Where the writing of your book is lawless, murky, and full of unexpected twists and turns, once your manuscript is done, the path to publication is clearly defined and involves only 5 stages. Do these, and you’ll soon have a book that’s ready to meet its readers!
Do you hold onto your best material, thinking that once you use it, you can’t write about it again? If so, here’s some great news: not only can you write about the same theme, topic, characters, settings, and general ideas over and over to get the most mileage out of your writing, but you can repurpose your content into all manner of other work. When you use your writing as a launching pad for yet more writing, you’ll have a near endless resource of options for future publications!
Some writers love the bells and whistles of online writing apps, but many find staying simple is best. There’s much to praise about writing on index cards for organizing your ideas, mapping out a project, and feeling connected to the process..
Which point of view you choose in your fiction writing is an instinctive decision, but how you manipulate it changes the whole story! Learn how to use point of view in fiction writing and how you can use it to best effect.
Once you finish your first draft, which is better for you: do you get a manuscript evaluation so you can revise the work yourself or do you have it professionally edited right away? Both options are valuable, and they depend on what you want to do with the manuscript to prepare it for publication. Read on to see which path is best for you!
It seems logical that when you complete a piece of writing, you’d want to share it with someone who is going to tell you nice things, namely that they like it (heck, you worked your fingers off- you deserve some kind words!) But what is even more satisfying is to share it with someone who will not gauge it in such terms as whether they like it or not; instead, they’ll be focused on seeing your writing in all its complexity and honoring it by providing constructive insights that are way more helpful to you in the long run. Read on to see why you don’t want your editor to like your writing.
Developmental Feedback is the comprehensive editorial letter and manuscript margin notes an editor makes on your manuscript. When you’re ready to get a complete and thorough read on your work, developmental feedback provides a road map to help you see your writing anew, so you can prepare it for distribution or publication.
When your brain is fatigued from seeing the same words over and over, it’s time to seek out help from an editor or peer reader. Getting deep constructive written feedback on your writing from an outsider helps you re-see your writing and boosts your writing to the next level– every time.
These carb metaphors are excellent developmental tools to help you define the scope and purpose of your YA protagonist. Once you determine whether your YA protagonist is a sandwich, a muffin, or a cupake, you’ll know how to create them to full effect!
A long-held belief continues to pervade emerging writers’ thinking: if you want to become a writer, earning an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is essential. Yet while an MFA is valuable for many reasons, if your goal is to write a novel (or other long-form book project), an MFA may be overkill, sideline you from your goal, and put you into debt for many years. Since mentor support, literary education, and peer connection can be found in private writing programs — for a fraction of the cost and in ways that may ultimately suit your writing goals more personally and relevantly than a university degree program— it’s worth examining your priorities before going back to school and asking, “Do you need an MFA to write a novel?”
