I made the mistake several months ago, when I was still hovering around 70,000 words in my manuscript, of Googling “how long should a novel be?” There are plenty of opinions, some from credible sources, and even my literary idol
Readers Wanted
Obviously, a writer writes because they want people to read their work. But this early in the process, you may not feel comfortable letting just anyone read it – you are looking for honest feedback on the quality of the
First Draft
So let’s say that I’ve accepted a challenge to write something here every day for the next 30 days. Could I do it? I’m not sure. But I guess I’m going to give it a go. You can tell from
The Final Scene
So I’m finally there. The end. The final scene. And, to be honest, it doesn’t feel as great as I thought it would. I mean I’m happy to have made it to the end, finally. But now I’ve started looking
Signpost Up Ahead
An ancient mariner digs the sea. The wide open ocean beckons for someone to tame it. But for a writer, the vast white ocean at the bottom of the page is foreboding. Starting at the top of the page and
Editing As You Go
Resist the urge to edit as you go. In Stephen King’s book On Writing, he gives this advice, and I think most writers would do well to heed it. If you have the type of personality that seeks diversions when you
When You’re Stuck
When you’ve invested a lot of time in writing something, in developing a character, or a particular scene, it’s sometimes hard to admit when you’ve headed down a dead-end from a plot perspective. If you’re stuck, and can’t seem to
To Prove My Point
See what I mean? Four months. Four months goes by in the blink of an eye. Writing is a game of inches – especially when writing something as long as a novel. You have to force yourself to write everyday.