William Zinsser on Adjectives
The adjective that exists solely as decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader. … make your adjectives do work that needs to be done. —William Zinsser, On Writing Well
The adjective that exists solely as decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader. … make your adjectives do work that needs to be done. —William Zinsser, On Writing Well
Many people, when first deciding to write a book, land on what they know best: a personal experience. This is exactly where I started. But publishers like originality, and as Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us, “there is nothing new under the sun” (NKJV). My first book dealt with child sexual abuse by a family member. It’s…
What book on the craft of writing has been the most helpful to you? I recently asked that question on my Facebook author page, but no one left an answer. So I have to wonder if I’m wasting my time with today’s post. But maybe it was a question that required too much thought. Or…
Conference season is gearing up, and writers’ conferences are one of the best ways to make connections in the publishing world. Many publishers accept only manuscripts pitched at conferences. Many accept only those that come through agents, and a conference is the place to connect with both publishing house acquisition editors and literary agents. I…
Last month we looked at structuring your fiction story. This month we’ll look at structuring nonfiction. While nonfiction has no plot, you still must ensure that your topic flows in an organized manner from beginning to end. Does your subject matter fit a chronological arrangement? Perhaps it better fits a topical structure or even a…
(Updated from a previous post) Are you writing your first book? Do you plan to indie-publish or seek an agent and traditional publisher? Have you started building your author platform? Maybe you’re not sure what an author platform is. I’ve heard many first-time writers say they want to finish their book first before they think…
As a writer you know you have to hook your reader. And you know you do that by writing a compelling opening line/paragraph. But where do you go from there? How do you keep that reader interested and turning the page, instead of slamming the covers shut? The secret lies with your main character.