Ah, the irony!
Having last month complained about wordcount conventions for aspiring authors, particularly the idea that their books should be as short as possible, I’m now devoting even more words to this topic.
Tag Archives: Novel
Some Words about Wordcounts
For the past three months, I’ve been working on an R&R for an agent.
In part this has been to improve my novel’s wordcount.
On Drafting Sequels Out of Sequence of Traditional Publishing
Drafts of all three books in my proposed trilogy (and a single sheet of paper to spare!)
Experts are adamant that you shouldn’t do it.
When you’ve written the first book in a series that you want to have traditionally published—or rather a book that has “series potential”, to use the correct querying parlance—they say you absolutely should not write a sequel (or sequels) until the first book is sold.
On Plotting a New Novel By Pantsing It
It was supposed to be a beat sheet I was creating for my next WIP.
I’ve always considered myself a plotter. I’m very fond of pantsing my way through revisions, rewriting a scene five times in quick succession if need be rather than taking the time to outline the most feasible approach.
The Hardest Part of Writing
Writing is hard. No one is going to disagree with that.
Often, writers don’t even know which aspects of writing they struggle with the most; those unknown unknowns of writing, which by nature are that much more difficult to address.
I Made My First Ever Aesthetic! (With No Help From My Mind’s Eye Whatsoever)
I always wanted to make an aesthetic for my WIP, though I wasn’t sure that I could.
Originally, this was due to my not understanding them as an artform. I knew they were collages of evocative photos that represents one’s story, and that they’re a common way for writers to discuss and promote their work on social media, particularly Twitter.
A Word on Word Choice When Writing Historical Fiction (pt. 2)
(Continued from Part 1)
Last week, I wrote about the care I take with word choice in writing
Specifically, the first of three questions that I ask myself in attempting to create a narrative that sounds of a bygone era for historical fiction.
A Word on Word Choice When Writing Historical Fiction
As writers, we all naturally pay close attention to the words we use in our prose.
Being a writer of historical fiction has made me even more mindful of word choice.
Thoughts on Pitching My Novel to a Literary Agent
Years ago, on a now defunct blog of mine, I discussed the notion of pitching a novel to an agent or editor.
Specifically, on February 26, 2006, I wrote the following:
Characters’ Physical Descriptions in Fiction: An Argument in Opposition
Last year, while having parts of my WIP critiqued by a CP, I received an unexpected bit of feedback.
It had to do with the physical description of a certain character. Specifically, the fact that, in her mind, I hadn’t provided a physical description at all.
A Frame Around Infinity 