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Novel Study: Decoding the Secrets and Structures of Contemporary Fiction
Novel Study is now a book!
2023 Year in Review
My year in review, featuring highlights as well as numbers, for a glimpse behind the scenes of a freelance editing business.
The Blue Garret tech stack
Read about the tools I use every day to keep my business running smoothly.
How to use AI tools for fact-checking
Learn how AI tools can assist writers and editors with fact-checking quotations. Though you still need to verify results, using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft’s internet-connected Bing can save you time and even provide you with additional context that can enhance your work.
Report from the 2023 Editorial Freelancers Association Conference
Discover key insights from EFACon2023. From Cathy Hannabach's keynote on "critical generosity" to Ebonye Gussine Wilkins's enlightening workshop on inclusivity in AI-generated text, there's a wealth of knowledge to explore.
What makes a historical novel historical?
Learn how Maggie O'Farrell gets maximum value from historical details in her novel The Marriage Portrait.
Ending a scene with a resonant moment
Not every scene can end with a cliff-hanger. What other techniques can you use to get maximum impact from your last few lines?
How to use sensory details to ground introspection
Learn how to use sensory details to bring important introspective moments alive for your readers and help them identify with your point-of-view character.
Public speaking for introverts
Learn how introverted writers and editors can overcome the fear of public speaking and make it a powerful marketing tool.
The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
Learn how music producer Rick Rubin’s insights about the creative process can help writers.
2022 Year in Review
My year in review, featuring highlights as well as numbers, for a glimpse behind the scenes of a freelance editing business.
Report from the PageBreak Conference, October 2022
A write-up of the proceedings at PageBreak, a "next-generation" publishing conference, with ideas, tools, and strategies for self-publishing authors.
How do you use focalization in omniscient narration?
Learn how to use focalization to show the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters in a single scene with examples from Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait.
What can verbs do for you?
See how Maggie O'Farrell uses inventive writing to lure readers into a story whose ending we think we already know.
How do you use time jumps to create suspense?
See how Rebecca Roanhorse uses time jumps to create suspense in Black Sun.
How do you weave world-building details into a scene?
Learn how to seamlessly weave necessary setting information into a scene readers want to experience in this analysis of Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun.
How do you lure readers into an epic fantasy world?
See how Rebecca Roanhorse uses suspense to make readers desperate to know more about the fantasy world she builds in Black Sun.
How do you use subplots to add tension to your novel?
Follow Jesse Q. Sutanto's model in Dial A for Aunties and use multiple plots to keep your readers engaged.
How do you make a dialogue-focused scene feel active?
Need to keep a dialogue-focused scene from feeling slow and boring? Pick up tips from this analysis of a scene from Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties.