“Filter words” are sneaky words and phrases that drain the energy from your sentences, dull the tension in your scenes, and slow down your pacing by “filtering” the action through the thoughts or senses of your character. See examples of what I mean in my article on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog here: “Filter […]
editing
The “Inner Editor” Debate: To Write Fast or Edit as You Go? – On the RMFW Blog
You’ve heard the advice to “turn off your inner editor” as you get your first draft down on paper. That’s great advice. But I don’t always follow it. To find out why, pop over to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog this week to read my article “Writing Process: Shutting Down Your Inner Editor—Or Not.” […]
Top 10 Ways Not to Start a Story, Part 2 – RMFW Blog This Week
This week, I’m diving deeper into why some story beginnings may not work well for your book. Please click here to check out my article on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog: “Top 10 Ways Not to Start a Story, Part 2.” As always, I’ll see you back here on my own site in a […]
An Unexpected Benefit of Critique Groups
When you think of critique groups, you probably assume (hope) that they’ll give you some constructive feedback to improve a scene, chapter, or story. But did you know that’s only half of the benefit you can gain from a critique group? And it’s probably not even the most important half. I’m blogging about this over […]
A Writer’s Tribe: Critiquers, Alpha Readers, and Beta Readers, Oh My!
What’s the difference between alpha readers, critique groups, beta readers, sensitivity readers, developmental editors, and all the other reader/editor types out there? And what are we writers supposed to do with them all? Each one has a role to play in making your story the best it can be, whether you’re polishing your manuscript to […]
Why We Need Other Writers in Our Lives
You know what they say. They try to tell us that writing is a lonely calling. That we should be huddled in attics, with our eyesight failing and our shoulders hunched, madly scratching away at our craft while the world rotates somewhere out there, beyond the window, without us. The problem is, that’s not necessarily […]
