Tag Archives: self-editing

Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part II

Last week, I revisited an old Magical Words post I’d done about eliminating excess verbiage in our writing, putting a new spin on the discussion. As promised, I would like to continue that conversation today. Before I dive back into … Continue reading

Posted in Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part II

Professional Wednesday: Finishing a Book Actually Means More Work

As I mentioned last week, I have recently finished the third book in my new contemporary Celtic urban fantasy, The Chalice Wars. This book, The Chalice Wars: Sword, will be out sometime fairly early in 2023. Book I, The Chalice … Continue reading

Posted in Belle Books, Novels, The Chalice Wars, Urban Fantasy, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Finishing a Book Actually Means More Work

Professional Wednesday: Creativity and the Market

As a professional writer — as a professional in the arts — I take on several career roles. I am an artist, of course. I create. I am an editor, and not just in the traditional sense of editing the … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Creativity and the Market

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Anatomy of a Rewrite

As I described in a recent Writing-tip Wednesday post, I have been working recently on a trunk series — a pair of books, the first two in a projected trilogy, that I initially wrote nearly ten years ago. I have … Continue reading

Posted in Character, Novels, Reading, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Anatomy of a Rewrite

Writing-Tip Wednesday: Self-Editing Techniques

We know the shapes of our narratives, and we also know our own voice and style. So our stories are likely to make sense to us, regardless of whether they make sense to others. On Monday, I wrote about my … Continue reading

Posted in Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Writing-Tip Wednesday: Self-Editing Techniques

(Not So) Quick-Tip Tuesday: Ups and Downs of the Writing Life

I’ve published nineteen novels, written lots of short stories, and (for those who like their cautionary tales with a dollop of irony) even co-authored a book on writing. And here I was, totally enamored of a manuscript that had deep … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on (Not So) Quick-Tip Tuesday: Ups and Downs of the Writing Life

Quick-Tip Tuesday: More on Self-Editing

This is still the work of an inexperienced writer. Comparing The Outlanders to the work I’ve done more recently, I still cringe a little at the habits of that younger me. But I also see growth, a writer beginning to … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quick-Tip Tuesday: More on Self-Editing

The Re-Release of My First Novel

To fans of the original, thank you for the support you’ve shown me over the years. I couldn’t be more grateful. To those coming to the series for the first time, welcome. I hope you enjoy reading these novels as … Continue reading

Posted in Business of publishing, Fantasy, Novels, Publicity, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Re-Release of My First Novel

A Quick-Tip Tuesday Post on Self-Editing!

I’ve noticed an incredible amount of extra verbiage in my early books — filler, if you will: superfluous words that add little to the storytelling, but clutter up my prose. For the wordiness-intolerant, these words are as unwelcome as, well, … Continue reading

Posted in Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Quick-Tip Tuesday Post on Self-Editing!