All Is Well When All Are Accounted For
The word all, as a subject, may take either a singular or plural verb. It depends on the context. Just…
Building Blocks: Avoiding Weak Sentence Construction
This month our editors are tackling Fatal Flaw #3: Weak Construction. Often fiction sags and wilts due to lackluster word choice,…
10 Tips on How to Write Believable Crime and Murder Scenes
We’re starting a fun series covering a number of weeks featuring guest posts from professionals who work in medical, police…
Double Your Adverbs, Double the Trouble
Just as there are uncomparable adjectives (such as perfect or infinite) that cannot take a modifier, there are adverbs that…
Getting Right into the Middle of Things
This month our editors are tackling Fatal Flaw #2: Nothin’ Happenin’. Editor Robin Patchen encourages writers to think about a scene’s…
Things to Consider When Choosing a Critique Partner
Today’s guest post is written by editor Megan Harris: You did it! You wrote “THE END” and have finally finished…
Is Anything Absolutely Impossible?
Many adjectives describe “absolute” states—meaning they cannot (or should not) take modifiers like most, more, less, least, very, quite, or…
In Medias Res—Cutting to the Chase
This month our editors are tackling Fatal Flaw #2: Nothin’ Happenin’. Editor Christy Distler explains in detail what in medias res is,…
6 Ways You Can Prepare Yourself and Your Manuscript for Success
Today’s guest post is by novelist Karen Pashley: Traveling the writers’ road for the first time? Rest assured, you are…