If you’ve been writing for a while, you’ve probably gotten to the point where you treat your writing like work, whether or not anyone is actually paying you for it–and that in many ways is the mark of a professional. But creative writing really is NOT like other forms of work, and at this time of year–which in so many … Read More
Traci Skuce in conversation with Susan Defreitas
On February 7, I had the pleasure of presenting on one of my favorite subjects at Traci Skuce’s Write Your First (or Next!) Novel Summit. You may hear me getting a little evangelical here about character arc! It’s a subject I speak and write about often, because I believe it truly is “the heart of story.” Never miss a post! Subscribe … Read More
The Goldilocks Principle of Interiority
There are a lot of things in life where either too much or too little won’t work, and when it comes to fiction, interiority is definitely one of them. When I talk about interiority, I’m talking about what happens inside the point-of-view (POV) character, as opposed to what happens in the external world of the story. This might take the … Read More
A Book What?
Tell people you’re a book coach and you’ll get some questions: What is that, exactly? And what’s the difference between book coaching and editing? I get these questions a lot—at least I did, when I was allowed to leave the house—so I thought I’d speak to them here. Editing is that old-school thing wherein someone reads your manuscript and provides … Read More