Author Archives: Marie E

NaNoWriMo Resources

I’ll be on hiatus for a while dealing with post-COVID issues, but I wanted to make sure some resources were more obvious for those doing NaNoWriMo events. Are you a Scrivener user? I have compiled most of the resources that I use into a single Scrivener template, available as both Scrivener 3 template and aContinue reading “NaNoWriMo Resources”

Let’s Talk Image: Professionalism and Reader Magnets

There are an infinite number of blogs where authors are told to be a brand or to build their brand. I’m going to skip that. Let’s talk about professionalism and how you (the author) are viewed by your audience. I don’t want to get into whether people like your books, whether it’s a niche genre,Continue reading “Let’s Talk Image: Professionalism and Reader Magnets”

Copy Editing and Proofreading

To follow up on last week’s blog about Developmental Editing, I’m going to recap the basic thoughts I built it from before I get into copy editing this week. I’m not just trying to explain the terms used so easily by those in this industry, but also [hopefully] explain the best ways to go aboutContinue reading “Copy Editing and Proofreading”

Developmental Editing: Content and Structure

What Kind of Editor (or Editing) Do You Need? There are a lot of terms bandied about with regards to editors. A lot of the time writers find themselves confused with what is meant by different terms, and there are a number of explanations on the web (like this one from Masterclass of which I’mContinue reading “Developmental Editing: Content and Structure”

Grammar Pet Peeves: Apostrophes

Plea for Proofreading Perhaps this seems a bit random for me to post in a grammar guide, but the number of people who do not proofread their work seems to grow daily from my perspective. Social media, text messages, blog posts, it is as though no one has the time to make sure they don’tContinue reading “Grammar Pet Peeves: Apostrophes”

Writing Resolutions & Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s finally not 2020. Psychologically, at least, I’m ecstatic that I can close the book on the heartache and general chaos that was last calendar year. (Yes, I’m fully aware that a change in calendar year doesn’t actually change the state of the world any, but I’m going toContinue reading “Writing Resolutions & Happy New Year!”

Holiday Worldbuilding

In accordance with the holiday season for so many of us, I thought it might be time to discuss holidays, and how weather, season, and sunlight can affect what holidays are created – when and why. This is for writers who build settings of their own as well as those writing fiction set in our world; both should be conscious of the underlying points that get wrapped into a holiday.

Thank Goodness It’s Over!

National Novel Writing Month is over! It’s a relief and a loss, I’ve found, because the crazy and almost manic nature of the writing and socializing with other Wrimos is both energizing during November and then quite noticeably absent once December rolls around. There’s not a lot that does that for me outside of NaNoWriMo,Continue reading “Thank Goodness It’s Over!”

Giving Thanks—Why Don’t We?

In the spirit of [the USA’s] Thanksgiving, I have a question I think is worth pondering. Why don’t we really thank people anymore? The word ‘thanks’ is tossed around the same way we automatically reply ‘good, thanks’ when someone asks how we are. It’s not a word of meaning, but a social ritual. This isContinue reading “Giving Thanks—Why Don’t We?”