The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

writers

Who’s Telling Your Story?

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little girl looking through paper towel roll
Perspective makes a difference.

Should I write my novel in first person or third (or get totally wild and use second person)?

Am I limited to a single character, or can I use multiple point of view (POV) characters?

Who should my novel’s POV character be?

You want to write a story readers can’t put down, but how do you decide what point of view is the best for your particular story? In fact, how can you even begin to write without having decided this basic element of your story?

There are so many choices. How do you decide what’s best so you can increase your chances of writing a best-selling novel? [Read more…] about Who’s Telling Your Story?

Is a Literary Agent the Pot of Gold for Writers?

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Rainbow Literary Agent

In the words of author RJ Thesman, finding a literary agent is “harder than finding the perfect purse.”

Be that as it may, many authors seek an agent and for good reason.

Agents [Read more…] about Is a Literary Agent the Pot of Gold for Writers?

8 Literary Agents Accepting Submissions

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Looking for a Literary Agent?You want to sell your manuscript, right?

But the time and energy required for your publisher search can be exhausting. And you’d really rather spend that time and energy toward your next writing project. 

What’s even more frustrating is [Read more…] about 8 Literary Agents Accepting Submissions

The Making of a Book Series: an Interview with Author RJ Thesman

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I’m delighted to have RJ Thesman with me today for this month’s Friday Feature author interview. RJ’s publishing credits include 500+ articles, four books, and 13 anthologies. And like me, she’s a writing coach. Grab your brew of choice and sit back for a great read. RJ imparts some terrific tips for writers to add to their publishing toolbox. [Read more…] about The Making of a Book Series: an Interview with Author RJ Thesman

Struggling to find the best markets for your writing?

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magazines

You have a great idea for an article, and now you need to find a magazine that will buy it. But how do you do that?

You could visit your local grocery store and peruse the magazine rack.

Or visit the library and see what magazines are available there.

That’s how I did it when I first started freelancing in 2006. But I was not only attacking this task the hard way, [Read more…] about Struggling to find the best markets for your writing?

Friday Feature: A Dozen Apologies

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A Dozen Apologies book coverToday’s interview involves a variety of writers, each involved in creating one book, A Dozen Apologies, the creative work of Write Integrity Press.

Write Integrity has published several novella collaborations. I read my first of these novellas, A Ruby Christmas, late last year.  Like many readers, I skipped the table of contents and went straight to chapter 1. Later I discovered the book was the collaborative work of 9 writers.

The voice carried through very well and editor extraordinaire Tracy Ruckman of Write Integrity Press accomplished that. A Ruby Christmas was author J.A. Marx’ project. She understood her character very well, and got that across to each of the project authors.

Fay Lamb birthed the idea that became A Dozen Apologies with 12 authors writing one chapter each. Fay, how did you progress from idea to finished manuscript? [Read more…] about Friday Feature: A Dozen Apologies

How to Use the Ellipsis and the Em Dash

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Punctuation is an aspect of English with which many writers struggle. But we must face the reality: incorrect punctuation raises a red flag for editors and makes them more inclined to toss your submission into the trash.

I’m not talking about a missing comma here and there, but flagrant incorrect punctuation. As much as some might hate it, correct punctuation is critically important to your submission. 

So today, let’s take a look at the ellipsis and the em dash—two punctuation marks that get misused and often over used.

[Read more…] about How to Use the Ellipsis and the Em Dash

Don’t Confuse Your Reader with Your Pronouns

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Have you ever been reading something and suddenly found yourself lost in pronouns, asking to which “he” is the writer referring?

Pronouns used incorrectly become pesky pronouns to editors. (At least to this editor they do.) The editor is forced to read several more sentences (or paragraphs) to figure out the “he” or “she” to whom the writer refers.

Avoid Pronoun Confusion

A quick grammar lesson will help. I know you cringe at the word grammar but stick with me. You want your manuscript to hit a home run, right? (Maybe you’re thinking you’d just like it to get past first base. But avoid first-base thinking; it’s a surefire way to write a mediocre story.)

[Read more…] about Don’t Confuse Your Reader with Your Pronouns