Does Anyone Else Have That Issue Of Not Knowing When Youre Pushing Yourself Too Hard Or When Youre Just

does anyone else have that issue of not knowing when you’re pushing yourself too hard or when you’re just pushing yourself a little outside of your usual limits? i only ask because one will inevitably lead to burn out and the other i feel is much more of a conditioning thing? i cannot make this sound any better phrased

Friends!

Now is as good a time as any to listen to these lectures and become a better writer. Don’t waste your time with webinars and expensive courses, this is all you need. Go and be a writer!

A (Non-Exhaustive) List of (Red-ish) Flags In Writing

Particularly when writing people with a marginalized identity that you don't hold, it can be hard to tell what is an issue if you're not familiar with it. Research should be your main reference point, but sometimes you need to go with your instincts.

Here is a very non-exhaustive list of things that should flag to you that you need to take another look at it and do some more research:

Is a person/culture/group presented as "backwards", irrational, un-modern, or uniformly aggressive?

Am I using coded language (e.g. thug, slut, slow) to describe a character?

Am I associating sexual habits or preferences with a certain race, religion, gender, or class?

Am I dismissing or making light of devestating historical events that appear or are referenced in the story?

Am I prioritizing the rehabilitation of individuals or groups who commited violence, particularly at the expense of those who experienced that violence?

Are my characters, particularly my marginalized characters, embodying stereotypes with no other characteristics?

Do my marginalized characters exist simply so I can say I have included marginalized characters?

Am I applying every marginalization to one character so that I don't have to "deal with it" in other characters?

Do marginalizations, particularly disabilities, only appear when convenient?

Do marginalized characters, particularly Characters of Color, exist only to guide or care for white characters?

5 editor’s secrets to help you write like a pro

1. Sentences can only do one thing at a time.

Have you ever heard a four-year-old run out of breath before she can finish her thought? I edit a lot of sentences that work the same way. You need a noun, you need a verb, you might need an object. Give some serious thought to stopping right there.

Sentences are building blocks, not bungee cords; they’re not meant to be stretched to the limit. I’m not saying you necessarily want a Hemingway-esque series of clipped short sentences, but most writers benefit from dividing their longest sentences into shorter, more muscular ones.

2. Paragraphs can only do one thing at a time.

A paragraph supports a single idea. Construct complex arguments by combining simple ideas that follow logically. Every time you address a new idea, add a line break. Short paragraphs are the most readable; few should be more than three or four sentences long. This is more important if you’re writing for the Web.

3. Look closely at -ing

Nouns ending in -ing are fine. (Strong writing, IT consulting, great fishing.) But constructions like “I am running,” “a forum for building consensus,” or “The new team will be managing” are inherently weak. Rewrite them to “I run,” “a forum to build consensus,” and “the team will manage.” You’re on the right track when the rewrite has fewer words (see below).

(If for some insane reason you want to get all geeky about this, you can read the Wikipedia article on gerunds and present participles. But you don’t have to know the underlying grammatical rules to make this work. Rewrite -ing when you can, and your writing will grow muscles you didn’t know it had.)

4. Omit unnecessary words.

I know we all heard this in high school, but we weren’t listening. (Mostly because it’s hard.) It’s doubly hard when you’re editing your own writing—we put all that work into getting words onto the page, and by god we need a damned good reason to get rid of them.

Here’s your damned good reason: extra words drain life from your work. The fewer words used to express an idea, the more punch it has. Therefore:

Summer months Regional level The entire country On a daily basis (usually best rewritten to “every day”) She knew that it was good. Very (I just caught one above: four-year-old little girl)

You can nearly always improve sentences by rewriting them in fewer words.

5. Reframe 90% of the passive voice.

French speakers consider an elegantly managed passive voice to be the height of refinement. But here in the good old U.S. (or Australia, Great Britain, etc.), we value action. We do things is inherently more interesting than Things are done by us. Passive voicemuddies your writing; when the actor is hidden, the action makes less sense.

Bonus: Use spell-check

There’s no excuse for teh in anything more formal than a Twitter tweet.

Also, “a lot” and “all right” are always spelled as two words. You can trust me, I’m an editor.

Easy reading is damned hard writing. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Creating a character

Creating characters is one of the most important things to do while writing. Characters can make or break a story. No matter how good the idea, if the characters are flat, people are not going to keep reading. Here are some posts to help you create interesting and memorable characters.

How to create a character - Basic Overview

Let's create a character! - Writing Game

How to make a character unique

How to write a bilingual character

How to write a character with glasses

How to use nicknames

List of names

Character Study

Fatal Character Flaws

Good traits gone bad

Physical Reactions

Giving the reader butterflies with your characters

Love Language - Showing, not telling

Love Language - Showing you care

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

HEY, Romance Writers!

A few followers have asked for tips on writing romance into their stories or as the basis of their stories. Here’s a list of sources that might help out.

Romance:

Top 10 Tips on How to Write Romance

How to Plot a Romance Novel

How to Build a Romance Thread in Your Story

9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid

An Antidote to “Love at First Sight”

6 Ways to Get Your Readers Shipping Like Crazy 

Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances 

7 (Common Types of) Female Love Interests

20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes

Six Steps to Stronger Character Arcs in Romances

How do I write an interracial couple accurately? (ask)

Romantic Development/Compatibility (ask) 

80+ Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High 

50 Conversations To Have Before You Get Married 

Bad Romance:

Removing the Creeps From Romance

- Why The Surprise Kiss Must Go

10 Signs You May Be in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship

Edward & Bella Are In An Abusive Relationship 

General Tips for Writing Characters Love Interests:

5 Tips to Help You Introduce Characters

How to Write from a Guy’s POV

Writing Awesome Male Characters: What You’re Doing Wrong

How Do You Describe a Character?

4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions

3 Signs Your Story’s Characters Are Too Perfect 

Is a Quirk Just What Your Character Needs?

Six Types of Character Flaws

Is Your Character Optimistic Or Pessimistic?

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language

10 Body Language Tricks for Deeper Characterization

Describing People Part Three: Gestures, Expressions, and Mannerisms

33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters 

Conveying Character Emotion 

Distinguishing Characters in Dialogue 

How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…  

Characters: Likability Is Overrated

How to Create Powerful Character Combos

Plus:

Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist: Part 1, Part 2

Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist – Against Men