Looking back, the big turning point in my writing career came when I embraced revision. Cocky teenage me thought everything I wrote was awesome, and only needed light editing to be perfect. Eventually, I realized that the first draft is only a starting point, and the most important part of the writing process is elevatingContinue reading “Achievement Unlocked: Revision Milestones”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Breaking a Scene List into Arcs
In a previous post, I talked about color coding my scene list by stakes. That’s only one of the ways I use my scene list, which is really a super handy all purpose tool to look at a book’s structure in all sorts of ways. (To review, it’s just a list of all scenes inContinue reading “Breaking a Scene List into Arcs”
Going on Submission (Now With Scorpions)
The first rule of Sub Club is you do not talk about Sub Club. So there’s not as much out there about the process as there is about querying. While I was on sub, I know the posts other writers who’d gone through the process made about it were a lifeline for me, so IContinue reading “Going on Submission (Now With Scorpions)”
The Best Birthday Present Ever
So I have to share my call story with you guys, because it was strange and wonderful and funny and involved bees. HUNDREDS OF ANGRY BEES. I am not making this up. It all started on my birthday. My awesome agent Naomi Davis called me, which basically gave me a heart attack right there, becauseContinue reading “The Best Birthday Present Ever”
Big Announcement!
Sooooooo… I have some news. I have AWESOME news. I have the VERY BEST NEWS IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! I am giddy with delight to announce (and I cannot believe I’m saying this and it’s true and this is really happening) that Orbit has acquired my fantasy novel, THE TETHERED MAGE, for publication in Fall 2017!Continue reading “Big Announcement!”
Stakes Map
I did a new structure thing today which worked really well for me, so I wanted to share it with all my fellow writers! I was side-eyeing my current revision, which involves adding a bunch of new scenes, and thinking there might be some patches where I had too many sitting-around-and-talking scenes in a row.Continue reading “Stakes Map”
Time
This spring has been busy for me, with my day job needing more hours than it used to and various family and homeowner things consuming my life. It made me think of this comic I did a while back. I suspect most writer parents can identify.
Lies Writers Tell Ourselves: My Beta Reader Doesn’t Get It
So you send off your draft to some awesome, kind beta readers, and they send you feedback. Most of it is great, but there are one or two comments that are way off base and show they really missed the boat. Maybe they’re suggesting a character do something that character would never do. Or urgingContinue reading “Lies Writers Tell Ourselves: My Beta Reader Doesn’t Get It”
Lies Writers Tell Ourselves: Publishable Quality
Long ago, when I was young and innocent and just starting out on my journey through the world of publishing, I had the idea that my job was to write a book good enough to be published. Once I did that, everything else would follow—because if it’s good enough to be published, that means it’llContinue reading “Lies Writers Tell Ourselves: Publishable Quality”
Go Back and Revise, or Keep Drafting?
I’m at that point on my WIP where I know I’m going to make some edits to chapters I’ve already written that will significantly change a viewpoint character. I have to make the choice whether to go back and revise now, or to forge ahead and finish the first draft before revising. Normally, I’m aContinue reading “Go Back and Revise, or Keep Drafting?”
Melissa Caruso 