I have to admit, I think I’m bordering on burnout. Or maybe it’s just cabin fever. Oh, I’ve managed to get out of the house for my workout classes, church, and the grocery store, but I haven’t had my usual quiet time outside on my patio for quite awhile. Our summer weather hasn’t been conducive…
Change. In real life few people like it. They see it as a negative in their lives because it forces them out of their comfort zones. But like the Dead Sea which has no outlet, we can grow stagnant if we have no change in our lives. And a story without change—wouldn’t be a story…
Previously on The Motivational Editor:Have you ever read a novel where the story felt flat? Probably you’ve read plenty, and if you’re like me, you didn’t even finish the book. While there are many things that can contribute to this problem, this series is going to look at 3 of them: desire, stakes, and change….
Have you ever read a novel where the story felt flat? Probably you’ve read plenty, and if you’re like me, you didn’t even finish the book. While there are many things that can contribute to this problem, this series is going to look at 3 of them: desire, stakes, and change.
Something I noticed recently in a book I was reading was the use of the word then when it should have been than. And suddenly I started noticing that problem in several other places (this is known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon). I always take this as a cue about what to cover on my blog.
“The royal order of adjectives? You’ve got to be kidding,” you say. But no, I’m not. Until recently, I’d never heard the phrase before either, but I did know that there is an order to adjectives. The royal order of adjectives is credited to Professor Charles Darling. So what does it do, exactly? It defines…
As an editor and book designer, I work with a variety of file formats. Many of us, myself included until recently, are mostly clueless as to the defining aspects of most file formats. Because I believe the more we know the more efficient we can be, I thought I’d give a brief rundown here so…
(Updated May 2026) With all the manuscripts I edit I’ve learned many writers don’t know the standard formatting for a book manuscript or how to create a proper indent to their paragraphs. Many seem to rely on the default settings in MS Word, which uses a sans serif font, single spacing, and 8pt between paragraphs…