If there’s one telltale sign of an amateur writer, it’s a manuscript crammed with adverbs. Adverbs are those –ly words, like quickly or angrily, that we tend to rely on in early drafts. But now you’re in the editing process, most of them need to go. Why? In simple terms, adverbs rely on weak verbs […]
Your Weekly Writing Roundup is here! Hit the links below and treat yourself to: Award-winning author David Corbett, who delves into eliciting real emotion in your reader, with his piece entitled Emotion vs. Feeling: How to Evoke More From Readers. Susan Spann getting businesslike with 10 Questions to Ask Before You Accept a Traditional Publishing […]
Don’t you just hate it when editors inadvertently change the voice of your work? (Or maybe some of them do it on purpose, eh?!) After all, your voice is the core of what makes your writing yours. There’s little more painful than reading through your latest draft and feeling like the tiny quirks and sprinkles […]
Today’s post comes from one of our dear friends: sought-after speaker, educator and award-winning book coach, Lisa Tener. As a book writing coach, Lisa helps writers in all aspects of the writing process — from writing a book proposal and getting published to finding one’s creative voice, prioritizing projects, developing an author platform, setting clear […]
It’s Friday, so… *drum roll*… Yeah, you know. It’s the Weekly Writing Roundup! In this edition: Benjamin Sobieck at Better Novel Project enters the fray with 6 Tips for Writing Fantasy Weapons. Standout Books do what they always do – stand out – with 5 Vital Tips for Escaping Plot Holes. C.S. Lakin explores how […]
Strong writing is crisp and distinct. Clichés are cheesy and amateurish. And you’re better than that. There are thousands of clichés out there, so it’s no wonder they sometimes creep into our writing during the drafting stage. But they can make your prose feel boring, unimaginative — or worse, amateurish. Now that you’re editing, it’s […]
Getting your story planned out in a solid three act structure is one of the first big wins when preparing to write your script. You’ve got your characters down pat; you’ve got your plot points spaced out where they need to be. You know your inciting incident; you know where the final battle will take […]
The week is drawing to a close, which means it’s time for the Weekly Roundup at AutoCrit! This time around: If you want to get the most out of your story’s conflict, Janice Hardy recommends you Put Baby in the Corner: Write Yourself Into a Corner. Writing Tips serves up a handy list of 50 […]
Rejection often comes part and parcel with any short story submission. Sad but true. But how can you start to make rejection less of a soul-crushing norm (the kind that makes you want to run and hide the moment you hit “Send”) and more of a random, but tolerable, hazard of the profession? Let’s face […]
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. When asked to define great, he said, “I want to write stuff the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, and howl […]
