inspired work that flows from the divine muse through us onto the page is a myth. Perfection […]