The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

fiction

A Checklist of 10 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Fiction

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self-editing, red-lined edit of printed pageIf there’s one thing in the writing community that seems to cause overwhelm and confusion, it’s self-editing one’s manuscript.

Many new writers have the false belief that the first draft of their story is supposed to be publication ready, clean of errors and a gripping read—a home run, a slam dunk, a touchdown (plenty of sports analogies for you to pick).

Let me squash that belief right now.

Dead.

Like a bug.

Your draft is just that, a draft, the first writing of your story with your inner editor turned off. Some people call it [Read more…] about A Checklist of 10 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Fiction

Your Hero’s Story Goal and the Problems in Obtaining It

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lion in midst of antelope creates a story goal for the lionEarlier this year I looked at 4 important elements in fiction writing. Here’s a quick review:

  1. What does the hero want? (This is the story goal.)
  2. Who or what is opposing the hero getting what she wants?
  3. What will the hero’s life look like if she does (or does not) get what she wants?
  4. Who is the guide who helps our hero get what she wants?

Today, I want to dive deeper into the hero’s story goal. [Read more…] about Your Hero’s Story Goal and the Problems in Obtaining It

8 Simple and Creative Blog Post Ideas for Fiction Authors

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book cover Blogging for Authors by Rebecca LivermorePlease welcome bestselling author and blogger Rebecca Livermore to the blog today.

8 Simple and Creative Blog Post Ideas for Fiction Authors

As the author of Blogging for Authors, it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of blogging. I see blogging as a great way for authors to build their platform. However, this is easier said than done, particularly for fiction authors. Some of the difficulty is due to the challenging nature of coming up with blog post ideas. Sure, nonfiction authors have an abundance of things to blog about, but coming up with blog post ideas for fiction authors is a bit more challenging.

If you’re a fiction author and you’ve ever struggled with knowing what to blog about, keep reading to discover eight blog post ideas for fiction authors.

[Read more…] about 8 Simple and Creative Blog Post Ideas for Fiction Authors

The Major Plot Events of a Novel and When They Occur

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building blocks, an analogy of plot eventsThis month’s last post on plotting concerns the major plot events, or building blocks, of your story.

Most writers understand all fiction has a climatic scene, aka the climax. They also know it occurs very near the end of the story.

However, many writers miss several other plot events essential to their story. [Read more…] about The Major Plot Events of a Novel and When They Occur

Story Premise: What it is and how to develop it

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In last week’s “To Plot a Story,” guest Deborah Lyn Stanley stated, “A one-sentence premise is essential to a strong story.”

Many writers may not understand what a premise is or how to arrive at that one-sentence, so let’s take a look at it today.

Premise. Little boy meets alien.In almost all of the books I have on the craft of writing, discussion of premise is missing, or perhaps they use different terminology. So is it any wonder when I ask writers what is the premise of their book, they answer with a blank stare. [Read more…] about Story Premise: What it is and how to develop it

Plotting: Finding a system that works for you

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Plotting know where you're headedIn recent months I’ve been stymied by my work in progress (WIP). Would I call it writer’s block? No. I was struggling to write because I simply didn’t know where the story was going.

You see, I decided to take a short story I wrote for a college class a few years back and develop it into a novella. That meant I had to expand on the plot of the story, and I hadn’t taken the time to do that before I started writing.

If you have no plot, you have no story.

For that reason, I’ve decided [Read more…] about Plotting: Finding a system that works for you

3 Common but Easily Avoided Mistakes in Fiction

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3 Common Mistakes to Avoid in FictionLately, I’ve noticed several of the same kinds of mistakes occurring in the manuscripts I’m reviewing, so I thought I’d address them here today. Let’s start with the easiest one to fix.

Dialog tags before the dialog

You can find this mistake with ease, and fix it just as quickly. It happens most often when writers give their characters an action prior to the dialog.

Gary turned to me and said, “I don’t make that mistake.”

Readers know quotation marks indicate speech. The words and said are superfluous.

Laughing, Gary said, “I don’t make that mistake.”

In the example above, [Read more…] about 3 Common but Easily Avoided Mistakes in Fiction

The Problem with Flashbacks

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shattered glass from a car wreckFlashbacks.

You know what I’m talking about. When a writer rips us from the present moment of the story and catapults us into the past.

And that’s the problem. It stops the forward momentum of your story. Like a driver slamming on the brakes and you go flying through the windshield.

First, realize a flashback is not equal to backstory. In The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, Tim Tomlinson tells us backstory is: [Read more…] about The Problem with Flashbacks