Everyone knows that to become a better writer, you need to write more. Practicing the craft does exactly that; allows you to hone your skills of putting words in the right order, building scenes and shaping characters.

The more you write, the better you get at it. But better writing isn’t the only skill that a writer needs. You also need to grow as a writer, so that each book you do write is an improvement over the last, and here are four ways that you can do that.

Learn To Take Criticism

Unless a reviewer or commenter is attacking you personally (in which case they are the one with the problem), criticism of your writing isn’t personal. It’s an opinion, just like the opinions that you yourself form when you read books by others.

Opinions aren’t something that you have to agree with and can be great teachers if…

Words. You can’t be a writer without them. We use them to convey our thoughts and feelings, to create worlds and the characters living in them. Words give us our voice, but they can also muddle it.

Just because you can write using all the words doesn’t mean that you should.

Being too wordy can actually be a bad thing. It weakens sentences and takes the impact out of our paragraphs. This potentially stops something good from being great.

By removing unnecessary words, you’re left with strong, clear prose.

But some of these words add depth and character, you might argue. Yes, they do. In the right sentence, in the right paragraph, at the right point in the story. Any other time it’s likely to be cluttering up your sentences.

This isn’t a complete checklist. Just as we all have our own personal Repeats list, you may wish…

So you’ve done it! Created your characters, planned a world, plotted a story, and turned them into a whole book.

It was hard. It took years. It filled your soul, and it stretched your sanity. It was one of the best things you’ve ever done and one of the worst—or so you thought.

As many writers discover after completing their book, they need to write a synopsis; a process that feels harder than typing “The End” on a 100,000-word manuscript.

Why? Because condensing those characters, world, story, and years of carefully crafted sentences into a one-page summary is damn hard. Like writing a book, however, you can do it, all you need is a little help from these do’s and don’ts…

Do’s

Do Give Yourself Options

A one-page version is usually standard, but some publishers/agents do request a two-page option so it’s a good idea to write both. While…

on The Book Designer:

One of the most common posts in the self-publishing and book marketing group I co-moderate on Facebook is some variation of this:

“I just wrote my first book and I’m so excited! What do I need to do now to get it published? Can anyone tell me? I really want this to be a best-seller!”

Continue reading HERE

Who knew you can make this easy Caramel Sauce just by boiling water? I have wanted to try this method for years but I never thought it would work. Let me be the first to tell you……it really does work!

Ingredients – Yes that’s it but don’t open it!

Remove the label.

Fill a deep pot with enough water to

cover the can by at least 1”. If it gets

lower than 1” you will have to add

more water. I simmered mine with a

lid and didn’t need to add any more

water. Bring the water to a simmer

and simmer for three hours. Keep on eye

on it and adjust the temperature as

needed to keep it at a simmer.

Do NOT open the can.

 It will remain sealed the

entire simmering time.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Carefully remove the can from the water.

Let the can cool and then…

on Just Publishing Advice:

Can you improve your writing with the Hemingway app?

Clearly named after Ernest Hemingway, the Hemingway editor is a popular free writing tool.

Compared to other grammar and spelling checkers and writing software it is a simpler alternative.

There is a desktop version available for Mac and PC, which is quite cheap. But most users prefer the online free version writing editor.

Like all free writing tools, there are some compromises. So how well does the Hemingway app stack up?

Continue reading HERE

When you’re writing a novel, you want to use concrete, everyday verbs. Examples of these are jump, smile, run, look, show, and eat. You can picture the actions in your head and there is no ambiguity.

He ran down the street and jumped over the fence.

Replace weak or dead verbs with concrete verbs as often as possible. I say as often as possible, because there will be rare occasions when the weak or dead verbs are necessary.

Weak verbs usually end in ‘ate’ or ‘ize’. You know the ones. Some examples are finalize, incorporate, anticipate, categorize. They leave a vague sense of action without spelling it out. As a reader you have to reach for it, and these verbs can really way down your sentence.

The bookkeeper utilized her expertise to manipulate the numbers.

Dead verbs don’t evoke movement or images. They stop the action. They allow us…

Today, I am thrilled to host fantastic author, D.L. Finn. After visiting a couple of the other stops on this tour, I have decided that this book is a must read! Hopefully, you will agree.

D.L. is offering some fun giveaways on her tour. If you leave a comment at any of The Button tour stops, you might win one!
The Button Tour Giveaway:
2- “The Button” Kindle Format
$5 Amazon Gift Card
1-“The Button” Signed Paperback and Book Marker

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Poetry has become an essential part of my life. I’ve found a place to express my hidden emotions. Some of my poetry no one will ever read, it’s more venting and healing than anything else. The rest I share on my blog or newsletter, and I’ll be releasing my first poetry book, “Just Her Poetry Seasons of a Soul” March 22nd.

While I’m writing a book, I…

I am currently hard at work editing my 90K+ collection of short stories that will be published soon. As I go through this work and apply some of the things that I’ve learned editing other authors’ works, I found that I have some crutch words.

In public speaking, crutch words are things like ‘um’ or using the word ‘so’ to start sentences when there is a pause needed to collect your thoughts.

It’s a bit different in writing. In writing, crutch words can pop out at you during the editing process. This is partly true because enhancements to Microsoft Word’s grammar check actually point them out with nasty brown underlines (appropriate color).

The important thing to remember is, if you overuse a particular word or phrase, your reader will notice it and will start to get annoyed by the frequent repetition.

My Crutch Words

My worst crutch words that I…