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Head-Hopping in Fiction Writing: How to Avoid Reader Whiplash
What is head-hopping in fiction? Are you showing us the inner dialogue of more than one character within one scene? If you are, then this is probably head-hopping. What exactly is head-hopping, why does it matter, and how can you avoid it? What is Head-Hopping in Fiction Writing? Head-hopping refers…
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How to Write Grunts, Groans, Ums, Ahs and Ers in Your Novel
When writing dialogue, it’s tempting to focus solely on the words your characters say – but sometimes, what’s not said (the grunts, groans, ums, ahs and ers in your novel) can communicate just as much as the actual dialogue. These small, seemingly insignificant sounds, called vocal tics or filler words,…
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How to Add Emphasis to your Writing
There are various ways to add emphasis to your writing, which will bring importance to the words and phrases in your novel. Italics, CAPITAL LETTERS, Capital Initials, exclamation marks (!), interrobangs (?!), bold and underline will all add emphasis to your writing. But which way is best? And are there…
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When your Point of View Character is Absent
When you are writing a novel from one character’s point of view, it’s important that everything being said on the page has been experienced by that character. We can only smell what they smell, see what they see, hear what they hear. If you suddenly start describing something that happens…
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Pacing and Flow: Editing Tips to Keep Readers Engaged
Have you ever read back through your manuscript and felt something wasn’t quite right? Possibly your dialogue drags, or perhaps a scene that felt great when you were writing it now feels too short, with missing details. You’re probably bumping into issues with pacing and flow. If you want to…
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Compelling Characters
Creating compelling characters is one of the most crucial aspects of writing fiction. You want to write characters who leap off the page, characters who you’d like to meet in real life, characters who truly resonate with your readers. But this is not easy! The Heart of Your Story: Why…
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When to Use Section Breaks in Your Novel
Writing a novel is a journey filled with plot twists, character arcs, and countless cups of tea. One of the key elements that can make or break the readability of your novel is how you use section breaks. These often-overlooked tools can enhance pacing, clarify narrative shifts, and give your…
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More Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Authors
If you’ve just finished the first draft of your novel, and reviewed my original list of 10 self-editing tips for fiction authors, please read on for the next 10. (There are 24 tips in total, and 24 is the best one of the lot…) Of course hiring a freelance editorial…
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Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Authors
If you’ve just finished the first draft of your novel, now it’s time to look at my list of self-editing tips for fiction authors. The better your manuscript is before you send it to a fiction editor for some professional attention, the better your final, published book will be. Authors…
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Character Names
Writing a story gives you the freedom to create wonderful, imaginative characters – but have you thought about character names? Character names might need to reflect the setting of your novel. For example, a novel set in Victorian London will have different names from a novel set in contemporary New…
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Writing Flashback Scenes
Writing flashback scenes can be tricky – particularly when a novel has been written in the past tense. In this article, I outline my three top tips for ensuring that your flashback scenes work, and that your readers don’t get lost along the way. Past Tense in a Novel Many…
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Balancing Showing vs Telling in Writing
Many (many!) new writers are confused about balancing showing vs telling. As a writer, you strive to create immersive and engaging stories that captivate readers from beginning to end. One essential skill to master is finding the right balance between showing and telling. In this blog post, we will explore…
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Writing Compelling Dialogue
Writing compelling dialogue will elevate your novel from good to superb. Dialogue is one of the cornerstones of a novel – writing it well will gift your reader with an immersive experience. Dialogue can add depth to your characters, giving them individuality and personality. But many authors find it hard…
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Writing Sex Scenes in Fiction
Let’s talk about sex! Writing sex scenes in fiction can be daunting – but they should be treated just the same as any other scene, and deserve the same level of careful attention. Are sex scenes necessary in your novel? Clearly, not all novels contain sex scenes. Some genres expect…
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How to Find a Trustworthy Book Editor
How to find a trustworthy book editor is a question I see repeatedly on social media. Finding an editor you can trust shouldn’t be difficult, but I know a lot of authors are concerned about being scammed. They are worried that an editor is going to take their money and…
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Reducing Repetition and Redundancy in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 4 How to identify and remove repetition and redundancy in your fiction writing. You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do these phrases actually mean? What constitutes ‘tight writing’?…
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How to Stop Over-Describing in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 3 Newer authors often fall into the trap of over-describing, but how do you avoid over-describing (and generally overwriting) in novels? You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do…
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Get Rid of Then, Before and While in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 2 How to avoid OVERWRITING in fiction novels by looking at excessive timeline nudges. You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do these phrases actually mean? What constitutes ‘tight…
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Stage Direction in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 1 Too much stage direction in your novel can be information overload. You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do these phrases actually mean? What constitutes ‘tight writing’? And…
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What Even is DIALOGUE? What is dialogue in a novel? It’s how you represent the way your characters are speaking. In books, it tends to be encased within either ‘single quotes’ (common in the UK), or “double quotes” (common in the US). There are many rules relating to dialogue and…
