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I’ve already written about fleshing out a novel that’s too short, so today I’ll talk about the opposite – what to cut from a novel that’s too long. You might be the type of writer who overwrites, going into lots of detail when writing a…
We all have an inner editor – that little voice that criticises everything we write when we’re trying to put words down on the page. Telling us that’s not a good enough word or this whole chapter is garbage or I’m not writing this character…
Comp titles, or comparison titles, are essentially similar books to your own that would sit alongside it in the market. They could be similar in terms of content, theme, or tone. Comp titles can be used: Coming up with comp titles can be difficult, especially…
If you’re knee-deep in querying literary agents and they’ve requested any material from you (yay!), you might get an email that is equally exciting and terrifying: The revise and resubmit (or R&R for short). This means the agent thinks your work has promise, and they…
If you’re the type of writer who writes bare-bones first drafts like me, you’ll need to look at making your novel longer during revisions. But how can you flesh out a short manuscript without forcing things in? How do you add elements that feel natural…
One of the things writers tend to consider before they publish is whether they should write under a pseudonym (or a pen name). Some famous examples of authors writing under a pen name are Lemony Snicket (real name Daniel Handler), Robert Jordan (real name James…
Sensitivity reading, also called diversity reading, is a topic that’s often misrepresented these days in publishing. Contrary to what some believe (and what some sensationalist news pieces claim), a sensitivity reader doesn’t exist to make your work “politically correct” or to impose their own political…
The GSU (goals, stakes, and urgency) method was mentioned in an article on ScriptShadow by Carson Reeves as a method of developing a screenplay – but it works great for novels, too! Screenplay methods can often be applied to novel-writing. Jessica Brody adapted Save the…