Author Archive

How to Write the Perfect Novel – Eight Hints to Properly Format a Manuscript

A writer can start with THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE and move from it to any number of academic works on what a manuscript layout should look like. But adhering to the following eight suggestions will assure an acceptable format for almost all commercial fiction.

Writing a Novel for Publication – The Levels of Professional Editing and the Role of Each

Since this article about the importance of professional editing is written by someone who edits text for a living, it would be quite easy to assume this information is self-serving. And while this would be justifiable, this writer can assure any skeptic that this is an honest treatment of what is necessary to have work considered by a bona fide royalty publisher.

Reading these Four Authors of Classical Literature will Enable Anyone to become a Better Writer

From academicians to book critics to laic readers, each is often eager to recommend a list of authors who will provide aspiring writers with a sound foundation from which to build. Any suggestions should be revered, and it would be ridiculous for one person to state that her/his idea of quality prose is better than another’s.

Writing – Understanding The Difference Between Voice and Tone

One of the best ways to understand something is to provide different treatments of the subject. Thomas Mann’s eight stories in the popular Vintage imprint with DEATH IN VENICE as the lead title is ideal to work from, since each story is written in a different voice. Yet his masterpiece, THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, depicts his voice as a separate entity unto its own–and one could say this was Mann’s true voice.

Writing a Novel – Punctuation to Use Sparingly or Not at All

Many editors agree that an exclamation point is one medium for emphasis should be used sparingly. And some experts feel that exclamation points are the sign of a lazy writer, or worse–an amateur. Whether the rationale for either opinion is sound or not, there are well-grounded reasons for both.

Writing a Novel – Point of View and Techniques for Effective Shifts

The first question some people might ask is why any writer would need to learn techniques related to Point of View. Doesn’t POV automatically synchronize with the character’s thoughts as soon as these feelings are expressed by the writer? And isn’t the POV of a scene easily identified by an attribute or obvious implication? If it were just this easy.

Write a Novel – How to Get Published

To write a novel that will be appealing to a major royalty publisher involves more than just talent and hard work. It requires creating a plan from the outset and the discipline to follow it.

Everybody Has a Story Worth Telling