• Xulon Press Ask the Editor

    Scene One: Your Book and Poetry

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    Like a fluffy, well-placed ribbon cascading down a vase of fresh flowers, adding poetry into a manuscript is a small touch which adds a lot of beauty—if done correctly. If done incorrectly, it can clash with, distract from, or (worse) obliterate any view of the original masterpiece. How do you make sure that you’re using poetry in a way that enhances your book? Think theater: if your book was a play, poetry is used to set the stage for the audience. 1) Raising the Curtain. Poetry can be used as a dramatic introduction at the beginning of a chapter. Write…

  • Xulon Press | The Grammar Debate

    Ask the Editor: The Grammar Debate

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    So you thought this would be a post on which grammar rules are official and which ones are made up. That’s not where we’re headed. This is more of a duel than a debate – as in, the dueling forms of grammar all contained in one manuscript. Being the author, you decide which grammar rules you want to adhere to – you just need to stick to your choice. It’s all about consistency. If you are making inconsistent choices in regards to your nouns and verbs, then you are likely making errors in grammar. It’s not about remembering an impossibly…

  • Mind Mapping Technique

    Ask the Editor: How to Outline a Non-Fiction Book

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    If you asked me to list the three fears I picked up in high school English, they would be diagramming sentences, red ink and outlining. I’ve never gotten past my red ink complex, but I can now see the true value in outlining any writing project before touching fingers to the keyboard. Contractors don’t build houses without blueprints. You can’t write something big (especially a book) and not use an outline; it’s the writer’s blueprint. The two most popular techniques are the mind map and the chapter-by-chapter outline. You can use them separately, or start with the mind map and expand into the…