It’s turning into a no-excuses sort of year. Not because I haven’t had plenty of excuses, but because, no matter what the world throws at me, if I want to be a writer, I have to write. Even when the universe is hurling trials like hail in an Oklahoma thunderstorm, if you want to be…
Sometimes, quality is hard to define. For example, in Super Bowl XLVIII (that would be 48 for the Roman-numeral-challenged), the best defense in the NFL was pitted against the best offense. Going into the game, most pundits thought the score would be close. In reality, the Broncos and their explosive offense were impotent against the…
For the first time in my editing career, I walked away from a client I’d agreed to work with. He was a very nice man, loved the Lord with passion, and had unquenchable faith. I wanted to partner with him even though I knew his project would require extensive rewriting. But after the first segment…
Most of the new authors I work with struggle with writing from deep point of view. Mastering POV is essential for fiction writers. It puts your readers in the head of the character and enables them to become emotionally connected to your story. As a novelist, you’re not aiming for your readers to hear a…
I’ve heard publishing professionals say that when they want to know if a prospective fiction client can write, they flip through the manuscript in search of the first section of dialog to see if the author has mastered the art. Dialog is that important. So today I’m going to give you my top ten tips…
