What Makes a Novel Stand Out on Submission?

Susan DeFCreative Writing, ReadingLeave a Comment

There’s a lot of excellent advice on this blog for getting over the finish line with publishing a novel (and a lot of less excellent advice on the same subject elsewhere!). But to my mind, there’s something critical to that conversation that rarely gets discussed. I think because it’s so hard to actually talk about. A solid story, compelling characters, … Read More

Black Friday Book Magic

Susan DeFDetailed Assessment, fiction, Professional Review, Writing ConsultationLeave a Comment

When I was younger, we used to celebrate the day after Thanksgiving as “Buy Nothing Day”–a protest against the mindless consumerism of the Christmas season. These days, I do my best to practice conscious consumerism, purchasing secondhand whenever possible, and from ethical companies when it’s not–and though I don’t believe conscious consumerism will save the world (if only it were … Read More

Breaking Through with Your Final Draft

Susan DeFclasses, craft, Writing resourcesLeave a Comment

There are a lot of online classes for writing fiction. Many of the best–or most popular, at least–are aimed at new writers. Final Draft, my online writing class for LitReactor, starting May 22, has a different target audience: writers who’ve honed their craft, worked hard, and perhaps even put in their ten thousand hours, but have yet to break through … Read More