#NaNoWriMo starts on No...

Plan Your NaNo Novel in as Little as One Day   Now available in print and digital versions. Save 25% by downloading direct [use code NANO25OFF at Smooth Draft] NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month is an annual event for writers around the world. It offers participants an opportunity...

#NaNoWriMo Story Planni...

As I mentioned in my last post, Why You Should Plan Your NaNo in Advance,  I believe planning the key elements is a fool-proof way to develop a novel that is big enough to last 50,000 words, and offers you the best inspiration to make it to the end before November is  over. Today I’ll...

How to Blurb (and How N...

As an editor I see a lot of blurbs come across my desk. As a reader I see even more. And as an author, I have written plenty of them myself. I don’t particularly like to write them, but I know how vital blurbs are to marketing your book.   So what is a blurb and how do you...

Why You Should Plan you...

  Over the years I’ve discovered the hard way that planning a story is the difference between a smooth writing experience and one where I’m pulling my hair, digging into a tub of Ben & Jerry’s, or deciding to watch re-runs of Law & Order instead of staring at a blank page....

How to be a #NaNo Winne...

  Are you going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year? National Novel Writing Month, if you’re not familiar with the nickname, is a huge international event where writers attempt to finish a 50,000-word novel between November 1 and 30. The rule: you can only write during the month...

Rewriting vs. Editing

  I recently took a class on rewriting that gave me deeper insights into some of the things I’m already doing, and suggestions to improve others. The first thing discussed was the definition of rewriting. How is it different from editing? Typically, a writer gets a first draft on...