Epic Fantasy Writer

You’ve done the hard part: you’ve written the book. Whether it’s your first or your fifth, that’s no small feat. You’ve persevered through blank page syndrome, shaped a story that’s true to your voice, and watched a world emerge on the page. Now comes the moment that separates the hobbyist from the serious writer: turning those raw, early drafts into a refined, compelling novel that can stand…

You’ve finished your draft. You’ve maybe even revised it once—or five times. Now you’re staring at editing packages online, trying to figure out what you actually *need*. Developmental editing? Line editing? Content editing? Is proofreading enough? What about ghostwriting? Let’s break it down. As a senior editor who’s worked with hundreds of authors, I see confusion around editing terms all…

You’ve typed The End. You’ve sat back, exhaled, maybe cried a little, maybe celebrated. Or maybe you stared at the last sentence with a kind of quiet panic. Now what? If you’re like most writers, the moment you finish your draft—whether it’s your first or fifth—you’re faced with the same question: Am I ready to hire an editor? It’s a great question. And an important one. Hiring an editor too…

If you’ve written a book and have decided it’s time to get it published, you have plenty of choices to consider carefully. This post will walk you through the process, from drafting, through to publishing the final book. Step 1: How to ensure your book is ready for self-publishing After you’re poured in hours on end to get your book written, the last thing you want to face yourself with is…

I oversee five publishing imprints as senior editor and acquisitions editor. I have seen so many queries I have lost track of the quantity, though it may be in the thousands. This experience, paired with some training I received back when I was a coach with Author Accelerator, has equipped me to be a real pro on the submission process. Starting with this post, I am going to start a series aimed…

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a local client who does not own or use a computer. As much as that might seem bizarre in this day and age, I am always open to helping anyone who needs the help of an editor, regardless of their preferences. Little did I realize, I was about to make a big discovery. For the last 10 years, for the hundreds of editing projects I have either worked on…

If you work very hard at something you're very bad it, then you're going to make something very bad that you worked very hard at. #amwriting #writers

There is a teaching video by Brandon Sanderson which has shaped a popular myth for writers, based on this video: The whole video is great, but see 7:55-8:45 for this post’s feature: There was a time when I took this advice to heart. I loved Brandon’s example of the pianist who has worked hard for 20 years at the piano. It gave me hope that, if I’m a bad writer, I just need practice and I’ll get…

I came across a great quote on the importance of reading, through James Clear’s weekly newsletter. It is from inventor and writer Lin Yutang: “Compare the difference between the life of a man who does no reading and that of a man who does. The man who has not the habit of reading is imprisoned in his immediate world, in respect to time and space. His life falls into a set routine; he is limited…

My review for Zen In the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury

www.goodreads.com/review/show/3171249333

*This post is based on the newsletter I sent out today, so apologies to those subscribers who also follow this blog.

I’m excited to share something new!

While I have continued to work on Blood Dawn every weekend now since March, I have also discovered a new part of my gig that I’m having so much fun with, I want to make it a part of what I do.

Here’s a link to a piece I have been practicing, that…

I’ve always thought my writing routine boring to most people, so I just don’t talk about it. But as social distancing now nears the end of its 2nd week, with perhaps many more weeks to come, I see many people sharing how they are spending their time to stay sane. Among these especially: writers. So, it’s my turn.

Back at the start of 2017, someone gave me some good advice:

“Don’t wait to be…

I know I promise no more “how to write” stuff. Well, I promised no more rules about what I write about, so that means there’s no rule saying I can’t write about writing when that’s what I want to write about.

This thing is, I believe many best decisions are made when you’re simply trying to solve a problem in doing them. And here’s my problem: I’m training a brilliant new copyeditor on my team…