Tag Archives: feedback

The Curse of Backstory (Encore)

Of all the story-writing sins committed by beginning writers, by far the worst consists of dumping a trailer-load of backstory on the unsuspecting reader. Fortunately, this error becomes clear almost immediately, at least to the reader. As an editor, this practice … Continue reading

Posted in editing, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A little bit at a time (Encore)

A dear friend asked me recently how I managed to write so fast. When I recovered from the shock of the implication that I might–actually–write [cough, wheeze] fast, I tried to put her question in context. [Stop laughing, dammit!] She … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, novel writing, short fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How I Write

[This is the fifth and, for now, final installment of words of wisdom gleaned by writers who have recently entered the wonderful world of publishing. This episode is by Doris Reidy, a dear friend and one helluva good writer. Please, … Continue reading

Posted in Guest posts, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Critiques Are A Writer’s Gold

It will come as a profound shock to many beginning novelists to learn that what they’ve written, perhaps even slaved over, is pretty much crap. Dross. Bison snot. Burnt toast bad. I’m not saying that to be mean, rather it’s … Continue reading

Posted in editing, Memoir, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Curse of Backstory

Of all the story-writing sins committed by beginning writers, by far the worst consists of dumping a trailer-load of backstory on the unsuspecting reader. Fortunately, this error becomes clear almost immediately, at least to the reader. As an editor, this practice … Continue reading

Posted in editing, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Never shoot a reviewer. How to write a novel–part 30

Read that title again, then go ahead and chuckle. You probably think I’m kidding. Okay, I am. Sorta. But not if you’re truly sensitive about your writing. If all you want to hear is praise when it comes time to find … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments