One of my favorite parts of being the editorial director at Castle Gate Press is the sense of hope that fills me every time I open an e-mail with a submission. Each one brings the possibility of a great story, memorable characters, and plot twists I won’t see coming. I almost hold my breath as I […]
Revision Prompt – Stray Punctuation
You’ve heard of writing prompts, now we have revision prompts! Each prompt will give you a specific writing issue to check for in your WIP, along with tips on how to fix each. Going through this process one issue at a time will not only help polish your current novel but will also teach you specific ways to […]
How to write back-cover copy, from James Scott Bell
Back-cover copy–the blurb you’ll put on the back cover of your book– is a key marketing tool. You’ll use the same blurb for a query, if you’re querying agents and editors. So how do you do it right? You need to tease the potential reader with cool stuff about your book but include NO spoilers. […]
MRUs Can Transform Your Writing
A search of the internet for advice on how write better fiction will lead to millions of links to articles about a wide variety of techniques that vary from learning the minutia of grammar to firming up your overarching theme. One technique, however, is both insanely simple and incredibly effective. It’s called the motivation-reaction unit, […]
Revision Prompt – Multiple Prepositions
You’ve heard of writing prompts, now we have revision prompts! Each prompt will give you a specific writing issue to check for in your WIP, along with tips on how to fix each. Going through this process one issue at a time will not only help polish your current novel but will also teach you specific ways to […]
Sci-fi/fantasy writers, don’t spend too long worldbuilding, says podcast
Writers, you’ll agree that it’s certainly a temptation to lose yourself in the details of the world you are building. You want to understand the details of it, like what’s for supper and how it got to the table, for example. Or the special creatures like this fiery deer. What about the geography of the […]
The Importance of a Story Hook
After months of writing and revising, you’ve finally finished your first novel. You’ve agonized over writing a synopsis and rewritten your query letter a dozen times. Now, your e-mail holds your very first request for a partial manuscript. All that hard work is paying off, and you’re well on your way to publication, right? MAYBE… […]
How to draw readers to Christ, gently
C.S. Lewis was one of the great evangelists. He used story to draw people to the faith, stories that showed the spine-tingling presence of God in a way that pulls us in like moths to the flame. As I said in a previous blog post, his prayer for his readers was that “they will fall […]
Keeping Track of the Details
The old saying says that the devil is in the details, meaning that problems in the details can ruin the whole project. When applied to novel-writing, it can refer to the following type of mistakes: – He’s wearing jeans and a Cardinals t-shirt when they leave the house, but camo pants and an Army t-shirt […]
Revision Prompt – Adverbs
You’ve heard of writing prompts, now we have revision prompts! Each prompt will give you a specific writing issue to check for in your WIP, along with tips on how to fix each. Going through this process one issue at a time will not only help polish your current novel but will also teach you specific ways to […]