• There are two different camps writers fall into when it comes to how much writing goes into the first draft. There are those who choose a skeleton draft...

    The First Draft: Skeleton Draft or Bulging Draft

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    Just like there are two different types of plotting styles—plotting and pantsing—there are also two different camps writers fall into when it comes to how much writing goes into the first draft. There are writers who choose a skeleton draft, meaning they put the bones of their stories down during the first draft and then use subsequent drafts and rounds of revisions to continue to grow and fill out their manuscript until it’s complete. Other writers aim to put anything and everything down on paper during the first round, which is typically a bulging draft and way over word count.…

  • By the end of these book-titling exercises, you should be able to put together a decent list of potential titles for your book. The list of prompts below ...

    Tips for Brainstorming Book Titles

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    If you’re not part of the lucky group of writers that knows the title of their book right from the start, we have compiled a few tips to help. By the end of these book-titling exercises, you should hopefully be able to put together a decent list of title ideas for your book. The list of prompts below should help spark ideas. We recommend reading them one day at a time (so you can look at them with fresh eyes each time) and writing down any book titles that come to mind. Book titles should ideally be 5 words or…

  • There are 2 crucial steps before your manuscript is sent off for editing. The first is self-editing. Here are our top 10 tips for how to self-edit your w...

    How To Self-Edit Your Manuscript

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    A common thought among first-time writers is that once they finish writing their book it’s ready to go straight to a professional editor. However, there are two crucial steps that need to take place before you ship your manuscript off for editing. The first is that you must do a few rounds of self-editing yourself. This is the time to read your book as if you’ve never seen it before. Look for plot issues and other trouble spots that could trip your readers up. Take the time to delete material that doesn’t need to stay, run spell check, look for…

  • Writing Inspo: Things To Do Instead Of Quitting

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    “The best way out is always through.” —Robert Frost I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had moments when we want to give up on a writing project or quit writing altogether. If you’re in need of some writing inspo, or you’ve been thinking about quitting recently, here are other things you can try instead: Consider your purpose for writing. Why did you want to write in the first place? How does your writing help you? How does it change you? In what ways do you hope it will help or inspire others? Consider your book’s purpose. What were…