Writing and Editing Tips
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The Snowball of Misbelief
Most writers don’t understand how important it is to merge your plot with your character arc, but this is the secret to writing a powerful novel.
If you can master this skill, you’ll be well on your way to a book that is unputdownable AND punches your readers in the heart.
Let me introduce you to my favorite tool for illustrating this concept.
You Deserve to Write Slow
Writing is not an emergency.
If what you want most is to impact your reader on an emotional level, you need to learn to write slow.
Impactful fiction doesn’t happen by accident, it happens on purpose, and that purpose takes time.
When you write fast, you skim the surface. Like a speedboat, you jump from plot point to plot point, rushing from one shore to the other. Yes, it’s exciting, but you miss the meaning, the life.
You want to do more than give your reader a quick thrill. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.
Find Your Deep Why
Writing a book takes a long time. There’s the planning, drafting, revision, and that’s all before you look for an agent and try for a book deal.
One thing that will ground you through the months and years of writing is knowing why your book matters to you.
When you know why you need to write this book, you’ll be able to come back to it again and again, because you have a purpose.
The Terror of Writing
Have you ever felt like your story ambushed you?
Out of nowhere, writer’s block reared its giant head, procrastination kicked in for weeks, or you came up with an exciting new story you needed to write immediately.
Friend, I’m sorry to tell you, but that thing that ambushed you? It’s probably fear.
Sometimes, our stories invite us to go places we’ve never been inside ourselves. They invite us to dig beneath our surface to find the bloody truth.
Writing impactful fiction requires telling the truth, telling your truth, and that is one of the most frightening things you can do.