I recently had the pleasure to interview Judy Mohr from Black Wolf Editorial for Writer Wednesday. On her blog, she has a section dedicated to Tips & Tricks from the Editor. I asked her for her top five tips to authors working on editing their manuscripts, and liked them so much that I’m giving them their own post. Enjoy, and make sure you come back on Wednesday for her author feature!
My Quick Guide to Beta Reading
There is very little that is harder for a writer than letting someone else read their perceived masterpiece. The first person to typically look at a manuscript is a beta reader, or someone who reads it over with the intent of carving out plot holes and inconsistencies, among other big-picture issues.
Earlier this year, I offered my services as a beta reader in a Goodreads group, and have since beta read approximately 10 manuscripts, and multiple drafts of some. I’ve read everything from a memoir-style contemporary to a science fiction fairy tale retelling to an urban fantasy with a touch of mythology. If you’re interested in being a beta reader, take a look at my tips below before you get started.
Guest Post: Balancing Writing and Working Full-Time
Although writing feeds my soul, like many writers, I’ve had to work full-time jobs in order to feed the rest of me. My last full-time job was as an academic advisor at a large university, where I worked at least forty hours a week and sometimes more. Most days, the job was emotionally draining because I was tasked with helping hundreds of young adults figure out course schedules, decide on majors, and navigate a host of academic and personal issues. The last thing I wanted to do when I came home was tackle my latest work-in-progress.
So some days, I didn’t. And that’s okay.
Review: A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe
I hereby declare this the “Week of A Mortal Song” here on the blog, as I bring to you a two-part feature on Megan Crewe and her upcoming YA novel. I had the tremendous honor of reading an advance copy of A Mortal Song, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on this amazing story with you today. Then be sure to tune in on Writer Wednesday, when the author answers all of my nosy questions! Without further ado…
My Top 5 Non-YA Reads
One of my work friends asked me what I was reading this week, and when I told her, she asked about the story.
“It’s a YA-” I started.
“A what?”
“A young adult nov-”
“You’re not a teenager! Don’t you read anything real?”
Update on The Mondragon Chronicles
I am so pleased to announce that I have finished the first draft of the second book in the Mondragon Chronicles.
This is a big deal. Let me tell you about it.
7 x 7 x 7
I was tagged a long time ago to the 7x7x7 challenge by JR Szpila. The challenge is this: On your WIP, go to page seven, start at line seven, and post the next seven lines. I picked my 7 from The Runaway Queen. Here they are for your enjoyment!
Reading Wrap Up, June 2016
I had another great reading month in June, with nine (almost ten) books finished, making my yearly total 55 so far. I’m well on my way to my goal of 100. Keep reading to see what I read, and what I thought.
Guest Post: Five Ways to Stay Positive While Querying
Querying is a long, hard road. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned since I began the process.
If you are going to query be prepared for rejections…lots of them. Since I started my career in radio, I was familiar with the process. Before I got my first job in radio, I mailed out dozens of demo tapes to radio stations all over the province–and I was rejected by them all…repeatedly.
The Crystal Tour: Fire Falling Review
In case you haven’t heard, there is an awesome fantasy series called Air Awakens, written by Elise Kova, an inspiring indie author who I semi-stalk on Twitter and Instagram. She is a writing machine, getting down thousands of words a day, churning out a book every three months. I’m the ultimate lurker, keeping quiet and peeking around corners. But then I jumped on the chance to join her Crystal Tour celebrating the upcoming release of the final book in the five-book series, Crystal Crowned. At the time, I had only read Air Awakens, the first book in the series, so I volunteered to read and post a review for Fire Falling, the second book. I’m excited to share my thoughts on Fire Falling. There’s also a link down below to a huge raffle and other events in the Crystal Tour.