The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Writing the Heart of Your Story: a book review

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book cover Writing the Heart of Your Story by CS LakinI rarely do a straight-out book review. In fact, I think this might the first one. I often recommend a book, especially those that have had a tremendous impact on my writing career in some way whether in skills learned or motivationally.

But today, I feel compelled to talk about Writing the Heart of Your Story by C.S. Lakin.

As I read, I’m highlighting paragraph after paragraph. I plan to reference this book again and again as I write my own novels.

Just as important, what I’m reading is impacting me as [Read more…] about Writing the Heart of Your Story: a book review

How to Use Track Changes in MS Word

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As a writer, I use Scrivener to create my documents—even my blog posts. As an editor, my primary tool is MS Word and Track Changes. While I’ve never asked other editors what they use, I’d venture they use track changes, too.

That makes it critical for writers to understand what track changes are and how to use them.

So today, I’m offering a video from Lynda.com as a quick tutorial.

Should I Use Real Places in my Story?

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For those of you who missed last month’s Facebook live Ask the Editor video, I’m sharing it here today.

Never mind that I couldn’t seem to say my name that day–the hazards of live video. 🙂  The question is “Should I use real restaurants, stores, and places in my story?”  [Read more…] about Should I Use Real Places in my Story?

Do I need to master grammar to be a better writer?

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shattered glass from a car wreckThere are hundreds, probably thousands, of books on the market that deal with the craft of writing—learning plot, character development, story arc, and such. But sadly missing from the list is grammar.

I know it’s a school subject many people hated. Do they still make kids learn how to diagram a sentence? Maybe diagramming a sentence is what turned us off.

But lately I’ve been stuck on grammar. So much so that I’m rereading one of my college text books. As an editor I need to know the rules, otherwise how [Read more…] about Do I need to master grammar to be a better writer?

7 Cheat Sheets to Cut Editing Costs – Coming Soon

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7 Cheat Sheets to Cut Editing Costs front coverI’ve been hard at work lately, developing a booklet just for you.

Yes, I notice your reluctance to hire a freelance editor. I understand that hesitation. You don’t know whom to hire; you don’t know if you’ll get scammed; you don’t know how to evaluate the editing you get back. No doubt, though, residing at #1 is How much is it going to cost?

So I’ve put together what I call 7 Cheats Sheets to Cut Editing Costs to help you reduce your editing costs. My critique group is clamoring for the final product because [Read more…] about 7 Cheat Sheets to Cut Editing Costs – Coming Soon

How to Format Numbers, Dates, and Times in Your Manuscript

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clock and notebook formatting timeBecause my kids graduated from school long ago, I no longer know what’s taught in English class—aside from the “cursive writing” controversy. I only know I see a wide variety of grammar and format errors in the manuscripts I edit and proofread.

Many writers incorrectly format numbers, dates, and times, so I thought I’d give you some basic guidelines today. [Read more…] about How to Format Numbers, Dates, and Times in Your Manuscript

A New Perspective on the Cost of Freelance Editors

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a pile of $50 bills, editing costs“I can’t afford to hire a professional editor,” you say.

But you can’t afford not to hire one. The quality—or lack thereof—of your story directly impacts your ability to land a traditional publishing contract. If you publish indie, it impacts your sales. And who doesn’t want lots of sales?

I don’t say this just because I’m an editor. Even I send my own work to a writer friend to edit. That’s because it’s hard for us see the mistakes in our own writing.

That’s why I encourage you to hire an editor.

We all know professional editing costs can add up, but I often get the impression that writers expect it to start at $5000 and go up from there. Even $1000 is a lot when that same amount pays the mortgage for a month or two.

Let’s take a look at the industry standard fees given in Writer’s Market 2017. [Read more…] about A New Perspective on the Cost of Freelance Editors

So You Want to Make the Bestseller List, But Do You Know What It Takes?

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New York Times Bestseller List

Lately, I’ve been reading Tim Grahl’s Book Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a Bestseller. Making a bestseller list woos authors like the cry of the mythical Siren. It carries status and puts oomph behind the sales of future books.

But do you have a true understanding of what it takes to make those lists?

Bestselling author Tim Ferriss explains in “How Bestseller Lists Work…and Introducing the Amazon Monthly 100” that the NYT has “20 weekly and 3 monthly lists.”

Wow! There’s also the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Washington Post. That’s a lot of opportunities to make a bestseller list. And let’s not forget Amazon.

If making bestseller status is your goal, then it’s important to know the criteria used to make the determination. Otherwise how can you [Read more…] about So You Want to Make the Bestseller List, But Do You Know What It Takes?