Corsets have taken a lot of hate over the past century. Modern movies and shows constantly portray this item of clothing as an inhibiting, painful device whose popularity was perpetuated by harmful patriarchal standards of beauty. The conventional wisdom is that...
There are many different types of editing services out there. I’ve given a broad overview on how all the different editing levels work in a previous post. Here, I’ll clear up any confusion on two of the most convoluted editing terms: copy editing and proofreading....
While 2020 has been a memorable year for the most unfortunate host of reasons, there is at least one part of it I will remember fondly, and that is all the wonderful reads I discovered this year. This was the first year I dipped my toes into the wonderful realm of...
If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know that I consider myself a language nerd. I love the beauty and craft of the written word. Many don’t like the idea of studying language because, let’s be honest, learning grammar can be such a drag. I too did not...
Stories have the power to move, inspire, and enlighten. How exactly, though, does a story have the power to affect the reader so profoundly? The answer to that question starts with your character arcs. What Is a Character Arc? A character arc is the process of...
It's so exhilarating to finally reach the point when you’re done polishing your manuscript and are ready to take your story to the next step. First, you should stop and celebrate. But once the giggles and jumping and virtual high-fives with friends over social...
Many of you probably don’t know this about me, but before I became a professional editor and while I was finishing up my English Literature degree, I had a part‑time job as an escape room gamemaster. I not only love storytelling but also roleplaying and puzzles, so...
What makes for a good story idea? In their most basic form, all stories have been done before. Girl meets boy? It’s been done hundreds of times. Boy goes to wizard school? Ditto. The chosen one must save the world? You can find that one from ancient Greece to the...
One of the most common pieces of writing advice is to “show, don’t tell.” It’s true that many new writers struggle with their balance of showing and telling, usually telling what they ought to show. But the advice to “show, don’t tell” is far too simplistic. If you...