Tag: fiction

Posts with this tag are identified by writer Cortni Merritt as related to writing or editing fiction books of all genres.

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Book Writing Tips: 11 Questions to Ask to Write Better Scenes

Woman's hand holding post-it note above document she is editing. Book writing tips to use in a developmental edit.
Photo by Ron Lach, Pexels.

Many writers ask: “Why go through a round of developmental editing?” It can be confusing and unclear to truly understand what a developmental book editor does and how they can provide book writing tips to improve your book. One example is that a developmental editor can help you draft stronger, more impactful scenes. They may not provide feedback on every scene, but for the key moments in the book (such as The Ordeal that the protagonist faces at the end of Act 2), having a developmental editor pay close attention to the strength of that scene can enhance the overall story.

Why Focus on Individual Scenes?

Your novel is made up of scenes, the same way a movie is made up of scenes. Characters interacting. Dialogue and action that represent different tensions and the resolution of those tensions. If a novel is heavy on narration – always explaining to the reader what is going on rather than letting them interpret the events for themselves – the reader may get bored. (This is where a developmental edit or finding book writing tips on narration can prove useful by pointing out these instances!) But no matter how much telling versus showing is going on in your scene, there are key questions to ask to help you ensure that each scene is complete and contributes to the plot of your novel as a whole.

11 Questions to Ask to Determine What Is and Isn’t Working in a Scene

1. Who is the Protagonist?

Who or what is the protagonist in this scene? Which character is the one your reader should be focusing on? (In the event that you have several main characters, or that the scene is being shown from a supporting character’s POV, the reader should be clear who is the focus of the scene and whose side they are on.) Focusing on this can help you avoid the dreaded “head-hopping” (switching character POVs midscene). A developmental book editor can help locate any instances of head-hopping that you may have glossed over.

2. Who is the Antagonist?

Who, or what, is the antagonist in this scene? Who or what is taking action to prevent your main character (protagonist) from achieving their ultimate goal? It should be clear in each scene what opposing forces are at play.

3. What does the Protagonist want to do?

The protagonist’s goal in the scene may be separate from their larger goal or a part of it. Let’s say your protagonist’s main goal is to save their sister, who has been kidnapped by the antagonist. Every scene in the plot should contribute toward their (eventual, hopeful) achievement of that goal. But in a scene where the protagonist has to gain information from a side character so they can continue on their journey, the protagonist’s goal in the scene is more precise: It’s not “save Sis!”, it’s “find out X so I can save Sis!” 

So in a particular scene, the protagonist simply wants to talk to the side character to find out what they need to know. Integrating these into every scene can be tricky, so the developmental edit can help you better define the goal in each scene. It’s best to think of the straightforward goal as a producer of several obstacles blocking the protagonist from achieving said goal.

4. What does the Antagonist want to do?

You’ve probably heard several book writing tips stating that in every scene, your protagonist should want something, even if it’s as simple as a glass of water. That may be easy, as your protagonist has a central goal they’re working to achieve throughout the entire plot. However, don’t forget your antagonist. 

If your antagonist only wants to “stop the protagonist!” in every scene, that will become boring and repetitive/predictable for the reader. A well-rounded antagonist should have their own goals and aims throughout the novel, and in each scene, their actions should reflect movement toward that goal, as much as your protagonist’s actions should reflect movement toward their goal.

5. What emotion will the reader experience?

What are you trying to evoke in the reader throughout the scene? What is the protagonist feeling and how will that translate to the reader’s experience of the scene and contribute to their experience of the novel as a whole? If you find yourself stuck on this one, pull from your own experiences to channel the emotion you wish to convey. A developmental book editor can also provide a second set of eyes on if these emotional beats are effective or not. 

Close up white and black king chess pieces.
Once the players and tension in the scene is set, consider how their movements affect the story. Photo by Rain Photography, Pexels.

6. What is the inciting incident for the scene?

It could be something as simple as someone telling the protagonist that X person has the information they need, which sends the protagonist on a visit to X’s house to ask them what they know. Or it could be something as complicated as solving an ancient riddle that triggers an elaborate booby trap protecting the tomb in which the protagonist is standing. Whatever it is, make sure it’s clear to the reader how the character ended up in the situation in which they now find themselves.

7. What is the turning point of the scene?

There are helpful book writing tips for common shifts in pivotal scenes – the protagonist learns something new; someone changes their mind; the door clicks open. Make sure it’s clear to the reader where in the scene the action moves toward the next plot point or emotional moment. A developmental book editor can help smoothen your turning point transitions into the next scene.

8. What is the crisis of the scene?

What is the tensest moment of the scene for the protagonist? The moment when there is no turning back? Often, this is the most heightened emotional moment for your reader as well, but sometimes the most emotional moment comes immediately after the crisis. See if you can identify exactly where in the scene the characters are at their most tense or most strained.

9. What is the climax of the scene?

How does the tension of the scene come to a head? Is there a moment when the tension has been ramped up so much it can’t be turned up any more? Not every scene needs to be a grand climax for the story, but several book writing tips state that having each scene reach a peak ensures its purpose and meaningful transition to the next scene.

10. What is the result/resolution of the scene?

Did the protagonist get what they wanted? Did the antagonist? Did both of them walk away without gaining progress toward their goal, or are they sent in a new direction to find out more? Or was the tension interrupted and neither of them got what they wanted, only motivating them more for the next confrontation?

11. Who "won" the scene?

Sometimes, the protagonist gets what they wanted out of the scene. Sometimes, the antagonist does. Even if the antagonist is a disembodied force — such as “society” or “family pressure” — sometimes, the protagonist will confront something within themselves and wrestle with these disembodied forces, and come up short. (A developmental edit can be useful for properly utilizing these forces.) They may not be able to “defeat” this antagonist yet; they may still be caught up in complications that result in them continuing to struggle against these forces. Sometimes, the antagonist wins so that the protagonist can keep on fighting.

Developmental Editors Provide Book Writing Tips

Eyeglasses and a markup document next to an open laptop.
Photo by Ron Lach, Pexels.

For key scenes throughout the novel, the developmental book editor can provide focused feedback to help you make the most of your revision time and to address these questions and point out where (and maybe how) scenes could be strengthened by addressing some of these questions so the reader has full context and a complete emotional experience every time it matters.

This information was elaborated on from book writing tips provided in a 2026 webinar hosted by Tim Grahl, CEO of Story Grid, titled “Why Draft-First Thinking Keeps Writers Stuck.” Story Grid offers book writing mentorship for writers of all levels. SRD Editing Services editor Cortni Merritt attended the webinar as part of her commitment to ongoing education in developmental editing and book coaching.

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How to Write a Horror Novel: Tips for Scary Scenes

A dark-skinned woman with red eyes wearing all black on a red background stares menacingly into the camera.

Leave your readers with a proper fright after finishing your unnerving tale.

You’re writing your horror book, and everything is coming together nicely: The characters have depth and intriguing backstories; you’ve staked out a creepy setting; and your stalker, monster, cosmic entity, killer inanimate object, etc., is iconic and menacing. You have the components of a great story, yet can’t help but feel that something is missing. You begin to question if you know how to write a horror novel, until you read your manuscript, and only then does it hit you. You don’t feel… scared.

A spider on its web against a dark background with boca effect
Photo by kaboompics. Pexels.

The Importance of a Scare in Horror Story Writing

A well-constructed scare is as important as characters, setting, and plot in horror story writing. It adds bitter flavor, lingering with your readers long after they’ve flipped through the pages. Every ominous shadow in the corners of any room they walk into, strange bumps and thuds in the night, everyday objects that typically don’t frighten them—all because your book left a lasting impact. Tending to your scares with the love and care they deserve keeps your book faithful to the horror genre, and more importantly, makes your book memorable.

I previously compiled a list of excellent horror novel recommendations with bone-chilling scares that you may find useful!

Tip #1 to Write Horror: Find Your Subgenre

Before you begin sprinkling in jump scares or passages of shock and gore, consider the subgenre of your horror book, as each has its own types of scares. A paranormal story relies more heavily on suspense and unease, whereas a slasher leans into jump scares and bloodshed to frighten the reader. If you are struggling to pinpoint your subgenre, consider the following types of horror:

  • Paranormal: events, activities, and entities not scientifically explainable, e.g., ghosts or telekinesis 
  • Psychological: relating to the protagonist’s mind
  • Slasher: a killer or entity preying on a group of people
  • Gore and body horror: concerned with extreme violence and visceral experience
  • Monster: a creature or one’s transformation into one, e.g., werewolves, vampires, zombies

This article covers a more extensive list breaking down these subgenres further, but these are the broad ones worth considering for the sake of this process.

Tip #2 to Write Horror: Harness Fears Effectively

Now that you’ve identified your subgenre, we can look at the different types of fear. Each stroke of horror utilizes different fears, including fear of Death, fear of the loss of sanity, fear of loss of loved people or culture, or fear of pain. 

Consider two classics: Psycho, written by Robert Bloch, utilizes suspense and sudden violence to startle readers in small bursts, whereas The Shining, written by Stephen King, uses the same suspense to establish dread and anxiety that prolongs until erupting into chaos in its final pages. 

These two books reveal different approaches for how to write a horror novel by relying on different types of fear to frighten their readers. It’s crucial to have a solid understanding of your subgenre to know what fears work best. For example, a gore book sustaining the same suspense as The Shining won’t be as effective as one that prioritizes shock and disgust. (For more on how to use a fear of Death in horror story writing, check out this blog.) 

A young Black woman holds open a book and appears engaged with the text.
Photo by Ron Lach. Pexels.

It’s also worth cozying up with similar books and noting their structure. A suspenseful story may involve leaving a trail of unease throughout, and thus requires a different editing approach than a book with quickly established jump scares. That’s not to undermine the importance of maintaining an eerie atmosphere regardless of subgenre (which can be expertly curated utilizing mood boards), but rather to emphasize how scares are catered to differently in horror stories. A revision of your book centered on incorporating these fears can prove useful to heighten the effectiveness of your book. 

Tip #3 to Write Horror: Consider POV

Lastly, and this may sound surprising, but the point-of-view you choose to write your book in greatly matters in how you approach writing scenes that genuinely feel scary. 

First-Person POV

A first-person POV puts readers in the shoes of the narrator, and thus, they can only visualize the narrator’s senses. Curating surprises may be more effective if it focuses on the character’s sudden reaction and feelings toward a scare, told from their perspective. A psychological horror book can utilize confusion to scare readers. You can lean into what the narrator sees and feels that may be abstract or out-of-the-ordinary to play with the reader’s mind, especially if the narrator themselves doesn’t recognize it as peculiar. 

Third-Person POV

Despite the story not unfolding through the narrator’s eyes, a third-person POV can be effective in staging sudden scares or odd occurrences, while also describing the world outside of a character’s immediate view. Great for suspense, a third-person POV allows you to focus on an object or threat that is approaching a character without their knowledge. A monster lurking in the shadows or a ghost appearing on a monitor when someone looks away: A third-person POV is excellent at staging the world outside a character’s direct experiences. 

Even… Second-Person POV?

An excellent example of POV manipulation in horror story writing is in The Only Good Indians, written by Stephen Graham Jones. (Minor spoilers ahead!) The book is mainly written in the third-person, following a group of hunters tracking a monster. In one instance, a character is scanning his surroundings with a gun when he lands on someone, you, the reader, now addressed in the second-person as the monster they’ve been hunting. It’s a masterful example of producing a scare by exploiting POV before the reader can fully comprehend what’s happening. 

If you’re looking for more effective frights, I previously compiled a list of some excellent horror novels with bone-chilling scares!

Map Out and Curate Your Scares

Once you understand your subgenre, its associated fears, and identify your POV, you can begin to establish your scares. There is an extensive list of tips from published writers on what they utilize to startle their audience, and reading other horror books and identifying what about them scares you will inspire you to implement the same techniques when you write horror. 

Scare Trope Example No. 1: Horrifying "Safe" Spaces

Consider including scares in otherwise-safe spaces. Vividly describing a derelict house or abandoned hospital can be equally valuable in building suspense and unease. Think of Jaws and how the novel (by Peter Benchley) and film (by Steven Spielberg) made an entire generation afraid to swim at the beach, or how the film The Ring (based on Japanese horror novel, Ring, by Koji Suzuki)  recontextualized water wells and TVs as things/spaces to be afraid of. 

Scare Trope Example No. 2: The Unlikely Threat

Another example of a common scare type is an unlikely threat. It could be argued that The Omen (screenplay by David Seltzer) or Children of the Corn (again by Stephen King) largely contributed to a trope in horror involving unease toward children. We assume them unlikely to be a threat, only to be confronted with how horrifying they truly are. Or, how a film like Child’s Play or a novel like How to Sell a Haunted House (by Grady Hendrix) instil in viewers a lurking fear that prompts them to keep their eyes on inanimate dolls…just in case they spring to life. 

Toying with the unordinary and even looking inward at what scares you personally are excellent ways to construct a memorable scare that surprises the reader. You can defy expectations or lean into what already unsettles you and people like you. 

Final Thought About How to Write a Horror Novel

A dark-skinned woman with red eyes wearing all black on a red background stares menacingly into the camera.

A horror book can have intricately written characters or a unique plot, but if it’s not scary (or even suspenseful), readers will feel disappointed. Hopefully, you now feel more confident on how to write a scary scene in your horror novel or short story; hopefully you feel prepared to unnerve and surprise your readers. My final piece of advice for how to write a horror novel is to remember that it is okay to revise and edit until you feel confident your scares are effective. Horror readers love nothing more than the excitement of fear and unease creeping into their daily lives after reading an effective, frightening spine-tingler. Family, friends, colleagues, and professional beta readers can provide valuable feedback that helps you identify what didn’t work and what needs a bit more to really get readers’ hearts racing and keep them up at night.

Ready to speak with an editor about your horror novel?

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Editor’s Advice for Writing a Novel: How to Write the Hero’s “Ordeal”

A broken ladder leads up a stiff cliff; advice for writing the Ordeal in your novel

Emotionally compelling protagonists are at the heart of the best advice for writing a novel.

“If you want to be a writer, you have to be a reader.” So the advice for writing a novel typically goes. And this advice remains solid because there are many things writers can learn by example from exposure to other people’s stories and storytelling. 

If you’ve ever read a book, watched a movie or TV show, or played a video game, you’ve engaged with the story structure known as the Hero’s Journey (possibly even without knowing it, although if you have a background in creative writing, this will sound familiar). The Hero’s Journey is a twelve-step narrative structure from Joseph Campbell in his book of the same name, a structure that most conventional fiction follows. These steps span all three acts of the story, beginning with Ordinary World (the introduction to the setting) and ending with Return With The Elixir (the hero returning to their world, triumphant after completing their task or facing their challenge). 

Diagram of the Hero's Journey
Image by Wikimedia.

 (*also: please note: I intend and use “hero” in a gender-neutral way and interchangeably with “protagonist” throughout this blog.)

If you’re not familiar, or you want a refresher, take a look at the Hero’s Journey structure, and you will think of examples from the hundreds of stories you know. There’s a ton of guidance out there that addresses different steps in the Journey; in this blog, I’d like to focus my advice for writing a novel on the Eighth Step, the Ordeal, which is generally considered one of the most important moments in the conclusion of your story.

Exploring the Eighth Step: The Ordeal

A broken ladder leads up a stiff cliff; advice for writing the Ordeal in your novel
Photo by Théo Cold, Pexels.

The eighth step, The Ordeal, is described as the lowest point of the protagonist at the end of act two. It is their dramatic downfall or defeat, but it also reveals the truth of their character. Maybe the hero lost a battle against the villain, or they failed to save another character from danger. This step sees the protagonist hitting rock bottom in order to return with greater strength and resolve to conquer the main antagonist or conflict. (Not to be confused with the eleventh step, The Resurrection, which is defined as the final confrontation or climax, in book terminology.) 

Define Your Protagonist: Advice for Writing a Novel Lead

When you’re outlining your story or reach The Ordeal when writing, it can be challenging to weave plot points and character arcs together to create an emotional downfall for your protagonist. However, effectively crafting your protagonist makes this step easier to define through the following traits: their goal, their room for improvement, and their inner turmoil. If you find yourself struggling to define your character or build the right emotional tension, Developmental Editing provides that kind of assistance on your book’s character work and overall structure.

#1: What Are Your Protagonist’s Strengths and Goals?

After The Ordeal, ask yourself and outline: 

What strengths does your protagonist currently hold? And what do they still hope to accomplish? 

Return to your story and make note of the knowledge your protagonist currently has after their loss in The Ordeal. Perhaps they are a skilled fighter with a relentless need to bring peace to their city, an insanely knowledgeable detective with a knack for complex cases, or a passionate businessperson at the top of their career. 

A skilled fighter might strive to take down the villain or halt an evil external force to save their city. An intelligent detective might wish to catch an evasive serial killer. A passionate businessperson might dream of completing their life by finding their forever person. Once you have these two questions answered, you will know your protagonist’s mindset after The Ordeal, as well as the endpoint of what they still hope to accomplish. 

Using this arc, connect the necessary plot points (events that must happen) for the hero to grow from The Ordeal in order to navigate The Resurrection (or climax) in your book.

#2: How Can Your Protagonist Improve, and What Can They Learn?

Now ask yourself: where does your protagonist still have room to grow or learn? 

Returning to our previous examples, a skilled fighter might be great at what they do, but perhaps they’re still too hot-headed, which is what caused their problems during The Ordeal. They overestimated their abilities in a showdown with the villain and were brutally defeated. 

A detective might have underestimated the killer or worked themselves to exhaustion, and after The Ordeal, it seems the killer has slipped through their fingers. 

A passionate businessperson might have been shown during The Ordeal that they still have to learn a thing or two about partnership. 

All of these are common (and effective!) tropes for these character archetypes, so experiment with yours to make them unique to your story using specific plot points in your book; twist them into a more refined character. If you are unsure how your protagonist can still improve, examine where you have written them as a flawed, thus more human, character in previous scenes. How have they acted or what decisions did they make that were detrimental to them during The Ordeal? What lesson does it seem they might still need to learn?

#3: What Is Your Protagonist’s Inner Conflict?

Lastly, for your protagonist, you must find their inner conflict. These tend to be external to the main plot and based in a B-plot or the character’s roots. A fighter might have an unrelenting drive to prove himself to his peers. A detective might be on the case after their loved one fell victim to the killer. A passionate businessperson might struggle with commitment, dedicating too much of their life to work. The inner conflict must be unique to your protagonist, as it fleshes out their personality and individual emotions. This conflict drives your protagonist’s motivation in the story, and directly relates to The Ordeal and the lesson they must learn.

Book with handwriting on one page open on a bed of golden leaves

Final Advice for Writing a Novel: The Ordeal Sets up a Phenomenal Climax in Books of All Genres

The Ordeal can be a tricky step in your story, but if you take time to properly craft your protagonist with a goal, room to grow, and an inner conflict, you can create an engaging and compelling character-defining moment that’ll resonate with your readers. My advice for writing a novel using the Hero’s Journey is that it can be helpful to return to your favorite stories for inspiration, or even use a list of examples that clearly define the steps and what comes before and after The Ordeal. Most importantly, remember that this step serves as the most vulnerable point for the protagonist. Constructing an effective Ordeal is more than beating the protagonist to the ground; it’s the pinnacle of their flaws and traits clashing together in chaotic disharmony, and where they must learn to accept or improve themselves to conquer their objective. 

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Editor’s Pick: Book Recommendations for Veterans Day

Close up of American flag on a blurred background; offering discounts to veterans beginning Veterans Day 2024

Every year on November 11, we honor the veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country. This year, I’d like to offer a short list of book recommendations for veterans you know, or if you are interested in military history and literature.

First and foremost, please, take time to thank and hug a veteran today. Their service and their sacrifice deserve to be remembered every day of the year.

As a daughter, sister, and longtime partner of military service members, veterans from all branches hold a special place in my heart. Whether it’s a story of service by land, by air, or by sea, tales of military life add value to many book genres and categories. Often, when we think of books by veterans or about military life, we think of memoirs of famous generals or wartime leaders, but books that feature our brave men and women in uniform come in many varieties and in practically every genre.

While, of course, I could put together a list of some well-known bestsellers that I recommend, today, I’d like to make some quieter suggestions of books I’ve read in the past couple years, written by lesser-known authors, that both celebrate the many and varied lives of veterans and that touched me deeply and personally.

Of course, due to the nature of some content, reader discretion advised.

Jakovenko: From the Steppes of Ukraine to the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame

 

Jakovenko: From the Steppes of Ukraine to the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame book cover

Jakovenko: From the Steppes of Ukraine to the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Vladamir “Jake” Jakovenko

Veteran Memoir Recommendation

Tagged: adventure, Vietnam, military lit, memoir, special ops, fatherhood, immigrant author

Jake’s tale is a wild one, full of honor, bravery, humor, and incredible resilience during a thirty-year career. As a US Army Ranger, now inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, Jake completed two tours in Vietnam, was a SCUBA team combat diver, and performed counter-terrorism special operations. His funny and poignant tell-all provides fresh insight and honesty alongside a sense of adventure that kept me guessing what would happen to him and where he would end up next.

If you’re looking for a riveting true-life action-adventure story, check it out.

Eighty-6: My Father, Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name…on This Dark Path My Father, Allow My End to Be Granted with Light. Amen

 

Eighty-6: My Father, Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name...on This Dark Path My Father, Allow My End to Be Granted with Light. Amen. book cover.

Eighty-6: My Father, Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name…on This Dark Path My Father, Allow My End to Be Granted with Light. Amen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

By Derrick Pickney

Inspirational Veteran Memoir Recommendation

Tagged: veteran, military lit, memoir, Black author, inspirational

A Purple Heart recipient, Derrick shares his stories of bravery and true lessons learned in childhood, on the front lines, and after coming home. As Derrick analyzes, many veterans like himself suffered traumatic experiences in childhood that primed them for their years of military service, and which is then complicated by that service. When those veterans return home, and once their enlistment ends, they may feel unprepared for the challenges of civilian life, including processing of their traumas. Although it is a difficult challenge, Derrick has chosen to attempt to give outsiders an understanding of this complex cycle of trauma in military veterans from his position within it.

If you’re looking for a thought-provoking journey of reflection on hard truths, check it out.

Vietnam From 35,000 Feet: A Stewardess Story

 

Vietnam from 35,000 Feet: A Stewardess Story by Joan DeRosa

Vietnam From 35,000 Feet: A Stewardess Story

By Joan Derosa

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: romance, military lit, women’s lit, based on true experiences 

At the height of the fighting in Vietnam, one American airline remained assigned to the route of shuttling soldiers to, and body bags from, the battlefields. Based on true experiences, this novel follows Christina as she stewards these soldiers through this moment in history, splitting her time between being airborne and as a volunteer Red Cross nurse. From this unique perspective, she bravely faces it all. With the drama of war around her, she can’t stop herself from falling for a handsome reconnaissance air force pilot, and there’s nothing like danger to fuel the flames of passion and young love. Full of tragedy, heroism, a touch of humor, and a unique perspective on patriotism, this novel will grab ahold your heart.

Do You Have a Book Recommendation for Me?

So that’s it! My short list of book recommendations for Veterans Day 2025.

If you have suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below about what you think I should add to my To Be Read list.

Happy reading.

10% Discount for Military Veterans

The service and sacrifice of all military service members should be honored every day of the year. This is one reason why SRD Editing Services offers a 10% discount on all editing services to active duty or veteran military service members from any branch.

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Editor’s Pick: Horror Novel Recommendations for October (and Beyond)

Cover of the book "One of Us Knows" by Alyssa Cole

The countdown to Halloween has begun! And if the crisp air and pumpkins have you craving a terrifying tale, I have a few horror novel recommendations for you. 

Now, horror isn’t my specialty genre, but every year in October, I binge listen to audiobooks that focus on this oh-so-appropriate genre. Some are fun-time spooky and some are downright nightmare inducing. This month is off to a great start for me – connect with me on Goodreads for real-time updates of my reading list. But this year is the first time I’ve put together a short list to recommend to readers who might just be looking for a good horror audiobook fix. 

I also enjoy a good horror tale in the summer, for whatever reason. The sun is out and shining and I’m lying by the pool. Time for murder and carnage, ghosts and goblins, I guess. 🤷‍♀️ 

Now, generally after I read or listen to something, I post a private and very casual review to my friends on social media, which sometimes makes its way to Goodreads, although not usually. The horror novel recommendations you’ll find below here are reposts of what I tell my friends and family about these books. 

Since October has already begun, and there’s way too many in my reading history for me to keep the list short if I include everything I recommend, I’ve narrowed it down to just three horror sub-categories: fantasy horror, psychological thriller, and horror featuring women of color as protagonists (two appear in this category below: one YA appropriate and one for adults). 

It may go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Reader discretion advised.

The Salt Grows Heavy

Book cover: Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw; editors picks top books read in 2023

The Salt Grows Heavy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Cassandra Khaw

Fantasy-Horror Recommendation

Tagged: adventure, fantasy, women’s lit, romance, LGBTQ+, mom lit, short story

I covered this incredible short novel in my blog, Editor’s Pick: Top Books Read in 2023, so you’re welcome to check that out if you want the full (and extended!) review. 

To what I’ve said there, I’ll add this: this is one of the few horror novel recommendations that maintains its place on my list, even as I read more in this genre, and I’m growing to love this author more with each exposure to her work. 

I listened to another short story from this author in October 2022, returned to her to listen to this in October 2023, and have now returned to her again for my horror reading list of October 2024. She continues to impress me each and every time. 

The Last House on Needless Street

Book cover for The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By Catriona Ward

Psychological Thriller-Horror Recommendation

Tagged: 21st century lit, LGBTQ, psychology, horror

This incredible book was an Honorable Mention in my blog, Top 5 Books of 2022, so you might want to take a look there for the full review. 

What I can say is that this has stuck with me over the past two years. As someone with a background in psychology, I have to sometimes be careful about what types of psychological thrillers I get myself in — as they tend to hit deeper nerves than other types of thrillers — but as I continue to read more novels with depictions of mental illness, I continue to think about how well done this one is. Since the time of reading this, I have also listened to books by Mary Higgins-Clark and  Cormac McCarthy, who are both superb writers in depicting mental illness, and I would maintain that this book holds up against those larger, perhaps more well-known writers. 

I predicted when I published my Top Books of 2022 blog that this book would “stick with me for a long time,” and here we are, two years after I read it, and it’s showing up on this short list of horror novel recommendations. I love it when a prediction comes true. 😁

Horror Novel Recommendations Featuring Women of Color Protagonists

For the final category of my horror novel recommendations, I’d like to feature two books that star not only female protagonists but women of color specifically. There has long been discussion in the publishing community about how women of color are not featured enough in the  horror genre, and I agree! #representationmatters

The first book is one I read just this past summer of 2024, so it’s fresh in my mind and still haunts me randomly as I go about my life. The second I read in summer of 2023 and is for a YA audience. I particularly enjoyed the narrative’s delivery of the character’s paranoia in the audiobook, and I hope you will too. 

Both these titles include content warnings for hate crime violence and abuse based on race, as well as depictions of pretty severe mental health crises. The first also receives content warnings for harm to a child. 

One of Us Knows

Cover of the book "One of Us Knows" by Alyssa Cole

One of Us Knows: A Thriller

By Alyssa Cole

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: horror, adventure, psychology, women’s lit, romance, LGBTQ+, 21st century lit

4.5 stars. Oooo! Spooky! A psychological thriller for your summer reading list. Very well done. 👏👏👏 

Disassociative Identity Disorder (previously known as “multiple personality disorder”) is not particularly well understood or depicted in general pop culture media (books, TV, etc.), and I’m certainly no expert, but I’d say this is extremely well done. Our main narrator is one of the two hosts of this person’s system, a queer Black woman in her early thirties, and she is co-narrated by several of her/their other identities. 👉👈 

While people with DID often experience gaps in time due to various personalities controlling the body’s actions and memories, this novel shows how terrifying that really can become when your whole personhood ends up the center of a mystery that urgently needs solving before more people die or disappear under strange circumstances… 😱 

So while one of them must know what’s going on, all of them will have to work together to save themselves using only the pieces of information available to each. 

Terrifying. Funny. Deeply disturbing depiction of true-to-life trauma caused by people of MAGA ilk. It’ll have you cheering and laughing and gasping in the same scene.👌  

Reminded me of The Shining and The Menu and Last House on Needless Street.

Obviously content warnings. No SA but violence, hate crimes, abuse/neglect of children, mental illness, and more. 💔

White Smoke

Cover of the book "White Smoke" by Tiffany D. Jackson

White Smoke

By Tiffany D. Jackson 

⭐⭐⭐ 

Tagged: psychology, women’s lit, YA, 21st century lit

3.5 stars. A mid-summer ghost story that actually felt like fun summer reading. 

A lot of YA tropes mixed with standard ghost story stock that felt like a fresh twist on some classics I probably read in middle or early high school and just can’t remember now, like “Fear Street.”👻 

This was fresh and modern, with an angsty MC who learns a few valuable lessons along the way. 👩‍🎤 Her dad is in an interracial relationship, and she’s learning to adjust to having a White stepmother and stepsister. She’s also struggling with her own mental health in a few different ways. 

At times it was a bit predictable or obvious, but maybe that’s because I’m an adult who is familiar with the formula. And at times I was honestly questioning what would happen next. Generally, I enjoyed it. ❤️

Do You Have Horror Novel Recommendation for Me?

So that’s it! This is my short list of horror novel recommendations for October 2024. 

If you have suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below to let me know what you think I should add to my horror To Be Read list.

Happy reading, and have a great/horrific spooky season! 

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Tools for Romance Writers: Ratings for Spicy Romance Novels

Although writers of all genres should consider how different readers may approach their text, it’s particularly important for writers of romance, erotica, or “spicy romance” novels to connect with readers who are looking for their content. That’s why everyone could benefit from a universal ratings system.  

As a reader, if there were a single standard for rating the “spice level” in books, it would be easier to select, recommend, and review books they love and avoid books that don’t match their preferences. As a writer, a single rating system would make it easier to connect with readers who enjoy reading about what you enjoy writing about. 

Oh! If only. 

While other types of media such as TV shows and movies have standard ratings systems that make it easier for viewers to identify age-appropriate and content-desired material, books are sadly a bit different. While many good romance authors are beginning to include “content warnings” (or “trigger warnings”) so readers are aware of specific content they may find upsetting (or particularly enticing), it’s not required nor a standard practice, although it does seem to be trending in that direction (especially with self-publishing authors). 

But without a universal rating system for books, it remains difficult for readers to have insight into what books are appropriate for them (or their kids, if they’re parents), and it remains difficult for writers to appropriately connect with the right readers. 

Rated Reads helps parents determine if the book their child is reading is age-appropriate (not just because of romantic or sexual content, but for a whole host of reasons.) Our blog last year on the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder tool may also be helpful.  

So what do writers and readers do? Well, here are a few things to consider if you enjoy reading or writing romance, erotica, or erotic/spicy romance.

What’s the Difference?: Romance, Erotica, & Spicy Romance Novels

It’s important to note that reader preferences vary, and what one person considers spicy or erotic may differ from another’s interpretation. The key is to find a balance that suits the preferences of the target audience while maintaining a coherent and engaging narrative.

Hiring some romance beta readers can help you gauge where your novel falls on these scales and help with your marketing and promotion plans. Beta readers in general, but specifically, beta readers who are avid fans of different types of romance, can be invaluable in helping you determine if your content has the “right” spice level for your target readership. 

If you are a romance reader and want to help writers hone and perfect their on-page spice, consider being a beta reader! There are numerous groups on Facebook and hashtags on IG and TikTok (aka “Bookstagram” and “BookTok”) where you can volunteer to be ARC or beta readers for the works-in-progress of all types of romance writers. 

Romance

Woman and man in wedding attire laughing next to table; man wearing hat and woman holding bouquet. Romance novels typically end with happily ever after.
Romance novels typically end with "happily ever after."

To begin with, a “romance” novel typically holds the romance and the developing relationship between characters as central to the plot. The best romance novel tips remind writers to keep the emotions as the story’s focus, and there should typically be a strong narrative arc in the journey of the characters, including challenges, conflicts, and resolutions. True romance novels build an emotional connection as they explore their feelings, and the end result for the reader is a satisfying emotional payoff or a “happily ever after” (HEA) ending. 

While there may occasionally be intimacy, often characters will engage in “relations” through euphemism or off-page action, similar to how movies or TV plots will show characters tumbling into bed, kissing, and then fade to black. Often, there is a fade-in afterward to show the characters’ emotional reactions to the events, but the focus is on the emotions and relationships rather than detailed sexual encounters. Even when sex scenes happen on-page, the characters may speak in euphemism or “softened” sexual language rather than explicit word choice from the author.

In movie-ratings terms, true romance novels can be at any major commercial movie level – G, PG, PG-13, or R. 

Erotica (aka Smut)

To begin with, an “erotica” novel typically places a strong emphasis on sexual content and exploration. The primary goal is to arouse and titillate the reader through explicit descriptions of sexual encounters. While erotica may have a plot, it is often secondary to the explicit content, and as all good romance authors know, the narrative may serve as a framework to connect erotic scenes rather than a central focus that details characters’ emotions and their journey toward a romantic connection. Beware of losing sight of the plot just to get caught up in “the action,” unless you intend to write erotica. While some erotica may explore emotional connections, the central theme is sexual pleasure, and the emotional depth is typically not as developed as in romance.

Erotica is known for its explicit and detailed depictions of sexual acts. The language used is often more direct and graphic, catering to readers seeking a more intense exploration of sexuality. Its content runs the full gamut of sexual fantasies, preferences, and kinks that you can find when reviewing the categories and tags of any website that publishes adult videos.

In movie-ratings terms, erotica is pretty strictly X-rated and higher.

Spicy Romance Novels / Erotic Romance Novels

man and woman in intimate embrace. He is shirtless, she facing away from him, he appears to be kissing her neck and removing her shirt; spicy romance novels balance sexual and romance content.

“Spicy romance” or “erotic romance” falls somewhere between traditional romance and erotica. These subgenres acknowledge and include explicit sexual content while maintaining a strong emphasis on the emotional connection between characters. Here are some key erotic romance novel tips:

Balanced Focus: Spicy or erotic romance strikes a balance between the emotional development of the relationship and explicit sexual content.

  • Narrative integration: Unlike erotica, which may prioritize sexual scenes over the plot, spicy romance integrates intimate moments into a broader narrative that includes emotional tension and character development.
  • Reader expectations: Readers of spicy or erotic romance are seeking a more sensual experience than traditional romance without necessarily delving into the more explicit and purely sexual nature of erotica.
  • Varied Heat Levels: “Heat levels” are often used to classify the level of explicit content in romance novels. Spicy or erotic romance can encompass a range of heat levels, allowing readers to choose the intensity of sexual content they are comfortable with.

Like the best rated-R movies can have very graphic, enticing, titillating sex scenes without losing sight of how those scenes play into the overall narrative arc and important relationship-building between the characters, spicy/erotic romance novels walk the fine line between turning on both their readers’ bodies and minds. 

Spicy Romance Novel Tips: Popular Ratings Systems & Resources

There are several tools and systems that readers and writers can use to assess the spice levels or explicit content in novels, especially in the romance and erotic genres. These tools are often referred to as “heat levels” or “sensuality ratings.”  Good romance authors would be wise to understand readers’ expectations and make the most of these rating systems and reader feedback to strike the right balance to connect with their audience. 

All About Romance (AAR) is a popular romance-focused website that provides sensuality ratings for romance novels. The ratings range from “Kisses” for books with no sexual content to “Burning” for those with explicit scenes.

Smart Bitches Trashy Books is a romance book review site that provides heat ratings for the books they review. The ratings range from “Sweet” to “Scorching.”

Romance.io is a fairly new (2 years old) book review site that provides a “steam” or “spice” rating for a variety of romance books and invites site members to add their own reviews and ratings. They offer a “similar book finder” so if there is something you liked and want more of, you can find it easily. 

Is the Book Spicy? blog focuses just on the spice ratings. No reviews. No spoilers. Just letting you know how steamy the book gets and what the tropes and triggers are for different titles. 

Goodreads, a popular book review platform, allows readers to tag books with descriptors like “steamy,” “erotic,” or “clean romance.” Reading reviews on Goodreads can also provide insights into a book’s heat level. (Connect with our editor, Cortni Merritt, on Goodreads!) 

Readers can use these tools to find books that align with their preferences, and good romance authors can refer to these and other online spice-rating systems to navigate the varying levels of sensuality expected from readers in romance and erotic novels.

How Writers of Spicy Romance Novels Promote & Connect with Readers

One of the most common ways to connect with readers of spicy romance is through newsletters. It’s a great way for writers to find both romance beta readers and eventually promote their finished books for sale. Many newsletters target in on specific subgenres, character types and tropes, and content that’s close to their heart, but here are a few ideas where writers of spicy romance novels can start brainstorming for promotion and marketing:  

  • Book retailer newsletters (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.)
  • Book review sites (Goodreads, BookBub, BookSends, etc.)
  • Book subscription services (Book of the Month, Romance Reveal Book Box, etc.) 
  • Blogs for romance, spicy romance, or erotica books/writing.
  • Social media groups (Facebook, IG hashtags, BookTok, etc.)
  • Forums such as Reddit r/RomanceBooks

By becoming a subscriber to a few newsletters or forums for the genre in which you write, you become familiar with the expectations, including the spice levels and standard ratings, for your spicy romance novels.

Writers of Spicy Romance Novels: Do Your Research

Among all the advice out there on how to write a solid romance novel, tips about incorporating spice are in no short supply. If there were a universal rating system, it would certainly be easier for writers, but since there is not, it is worth the time for a writer working to establish themselves or better target their readership in the romance genre to review several sources of reader feedback about spice levels. 

There’s a reader out there for every book! Don’t feel like you have to force your book to become too spicy if you don’t want it to be, but if you want to turn up the heat, just connect to readers who are looking for that level of burn, and your spicy romance novels and readers will enjoy the perfect match-up.  

Ready to talk to a romance novel editor?

Contact SRD Editing Services

Erotica, Romance, & Spicy Romance Novels Edited by SRD Editing Services

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Planners Vs. Pantsers: Tips for New Writers on Navigating Your Writing Journey

An AI image of a woman's back. She is wearing blue shirt and khaki pants and facing an explosion of colors, clocks, and perhaps scraps of paper. Symbolizes how pantsers approach the creative writing process by prioritizing spontaneity and creativity.

Writing is a unique journey, and every writer has their own style. Some meticulously plan every detail, while others embrace spontaneity and write “by the seat of their pants.” As an editor who has worked with both types, I’ve come to appreciate the strengths and challenges each style includes. In this blog, we’ll explore the worlds of planners and pantsers, providing valuable tips for new writers on self-publishing and the various stages of editing a book.

Planning Your Path: Crafting a Literary Blueprint

The Planner's Playground

A notebook and pen with crumpled pieces of paper on a wood desk; symbolize the planning type of writer in discussion of tips for new writersPlanners, or “architects,” are writers who thrive on structure. Here are some tips for new writers who want to take this meticulous approach:

1. Develop a Detailed Outline

For planners, the key lies in crafting a comprehensive outline as a crucial stage. Break down your story into chapters, noting character developments, key events, and thematic elements. This roadmap will guide you through the writing process, minimizing the risk of getting lost in the narrative wilderness.

2. Explore Character Motivations

While planning is your strength, be wary of falling into the trap of a too-rigid structure. Take time to delve into your characters’ motivations. Understanding their desires, fears, and conflicts adds depth, preventing characters from feeling flat or lifeless.

3. Avoid Rushing Things

Planners may be tempted to rush through scenes because we know the outcome. Be mindful of pacing during these drafting stages. Don’t sacrifice tension. Ensure each scene serves a purpose and contributes to the narrative arc. During later stages of editing a book, you can trim or add as necessary.

Learning from Pantsers: Valuable Tips for Planners

While planners excel at creating structure, there’s much to learn from the spontaneity of pantsers. As a dedicated planner, I often work with pantsers who remind me of the magic of spontaneous creativity. During brainstorming or creativity sessions, often unplanned ideas emerge and transform the entire plot. These revelations can result in some of the best elements of a finished story. You’ve got to allow space for the unexpected.

Embracing Spontaneity: Tips for New Writers Who Write by the Seat of Their Pants

The Pantser's Playground

An AI image of a woman's back. She is wearing blue shirt and khaki pants and facing an explosion of colors, clocks, and perhaps scraps of paper. Symbolizes how pantsers approach the creative writing process by prioritizing spontaneity and creativity. Pantsers, or “gardeners,” revel in the thrill of uncertainty. Here are some tips for new writers who find that this spontaneous approach works best for them:

1. Start with a Seed

For pantsers, begin with a single starting point – a character, an image, or a theme.This starting point can give you something to help your imagination run wild. Enjoy freedom from the constraints of a detailed plan, but give yourself a starting point as a seed from which your story can grow organically.

2. Embrace Plot Holes

Pantsers may find themselves overlooking plot holes, assuming that the narrative threads will magically tie together later. While spontaneity is your strength, be open to revisiting and filling in those gaps during later stages of editing a book. Your story should make sense to readers who don’t have the privilege of seeing everything in your head.

3. Balance Creativity with Structure

While celebrating your spontaneity, be mindful not to veer into overly indulgent or “purple” prose (or be prepared to edit it closely later especially if you’re self-publishing). Every reader craves a sense of overall story structure. Your narrative should be coherent and provide readers with a clear, engaging journey through your creative landscape.

Learning from Planners: Valuable Tips for Pantsers

Pantsers may be tempted to rush to put down all their thoughts, no matter where it leads the reader because they are enjoying the journey their characters take them on. Be mindful of losing your readers and having them drop out of the story because they couldn’t follow along. Don’t sacrifice clarity or cohesion. Make sure your wild ride still follows the standard “hero’s journey” or demonstrates a clear character arc by at least leading the reader to an end that makes sense based on the beginning. 

Still got questions? Check out this video from Jenna Moreci with tips for new writers, “10 Best Tips for Plotting Your Novel.” 

Image shows black text on white background of a 3x3 table explaining different types of planner and pantser writers. Can be helpful in self-publishing and different stages of editing a book.

The Editor's Role in Different Stages of Editing a Book

Whether you meticulously plan or live the pantser life, both approaches benefit from a skilled editor’s touch and multiple stages of editing a book. One of my top tips for new writers is: Do NOT try to do all the editing at once. You will miss so many things. 

As an editor, especially for self-publishing authors, my role is to enhance the manuscript while simultaneously respecting the writer’s unique style. Here’s how I navigate the challenges for both planners and pantsers during editing:

Guiding Planners through Editing a Book

  • Addressing Rigid Structure: I guide planners to help balance their detailed plans with spontaneity. It’s important to encourage flexibility within their detailed (and sometimes very thorough) plan, which allows for authentic character development.
  • Tackling Rushed Pacing: For planners prone to rushing through scenes during the drafting of their book, I focus on pinpointing areas where slowing down can heighten tension and emotional impact. Could the scene use more description? More emotion? More dialogue. Identifying and addressing these types of gaps ensures a more satisfying reading experience.

Supporting Pantsers when Editing a Book

  • Filling Plot Holes: Pantsers may overlook plot holes or assume readers will connect the dots, but sometimes the manuscript benefits from a bit more obvious storytelling devices. My role is to gently guide the pantsers who resist structre and help them identify and fill in gaps so the reader sees how each scene logically builds from the previous one.
  • Maintaining Coherence: While celebrating spontaneous and quirky action, sometimes this takes the whole plot in a totally unintended direction. Often, writers realize this and try to steer it back to its original direction, but they sometimes need help maintaining coherence. A cohesive structure doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity; it ensures readers can navigate the narrative landscape without feeling lost.

Developmental Editing & Beta Feedback during Self-Publishing for Planners & Pantsers

Regardless of your writing style, the journey is incomplete without multiple rounds of editing, which can include developmental editing, beta reader feedback, and separate steps for line editing and proofreading, especially when self-publishing. Among the best editing tips for new writers – planners and pantsers alike – is that they can benefit from these crucial steps:

Embracing Developmental Editing when Self-Publishing

  • Strengthening Weaknesses: Developmental editing focuses on enhancing a manuscript’s strengths and addressing weaknesses. Whether it’s refining a detailed plan or filling in gaps left by spontaneity, this stage of editing a book is about refining your unique voice and making sure your message or story is clearly communicated.
  • Gaining External Perspective: A skilled editor provides an external point of view, identifying elements that might be unclear or inconsistent to a reader who can’t see inside the writer’s mind. A fresh set of eyes ensures your unique story resonates with a broader audience.

Tips for New Writers to Harness Beta Reader Feedback when Self-Publishing

  • Diverse Perspectives: Beta readers should be among your target audience. They can help highlight what works, what resonates, and where they felt disconnected from the text or confused by the story. Their feedback is invaluable in shaping your story so that appeals to your target readership.
  • Testing Emotional Impact: Beta readers help gauge the emotional impact of your story, an essential consideration for self-publishing and something you can absolutely tweak during the stages of editing a book. Do they feel connected to the characters? Are your plot twists effective?  Your beta readers’ responses guide you in fine-tuning your manuscript for maximum reader engagement.

Planning or Pantsing Your Writing Can Make for an Awesome Journey

Whether you meticulously plan every detail or let the words flow organically, your writing journey is a personal and evolving experience. Embrace your unique style, recognizing the strengths it brings to your storytelling.

As you embark on this creative adventure, remember that both planners and pantsers can learn from each other and there’s room for both in the traditional and self-publishing worlds. The careful architect can infuse spontaneity into their writing, while the adventurous gardener can benefit from the structure that ensures a satisfying reader experience. And both can address issues of structure or plot development in the stages of editing a book. 

Ultimately, every tips for new writers list should emphasize how the magic happens in the balance – a harmonious dance between planning and spontaneity. As you refine your craft, celebrate your individuality, and let the words guide you on your journey to becoming a seasoned and versatile writer, you’ll find the special mix that is just right for you.

Explore the Stages of Editing a Book with SRD Editing Services

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Tips for Science Fiction Writers: The Importance of Technology in Worldbuilding

Fictional space craft flying through a planet's atmosphere with exploding moons or meteors on the horizon. Red/black color scheme. Demonstrates technology tips for science fiction writers.

All aspiring science fiction writers want their speculative fiction to take their readers on a journey. In the dynamic world of storytelling, the role of technology extends far beyond mere gadgets and gizmos. “Technology” can mean many things. Especially depending on context. As a sci-fi series editor, it helps to understand the multifaceted importance of technology in literature, ranging from grounding characters in their surroundings to crafting futuristic worlds in imaginative narratives. In today’s blog, let’s focus on the beating heart of many futuristic narratives: technology, unraveling the layers and discovering how technology plays a crucial importance in storytelling when writing a sci-fi novel.

Featured image in header available from Enrique on Pixabay. 

Embrace Futuristic Concepts

Science fiction, at its core, thrives on imagination. The very essence of the genre lies in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The most imaginative writing tips encourage you to liberate your mind from the constraints of current technology and let your imagination soar. Embrace futuristic concepts that challenge the norm and redefine the technological landscape of your narrative.

Consider the groundbreaking work of writers like Isaac Asimov and Octavia Butler, who dared to dream beyond the limits of their time. Your ability to envision and describe advanced technologies is a key ingredient in crafting a truly immersive sci-fi experience for your readers.

Build Consistent Technological Systems

While the allure of the fantastical is undeniable, when writing a sci-fi novel, you must maintain consistency in your technological systems. This keeps your readers engaged. Establishing rules and limitations for your invented technologies adds depth and believability to your fictional world. The coherence allows readers to suspend disbelief and fully invest in the universe you created.

Think of your technological framework as the backbone of your narrative. Ensure that it aligns with the rules you’ve set and remains logical throughout the story. In addition to crafting an outline to help you know how the story will develop, you might also create a glossary or keep notes on how the technological elements function in your fictional universe. Whether it’s interstellar travel, artificial intelligence, or bioengineering, a consistent technological foundation will enhance the overall authenticity of your sci-fi world.

Science Fiction Writers Must Explore Ethical and Social Implications

As you craft your technological marvels, don’t forget the human element. Consider how these advancements impact the society and individuals within your fictional world. Ethical dilemmas and societal changes may arise from the introduction of groundbreaking technologies, and readers of sci-fi are generally here for it. Don’t disappoint! 

Among my favorite imaginative writing tips is the advice to explore the intersection of technology and humanity, like some of the most memorable sci-fi stories. Philip K. Dick’s classic “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” seamlessly weaves ethical questions into a narrative about artificial intelligence and what it means to be human. Integrating such considerations will elevate your storytelling and provoke thought in readers of all ages and backgrounds.

The Best Science Fiction Writers Blend Technology with Human Elements

One pitfall of many science fiction writers is the tendency to focus solely on their world’s technological aspects and neglect the human experience. To create a truly impactful narrative, it’s essential to blend technology with the emotions, struggles, and relationships of your characters.

Consider how your characters interact with and react to the advanced technologies of their world. Use technology as a tool for character development, exploring how it shapes their beliefs, motivations, and personal growth. This integration not only adds depth to your characters but also makes your futuristic world relatable and emotionally resonant.

Research Real-world Tech Trends

One of the less imaginative writing tips but one that can’t be overstated: You must research, research, research when writing a sci-fi novel. Your narrative may exist in the realm of imagination, but grounding your story in real-world tech trends provides a solid, familiar foundation for readers to relate to. Stay informed about advancements in science and tech, and use this knowledge to inspire and inform your storytelling.

Imagine the impact of self-driving cars, genetic engineering, or virtual reality on your sci-fi world and your characters. By incorporating elements inspired by real-world trends, you not only infuse authenticity into your writing but also offer readers a glimpse into the potential future based on our current trajectory.

Avoid Technological Overload

In the pursuit of creating a technologically rich narrative, this experienced series editor advises that you learn to strike a balance. Avoid overwhelming your readers with excessive technological details that might distract from the main storyline. Instead, focus on seamlessly integrating technology into the narrative, using it as a means to advance the plot rather than overshadow it.

Consider the pacing of your story—reveal technological details gradually, allowing readers to acclimate to the futuristic world you’ve crafted. A well-balanced approach ensures that your narrative remains engaging, with technology serving as a complement rather than a distraction.

Last Tip for Science Fiction Writers: Embrace the Journey

In the vast universe of science fiction writing, technology serves as a powerful vehicle for exploration and discovery. Aspiring science fiction writers, I encourage you to embrace the limitless possibilities that technology offers in crafting your narratives. From futuristic concepts to consistent technological systems, ethical considerations, and the integration of human elements, each element plays a crucial role in shaping a compelling sci-fi story.

Remember, the journey when writing a sci-fi novel is both personal and communal. Take risks, experiment, and explore the uncharted territories of your imagination. As you navigate the cosmos of your narrative, let technology be your guiding star, illuminating the path toward a captivating and thought-provoking story.

Happy writing, science fiction writers, and may your imagination soar beyond the stars!

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Cost to Self-Publish a Book

Graphic design image of hands exchanging ebook for money; symbolizes the cost of self-publishing a book

What Does it Cost to Self-Publish a Book?

 As an editor with more than ten years of experience, I can’t tell you how many times writers have asked me, “What does it cost to self-publish a book?” Although it seems like a straightforward enough question, the simplest answer is “It varies,” but writers are seldom satisfied with that. 

You will find a range of numbers online or hear stories from other writers of what they paid. Or, stories of what they didn’t pay for and regretted not having done professionally. 

The reality is that it depends on so many factors and individual decisions, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The biggest factor and what the cost to publish a book really comes down to is this: How much of the work do you want to do yourself, and how much of the work will you hire out to separate professionals or purchase a package from a service? 

I don’t think I can answer every single question about the cost of self-publishing in a single blog, but for what it’s worth, I will try to provide some basic information to give you the food for thought that will help you in your publishing journey.

How to Calculate Your Cost of Self-Publishing

Let’s go through some of the common steps of the publishing process and look at how that relates to the cost to publish a book. You can learn how to execute any of these steps in the process and save a line item in your self-publishing budget, but based on your time, resources, or prior knowledge or experience, it might make sense to hire professionals for some services and take on others yourself. In hiring professionals to fill in your own gaps in knowledge or expertise, you can greatly reduce your cost to self-publish a book. 

The publication process can include:

To save money upfront, you can certainly take on any of these steps yourself. As in any startup business, the self-published author has to wear several hats and perform many duties. Of course, for the most professional final product or the greatest return on your investment, hiring professionals for some parts of the process may be the right decision.

When Prioritizing Costs of Self-Publishing…

Now, I can’t advise you how to spend your own money. Obviously, you have worked hard on your manuscript, and as an editor and book lover, I think your manuscript deserves the best that you can give it when being launched.

My main piece of advice is: Think through everything. 

Every decision you make can affect your cost to self-publish a book, especially how much you pay out of pocket. 

During the writing process, many authors continue to see their book as their baby. They have such an emotional attachment to it. At this point, it’s time to switch over and begin to see your book as a product. You have to sell it. Which means you have to begin to think like a business person and not like a protective parent. 

Don’t learn by trial and error or get halfway into a step in the process and refuse to pivot when a challenge arises. Make decisions and a plan based on the best information you can find, then remain a little flexible for the journey. Having a plan at the onset can save you time and frustration and reduce your cost to publish a book. 

And, if you can build a 10% cushion into your budget to deal with unexpected expenses, do it.

"Shop Your Comps" (Competitors/Comparable Products)

Book cover with black and white image of books on a bookcase with yellow text "Sell books"

One of the first things I learned in sales more than twenty years ago is to always “shop your comps.” Now, “comps” might be short for “competitors/competition” or “comparables,” depending on who you’re speaking with. When evaluating your costs of self-publishing, you may even have to consider that you have different comps in different formats (i.e., ebooks may have different comps than printed books, even in the same genres). 

Although I know you’re likely thinking in terms of ebooks published to Amazon KDP and other platforms, consider this when thinking about your book’s comps: 

If you walked into a literal bookstore and found your book on the shelf, what would you expect to find next to it? 

If your book is a historical romance set in 1860s London with a feminist female lead character…then you should shop for other historical romances set in the 1860s (hopefully in London), with feminist female lead characters. If your book is a memoir that describes your rags-to-riches success story, your comps are other memoirs that detail the same kind of success story, perhaps even from someone with a similar background to yours. 

It may seem like a strange way to shop or a strange step to take when considering the cost to self-publish a book, but this is how your readers are finding books. If they leave a review or show interest in a particular book, the algorithm on Amazon will show them more products that are similar to ones they’ve already liked. Readers also tend to browse by categories and genres of books they already know they like, so if yours stands out “next to others on the shelf” (literally or metaphorically), your book has a better chance to sell. 

So, go to Amazon and search through the categories and genres in which you plan to publish. Don’t look just at the big-name bestsellers you’ve heard of before, but filter your search results to see the best-reviewed books, most recently released books, and books recommended based on others you’ve read or know.

Your book should “look” as much like the competition as possible. Take note of the cover artwork and interior design and formatting (if you can get a sneak peek into the book). Take a look at the back cover or online description and author bio.

Apply a critical researcher’s eye. What do you see? 

Is it common to see clean copy in the book descriptions or do you notice typos and errors? Do the covers look similar? Can you tell which covers are professionally designed and which are more likely done by an amateur? Are a lot of your comps published in multiple formats (ebook, audiobook, paperback, hardcover, etc.), or is it pretty common to see others in your category exclusively in one format? What do the reviews look like? What are some readers’ biggest points of praise and complaint? 

 Then in big-picture terms, start applying these ideas to your thoughts on budget and cost of self-publishing. Addressing or thinking ahead about the following can help you reduce some of those costs or get the most value out of what you pay: 

  • What would make your book more appealing than theirs? 
  • How would yours stand out as different? 
  • Could you add a subtitle? (are subtitles common in your genre?) 
  • How can you craft your online description/back cover copy to both fit in and stand out among your comps? 
  • Would a blurb from another author in your genre be helpful or welcome or do the readers in your genre steer clear of that kind of promotion?

Remember, these books are your competition. Readers might scroll past one of these books and land on yours. What is going to make them click to “Read More”? And then, what is yours going to do differently to make them put it in their cart or on their TBR list?

While the cost to publish a book is the main focus during these recon missions, this information-gathering will be helpful in every step of the publishing process, and by doing this at the beginning, you can save yourself valuable time and avoid common errors or holdups that other authors run into.

Keep Track!

Take notes. Keep a list of resources, videos, links, articles, and advice that answers your questions or provides useful tips. Use bookmarking in your web browser and other apps to keep track of your own resources for info on the cost of self-publishing.

Whatever your process is, take notes, and once you’ve eliminated an option as no longer being right for you, strike through it, but don’t delete it. It’s then easier to see what options you’ve evaluated and rejected so when someone recommends it to you again, you won’t think to yourself “Wait, have I looked at that already?”

Editing Costs When Self-Publishing

In the traditional publishing model, the publisher pays the associated editing cost to publish a book. But as a self-published writer, you will have to decide how much editing you would like to do yourself and how much you want to pay someone else for. 

Traditionally published manuscripts typically receive four rounds of editing, at least. Usually, the author’s agent has offered developmental editing and assistance with revising and rewriting before the manuscript is even pitched to a publisher. Then, the publisher may ask for their own round of developmental edits and revisions – including removing or adding characters, rewriting entire scenes or storylines, or completely revising the beginning or ending of a story. 

Then, the manuscript typically goes through a round of line editing followed by a round of copyediting, to remove any word choice errors, reduce repetitive language, and fix grammatical or technical problems. These steps may be repeated. 

Then, after formatting by the graphic designer, the manuscript typically goes through a round of proofreading to ensure that no errors made their way into the publish-ready manuscript (called the “proof”). Once the proofread is complete and corrections are implemented, the book typically goes off to the printer. 

Now, while readers expect self-published books to be as error-free as traditionally published books, all those rounds of editing certainly affect the cost of self-publishing. Paying a fair market rate to each of the editors may be out of budget, which is why many self-published authors choose to improve their self-editing skills and edit their own material, or to skip one or more steps in the process. It’s totally understandable. 

Check out our blog with a Self-editing Checklist for Authors.

Check out our blog on Using Ctrl + H to Self-Edit Your Writing.

On the other hand, that’s often why self-published books are derided as being poor quality compared to traditionally published books. Many readers expect a book to be completely error-free once it reaches their hands; they are accustomed to books that have been put through many rounds of edits. Readers may be especially sensitive to typos, unclear or repetitive sentences; awkward, stilted, or wooden dialogue; unchecked facts; and a number of other inconsistencies and sloppy inaccuracies in self-published materials on Amazon KDP and other platforms. 

Of course, as an editor, I’m biased. I think it’s absolutely worth including the cost of editing in your budget of cost to self-publish a book. I 100% recommend that every book go through *at least* a line edit and a proofread. If possible, these two duties should be performed by different people. A line edit before the formatting layout helps catch errors of clarity or meaning; a proofread after the layout helps catch errors of readability. 

The first cut-off number recommended professionally is 40 errors per 1,000 words. Before you move into the formatting/layout stage, get your manuscript below that number and it’ll be “mostly clean.” For a proofread, you want to keep reviewing it until your error rate is lower than 1 error per 1,000 words. 

Some ways to reduce this cost of self-publishing include beta readers, group workshops or critique swaps, or run your draft through the Editor tool in MS Word, Grammarly, or ChatGPT. The real-life people can help you catch errors in meaning and ideas that would engage the reader, and the technical/AI tools can help you catch technical errors and correct grammatical problems. Doing both of these before handing it off to a professional editor can help reduce your time, frustration, and cost to self-publish the book.

Cost of Self-publishing: Design

Man in grey shirt handing money toward the camera; symbolizes design costs of self-publishingIncluded also in the cost to publish a book are the visual elements,  pictures, graphics, and other details that contribute to the look and presentation of the finished product. Design costs include the creation of art and organizing the layout of both the book’s interior and exterior. This means the book’s front cover, spine, and back cover, as well as a book jacket if you’re publishing a hardcover book. Then of course, the text must be laid out and formatted. 

Design costs will vary depending on the complexity of your book. Again, you might be able to learn to do some or all of this yourself. Some graphic designers offer services to illustrate and create both interior and exterior of the book; others specialize in one or the other. In addition, if you envision your book having multiple images–photos, charts, graphs, maps, or illustrations–there may be additional costs associated with producing, editing, or formatting them. 

And, this is not to get into too much detail about graphic novels, cookbooks, and illustrated kids’ books–anything with specialized fonts or additional graphic work for the text will add to the cost to self-publish that book. If you’re planning to publish an image-heavy book, expect costs that text-heavy books wouldn’t encounter. And of course, whether you’re publishing via Amazon KDP, multiple ebook platforms, or in print can affect your total costs. 

Need a referral for a professional graphic designer? Please ask! SRD Editing Services is happy to provide referrals for professional graphic designers and book cover artists with whom we’ve worked before. 

Some common design-related expenses include:

Front Cover Design

The front cover design is essential for attracting readers, who will expect a professional look that speaks to your book’s genre, themes, and central plot. You can create a cover yourself for free, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so without experience, unless you utilize the templates and tools available from a program such as Book Brush, which is designed for authors who may not have graphic design knowledge. 

If you choose to hire a professional, you can buy a pre-made template or have a design custom-created to your specifications. The cost of this self-publishing step can range from less than a hundred dollars to over a thousand. Typically, as with many creative products, you “get what you pay for,” but you always want to look for a designer with a wide portfolio that includes examples in your book’s specific genre. If you find a designer who offers multiple revisions, that is usually best, as it allows for some trial-and-error to help you get the exact right cover for the book you’ve worked so hard on.

Interior layout

This may be one way, if publishing only an ebook, you can reduce the cost to self-publish a book. Free ebook formatters like those at Reedsy or the open-source software Calibre allow writers with very little design experience to get the job done, with a low-enough learning curve. 

However, if you want a print version of your book, it is more difficult. Or, if you’re concerned about digital rights management (DRM) and keeping your ebook secure (especially on Amazon KDP), you may want to consider if the cost of hiring a professional is worth it. 

Whether you’re publishing in ebook or printed, a book’s interior layout should be polished. For a printed book, this means things like page numbers and running headers and footers in the right places. For an ebook, it means details like creating an auto-formatted table of contents and hyperlinking it to each corresponding chapter. There are also considerations such as adding and finalizing the front and back matter and adjusting page layouts for bleed and trim sizes on printed materials. 

If you are authoring a children’s book, graphic novel, or other printed book where you want to purchase a unique font for publishing, you may have to pay the graphic designer who owns the font copyright for licensing rights to use their font. 

A professional will take care of all these details and more, and this cost of self-publishing will vary from a few hundred dollars to over one thousand, depending on the person’s experience and the scope of work.

Illustrations & Graphics

If your book requires illustrations, charts, graphs, or other graphic elements, you may need to hire an illustrator or graphic designer. There are some free tools to help nonprofessionals, such as Canva or Inkrate, if you’re inclined to try making some imagery yourself. This cost to publish your book will depend on the number and complexity of the visuals. 

Look for free templates or pre-made stock graphics, photographs, and illustrations that are available for commercial use with or without attribution. Always check the licensing rights on any images you’d like to use, as some images may require purchase. 

Ebook Conversion

If you’re publishing both a printed and ebook version of your book, some graphic designers will include an ebook file (.epub) along with your formatted files for printed books. Other designers will charge for a separate conversion of your ebook files. Of course, you can also perform the ebook conversion yourself with free software, although your options may be limited. 

The cost of ebook file conversion ranges from less than one hundred to several hundred dollars, depending on the specifics. SRD Editing Services offers ebook formatting for authors interested in an ebook-only formatting service.

Publishing, Distribution & Promotion Costs to Self-Publish a Book

In traditional publishing, the costs of publishing, distribution, and promotion are largely taken on by the publishing company. The author may have some promotional costs associated with travel or public bookings, but typically they may be eligible for reimbursement either from the publisher or on their taxes. 

The publishing cost to self-publish a book is substantially greater. You take on all of these responsibilities, as well as their associated expenses. Consider the following in your publishing, distribution, and marketing and how they might affect your budget.

ISBNs

Every version of every book needs a different ISBN. That means that when you publish a single title, each format of the book should be assigned its own ISBN: hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook, and so on. ISBNs should be purchased directly from Bowker, and they can be purchased in bundles of 10 or 100, so if you know you’ll be publishing multiple titles and you’ll want them in various formats, you can buy in bulk. ISBNs never expire and can be saved until whatever publishing date you choose to use them. 

To keep publishing costs down, many authors will release their book first in ebook format only. If you plan to keep your distribution narrow and exclusive to Amazon KDP, Amazon will provide you with a free ISBN. If you plan to “go wide” with your distribution and make your ebook available on multiple distributing platforms/channels, go ahead and purchase an ISBN that’s not Amazon-affiliated.

Copyright Costs

As noted in the design section, if there is a specific copyright-protected font or image that you’d like to use in your published book, you may have to purchase the licensing rights for your commercial product (i.e., your book). Additionally, if you include song lyrics or want to quote large sections of copyrighted material from another author, you may also need permission from the copyright holder to reprint the material. At times, permission may be granted simply by asking and including attribution to the original copyright holder. At other times, republishing rights may have to be purchased. Consider your material and whether those republished sections are vital to the message of your text when evaluating the cost of self-publishing your book.

Print-on-Demand Costs

The great thing about print-on-demand (POD) publishing is that there is no inventory for you (or anyone!) to stock. A book is printed only after a customer clicks “Purchase” and inputs their payment information.

The downside to that model is that there is no discount for “bulk printing,” and overall, each individual book costs more. 

(OK–you can often do a bulk order and print several books at once for a discount; there are exceptions to these general statements, but your consumers will pay more on average than they would if your book was available via a big retailer or traditional publishing distribution channels.) 

Because of most distribution websites’ pricing structures, the author can choose how large of a profit margin they want to allow themselves, essentially deciding how much of the printing cost to self-publish their book they want to pass directly on to the customer. But then, this can affect sales. As your book’s price increases, it’s possible that the sales number will decrease. 

You can keep the cost of printing down by researching the options and implementing a few strategic choices to control costs. The size of your printed book (5×8 vs. 6×9, for example), the type of paper, and the number of photos or illustrations can all affect the price of your book–even more so if they’re color. 

 So if you’re planning to offer a paperback or hardback version of your book, make sure you research your print-on-demand options and what extra steps will be necessary to maximize the value of your self-published book.

Advertising, Marketing, & Promotional Materials

This is–believe it or not–probably the easiest and quickest way to spend money on your book. A sneaky line item in the cost of self-publishing that can balloon far beyond its initial estimate. There are so many companies and individuals out there promising to sell a million copies of your book if you’ll only spend a certain amount on ads, and newsletter plugs, and email marketing, and a book trailer…

White cartoon person pushing down dynamite hooked to orange text "budget" in the background; symbolizes "blowing up" the budget cost of self-publishing

When thinking about what kind of marketing and promotions you want to do for your book, consider how you can repurpose free material already at your disposal. Can you use images you already paid for? Can you make use of free stock video and video editing software? Do you have a friend who is willing to give you word-of-mouth promotion to their wide social media following? Of all the ways to reduce the cost to publish a book, this one deserves your attention and a detailed plan. 

Consider the various ways you can market, advertise, and promote your book for free or very little cost. It’s easy to invest thousands into marketing a book and ending up with no sales to show for it; make sure you have a plan, wisely consider all the factors, and have clear criteria for what determines the moment you’ll “pull the plug” and discontinue a potentially draining and ineffective marketing strategy.

Self-Publishing Services Can Reduce the Cost to Publish a Book

I recommend you look into the self-publishing services companies and see which offers the services you want at the price point that works for you. A full self-publishing services company should handle printing, distribution, and maybe some marketing for you. But marketing services can vary greatly as well. So before you spend a dime, take the time to do the research and craft a plan that lets you minimize your effort and maximize your results once it’s time to publish.

Conclusion: Results > The Cost to Self-Publish a Book

For you, “results” could mean a sense of accomplishment, checking an item off your bucket list, or the thrill of seeing your name on the cover of your very own hard work. No matter what the cost to self-publish a book is, if it’s the right choice for you, you’ll be willing to pay what it costs to bring your dream into the world.

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Editor’s Pick: Top Books Read in 2023

Collage 10 book covers of editors picks top books read in 2023 entire list

The SRD Editor's Pick: Top Books Read in 2023

Welcome back for the second year of the SRD Editor’s pick of top books read this year! (Check out the 2022 list here.) 

As a refresher, I love tracking my audiobook listens and physical book reading via Goodreads (let’s connect!), and I typically get my materials from the county library using the Libby by Overdrive app. I love it! And the audiobook experience is perfect for me. 

So in 2023, I borrowed 151 audiobooks from my library. My total reading tracked on Goodreads is 154 books – which is more than double my goal of 75! 

Don’t ask me to pick a single favorite – I just can’t! 

But I did narrow it down to a shortlist. 

Like last year, I posted my preliminary, casual reviews of these books on Facebook to my personal circle. Below, you’ll find that original, informal and sometimes knee-jerk reaction review, but in this blog for my comprehensive editor’s list of top books read in 2023, I’ve included a bit more of my thoughts in the extended review. 

In the Libby app, I also tag books to keep track of the genres and main themes/types of books I read, out of curiosity. You’ll find that info below as well. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

These book reviews may contain some details that could affect your reading of the book. But, I tried not to give away too much. 

This page contains affiliate links. SRD Editing Services may receive a commission if you purchase a product through one of our affiliate links. Thank you!

The Salt Grows Heavy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Cassandra Khaw

OMG. What an intense and beautiful but insanely gory and graphic and literary excellence of a horror love story fever dream. I don’t even know. By far, the best true horror in my spooky October readings.

Book cover: Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw; editors picks top books read in 2023

The writing in this is superb. Descriptions and word choice that will soak through your skin and bite you with their beauty while the content of what’s being said will melt your brain. I can’t even with this writer.

The mermaid. She was abducted. And her children have teeth. She burns down the kingdom and escapes into the woods with a fearless nonbinary plague doctor who (spoiler) turns out to be analogous to Frankenstein’s monster. They stumble across a society of unaging children in the woods who are under control of three “saints.” (Not sus at all…) Chaos and destruction ensue.

It’s graphic, can’t-look-away horror not quite like anything else I’ve ever read. I keep trying to picture how you’d make it into a movie and i don’t think you could. I think it’d have to be anime. It’s so violent and extreme i don’t know how you’d show a live action representation.

CW for all the physical, visceral horror things and cult-type abuse with children. (No SA).

Extended Review

In October, my reads are exclusively horror/thriller themed, and looking back from the end of the year, it’s easy to see why this made its way onto my editor’s pick top books list. The language flowed over me like syrup, and many months later, I remain stuck in the unique, fascinating, gruesome world. 

Although I didn’t delve into it too much in my original review, the themes of motherhood and identity weave through every paragraph of this revenge tale. While the mermaid character explores her intense storyline, the plague doctor’s path explores deep LGBTQ+ meanings. Placing both of their narratives (the mermaid and the doctor) in spotlights that circle each other keeps the trance woven as the carnage piles up around them. 

Tagged: adventure, fantasy, women’s lit, romance, LGBTQ+, mom lit, short story

Good Inside: The Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Dr. Becky Kennedy

OMG. I loved this so much. This might be my new favorite recommendation for parenting books, like for real y’all. So good. For both mothers and fathers. For kids of any age. For struggles of any kind.

Book cover Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

The basic premise is: you are good inside. Your kid is good inside. Either of you might be a good person having a hard time/struggling through a tough situation.

It’s overwhelmingly positive, with easily understood advice that anyone can begin implementing immediately, and not just in parenting relationships but in others as well. It has personal stories and large-scale stats and ties together both micro and macro.

It’s hard not to ramble about how much i love this book and why. In the span of a few hours, it helped me tie together my personal experience with scientific best practices. It helped explain and dissolve some of my confusion.

I want a print copy. So i can highlight things and put stickie notes in it and reference it as needed. 

Extended Review

While I don’t specifically choose the books on my editor’s pick top books of the year list because of their genre, if I had to narrow down and choose only one nonfiction book this year, this would be it. Perfect for parents of children of all ages. My main takeaway, months later, that I’ve been able to implement and see results in my own life is the idea that everyone is good inside, they might be going through a hard time. Including you. 

It’s possible to change your communication style. It’s possible to use compassion and empathy to approach your children to change their behaviors. It’s possible to help kids grow into the people you know they can be. It’s not only possible–it’s your job as a parent. And I think this book will, for me, personally help me get there. 

Now, I did just receive a copy of this book as a holiday gift. (Hooray!) I may revisit and post a more extended review next year, after I’ve had a chance to re-read and learn more from it.  

Tagged: psychology, 21st cent. lit., mom lit., funny, self-help, dad lit 

Moon Witch, Spider King

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Marlon James

This may be one of the most incredible things I’ve ever read. I’m still processing it. Black History month book 4.

It’s epic high fantasy adventure with an all-Black cast, brought to you by a Jamaican author, so the voices are truly unique and authentic.

Book cover for Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

Picture Game of Thrones in its level of backstory and intricate politics and character storylines. But instead of dragons, we have other magic in the world in direct connection with the gods. Mainly shape shifters that can turn from human to big cats (lions and jaguars) but many other magics as well.

Our MC — we start following her at age 11 and by the end she is 177. She is cursed. A witch with powers she cannot fully control and a destiny she strongly resents once she discovers it. Then when she embraces it, all hell breaks loose and the gods should tremble.

It’s vulgar. Like, John Waters and Cardi B lyrics level raunchy. And violent. Like Tarentino-level violent. And its completely unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s the Odyssey. And Gulliver’s Travels. And Gladiator. And Beloved. And Blade. With a Jamaican-ish female MC.

Apparently it’s the second in a series. I didn’t read the first (but i added it to my list) and the third is pending release. If you like intricate, epic high fantasy with fantastic world building and strong Black female lead characters, then take the plunge.  

Extended Review

So I’m no stranger to paranormal romance, and this takes the cake. Not the type of book I typically enjoy, I am a bit surprised this ended up on my editor’s pick of top books for 2023, but looking back over the competition this year, it still stands above many of the other books I listened to and read. 

I said this before, but it bears repeating, this book is not a YA fantasy. It’s smutty and raw and graphic with both violence and pretty extreme sex. It gets in-the-jungle levels of dirty. And another about a powerful magical woman who is out for revenge, even if it destroys her in the process. There are plenty of angry powerful women out there, but if B. Kiddo from Kill Bill was the Witch Doctor character from the Diablo video game, you might have something close to this MC. Truly one of a kind. 

Tagged: adventure, fantasy, 21st cent. lit., women’s lit, romance, political, mom lit

Remarkably Bright Creatures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

By: Shelby van Pelt

OMG. So i just told you how i love stories from animal perspectives? One of our three MCs here is a Giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus. And i love him.

Cover of book Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt; among editor's pick for top books read in 2023

Overall, the story is heartwarming, bringing together three disparate characters with an intergenerational mystery. It’s got elements of romance, some light action, some family friendly humor. Really just delightful.

And then there’s Marcellus, the real star of the show.

I also loved that this audiobook included an interview with the author, giving us some behind the scenes insight and fun writerly discussion. So if you read/listen to this and love it, i recommend the bonus interview as well. 

Extended Review

Of all the books on the editor’s pick top books list, this is definitely the most wholesome. At some point this year, I started to realize what “upmarket fiction” means, and this book is one of the ones that I would put on that list. (I might not be right, but the genre is a concept I’m still trying to wrap my head around, and the best explanations I’ve seen for it are very much “I know it when I see it” type explanations…so I feel like this counts.) 

I love books with animals as first-person POV narrators, and for me, Marcellus steals the show. However, I also enjoy that the other two MCs whose perspectives we (readers) get to enjoy are of vastly different ages, backgrounds, and points of view. And I appreciate that the main MC (as it were) is an older woman. Many of the MCs I enjoyed following along with this year were in their forties or older, and I’m finding it very refreshing to get away from YA more often than not. You can still go on adventures and learn lessons and enjoy life (and even fall in or find love) without being young and innocent. I’ve been here for it all year, for sure. 

Tagged: fantasy, 21st cent. lit., women’s lit., mom lit., mystery

We Over Me: The Counterintuitive Approach to Getting Everything You Want out of Your Relationship

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book cover We Over Me by Khadeen & Devale Ellis

 

By Khadeen and Devale Ellis

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed everything about this book. I came to it knowing nothing about this couple and walked away feeling like i not only knew them but i knew myself better.

So as someone who wasn’t familiar with either of their individual journeys or their combined journey as a couple, i appreciated the first half of the book giving me that insight and showing me how they built up their trust, support, and communication over the years to achieve a healthy, balanced, and happy relationship now. The first half of the book was very insightful.

The second half felt like it switched into a more focused directive of giving advice, which was welcomed. As a successful celebrity (who wouldn’t call themselves that) couple in their 40s, they offer solid advice on how to make a relationship work for 20+ years and how to raise 4 boys. (lawdamercy)

Overall i really liked what they each (and combined) had to say. I like how they told their story and i think they offer very valuable advice about teamwork, marriage, and parenting. Not to mention business and work-life balance.

One of the key things that struck me is that you have to be in love with marriage, the idea of it, the committment of it, to make it work. There will be good days and bad days and longer periods when you have to recommit yourself. The “happily ever after” is up to the individuals, and it’s ongoing work.

Extended Review

This year, a lot of the self-help I enjoyed focused on either parenting strategies and skills, or relationship improvement. There are many places you can go to get relationship advice, and one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard over the years is “Never take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade places with.” Well, there’s a lot to admire about the Ellis’s relationship, to me, and I think I’d be willing to trade places with Khadeen, so I wanted to see what I could learn from them. 

After enjoying what they had to say in this book and how they put their perspectives together to explain their joint philosophy and approach to life, I tried listening to a couple episodes of their podcast. Now, I’m not much of a podcast person anyway, and I generally don’t like podcasts that are unstructured conversations between small groups of people, so ultimately I found that their podcast was not for me. I liked the structure and approach to the material in the organized presentation of their book, but if you like the book and you generally like spontaneous conversation-style podcasts, you should check that out as well. 

Tagged: psychology, 21st cent. lit., women’s lit., romance, sports, mom lit., self-help, dad lit, memoir

Honorable Mention

Book cover When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill; honorable mention for editor's pick for top books read in 2023When Women Were Dragons
By Kelly Barnhill
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: adventure, fantasy, women’s lit., romance, LGBTQ+, mom lit., historical lit., YA

4.5 stars. Loved this historical fiction fantasy. Strong LGBTQ romance(s). True metaphorical coming of age tale. Deep themes of mothering.

What would happen if, in 1955, over half a million women suddenly, miraculously, without explanation or specific warning, turned into dragons? Real life, scaly, flying dragons.

So many things could happen. And do.

This story was both solidly crafted and surprising. Refreshing in its unique details yet familiar in many of its tropes. It’s lovely. A unique beauty. A pearl among emeralds.

The Candy HouseBook cover for The Candy House: A Novel by Jennifer Egan
By Jennifer Egan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: adventure, 21st cent. lit., women’s lit., LGBTQ+, sci-fi 

Exquisite. Brilliant. This is a deep sci-fi masterpiece that I can’t recommend enough.

When i was in grad school, I read “A Visit from the Goon Squad” from Egan, and it turns out that this book is not only in the same universe, but also contains some of the same characters, giving us insight, foresight, and hindsight on all their lives. I’m going to have to re-read Goon Squad to more fully see all the connections (it’s been 10+ years), but I’d be very willing to do it.

We have neurodivergent characters. LGBTQ+ characters. Interracial relationships. All my favorites from the “woke” world of today.

What if you could upload your consciousness into the cloud? What if you could also access others’ memories in the cloud to re-experience events from other points of view that lived through them? What would the tech geniuses who created this reality look like? How would espionage function? How would this impact everyday people?

Egan probes into all these questions and more in a strangely real but slightly dystopian depiction of the current and upcoming world. We jump through character perspectives and various timelines in vignettes that glimpse into one another and ultimately, reveal an overall truth in the big picture.

Like the fable of 5 blind men who touch different parts of an elephant and describe the beast based on their limited knowledge (“It’s like a tree trunk!” “It’s like a snake!”), this novel collaborates in all its various parts to form an image of a massive, new beast — the pink elephant in the room, as it were, whose heart is technology and its effects on our daily existence.

It isn’t until the end when you can step back from the individual puzzle pieces to see the mosaic as a whole. And the image may be unlike what you expected and reveal some truth that you normally only glimpse in sections. In the end, it may be a self-portrait, warts and all.

Book cover for SensitiveSensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too Much World
By Jen Granneman and Andre Solo
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: psychology, 21st century lit., women’s lit., mom lit., science, self-help, dad lit.

Ever been told you’re “too sensitive”?… What does that even mean? What’s a “normal” level of sensitive and what is “too much”?

Sensitivity, like so many things in life, may be a spectrum. Individuals are more or less sensitive than each other in a variety of ways and that sensitivity can adjust over time and according to context.

You might be highly sensitive to tactile sensations or pain. You might be sensitive to other people’s emotions and needs. You might be sensitive to changes in the environment or a situation. You may be sensitive in myriad other ways.

You’re not “too sensitive” and you don’t need to “toughen up” or feel guilty that you’re affected by things in the world. You don’t need to buy into the “toughness myth” that so frequently tells you that being sensitive in any capacity is wrong. If you’re an emotionally sensitive person in particular, you may need to learn to harness the power of your sensitivity. You may even need to be told that is an option. This book will give you all that and more.

Not only do the authors understand and give examples of what it’s like to be sensitive — whatever that means to you and for you — but there’s a loving and compassionate presentation of new information, namely, how can you love forward and embrace success in today’s world by using the powers that your sensitivity affords you.

Demon CopperheadBook Cover for Demon Copperhead; one of the editor's picks for top books of 2023
By Barbara Kingsolver
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: adventure, 21st cent. lit., romance, true crime, sports, LGBTQ+, memoir, dad lit., YA

Destined to become a true literary classic. Modeled after “David Copperfield” and hitting every classical structural point, this novel really is a masterpiece. The author uses metaphor and simile like they should be used, giving characters unique voices and a sense of place through language choice and colloquial expression. An exemplary piece of writing.

Little Daemon’s mom brought him into her under educated and addiction-filled world and he never really stood a chance. In the poorest county in the US, where unemployment from closed-down coal mines hovers around 50%, there isn’t much to do, or anywhere to go, or anything to be.

Yet Daemon, a foster kid who works his way through all the colorful characters that appear in that system, is surviving okay. His life twists and turns down a trail of hillbilly self-discovery, poverty, addiction, and redemption that anyone living anywhere in the US in the 1990s and early 2000s should find somewhat familiar. Frightening and sad, touching and tender at times, but somewhat familiar.

Book cover To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill BlackgooseTo Shape a Dragon’s Breath
By Moniquill Blackgoose
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: adventure, fantasy, romance, LGBTQ+, YA, sci-fi

4.5 stars. I think might be one of my favorite YA adventures this year. Destined to be a new classic.

A mix of some of your favorite tropes and some things I’ve never quite seen before. Mild spoilers ahead

Like Harry Potter or Wednesday, we begin with an outcast in a prep school for elite teenagers. What makes these kids elite?… They’re dragon riders.

So our MC is from a remote indigeneous population and she is 100% a fish out of water but also bold, brave, true, and steadfast. She is anti-colonial and there to fully represent her people and her traditional way of life at one of the sacred institutions of the metropole. She is a groundbreaking phenomenon and a gamechanger. A chosen one and not really all that reluctant about it.

She also turns out to be bi and polyamorous, and one of the relationships she involves herself in is interracial and inter-class, which she completely disregards in importance. Just busting through all the boundaries.

Of course, it’s the first in a series, and i will 100% look forward to the next one. And the eventual TV or movie series. Because I’m telling you, this is going to have a ripple effect.

Goal: 100+ More Books in 2024

So that’s it! Thank you for taking the time to look at my editor’s picks, top books of 2023 list. For 2024, I’m setting my goal at 100 titles, but I’m sure I’ll go over that. If you have a specific book you think I’d love and should add to my TBR for 2024, leave a comment and let me know! Or let’s connect on Goodreads and recommend to each other. Looking forward to it! 

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Types of Beta Readers & Sensitivity Readers

Man holding A and B letters symbolizing types of beta readers and deciding between them

Has someone recommended that you look into getting a “beta reader” or  “sensitivity reader”? You may not realize initially, but they are both types of beta readers that focus on different things in your writing.

If you’re wondering what they are and why they’re helpful, the short answer is that they make your book better.

What Is a Beta Reader?

“Beta” might sound like a techy term, and there’s a reason for that.

In the software industry, programmers release “beta” versions of new programs that a select group of users to test the product. You might have heard about a “beta” version of an app. Basically, “beta” means that issues are still being worked out before the product becomes available to the wider public.

Books are no different! In publication, we add the word “reader,” and a “beta reader” means someone who reads an unfinished draft of a writer’s manuscript in order to give general feedback.

Like an advanced screening for a movie or a dress rehearsal for a performance, the beta reader gets the chance to put their professional or honest consumer opinion into the writer’s ear before the process has been completed. The writer can then make their suggested changes if they choose. 

Over time, there have developed two main types of beta readers: those who focus on readability and the reader experience and are typically just known as “beta readers,” and those who focus on issues of cultural or personal sensitivity, typically called “sensitivity readers.” 

What Is a Sensitivity Reader?

A sensitivity reader is a specific type of beta reader that reviews an advanced copy of a book as needed, paying attention to any especially sensitive topics that are touched on.

If your manuscript deals with any potentially triggering topics, a sensitivity reader is a must. Even if you don’t think your book touches a triggering topic, ask your beta readers to keep an eye out for anything that could be considered troublesome. If any of them reports a sensitivity issue, take the next step and hire a sensitivity reader. 

Sensitivity readers often specialize in a particular type of “hot button issue” or topic. For example, a person with a disability may read a book to see if characters with disabilities are being portrayed in a compassionate way. The reader can help the writer avoid any potential backlash or negative reaction because of a problematic portrayal or treatment of a particular character.

Beta readers and sensitivity readers can help with issues of plot, story structure, character believability and arc, and more. Both types of beta readers might be able to spot issues of race, gender, sexuality, ageism, classism, stereotypes, or political biases, all of which are important to consider in the final stages of drafting.

Why Are there Different Types of Beta Readers?

As you already know, publishing a book is a huge collaborative effort. In order to produce the most well put-together product possible, several people will contribute. If many hands make light work in most things, then many eyes make fewer errors in publishing. 

Are Beta Readers and Sensitivity Readers Needed if You're Self-publishing?

Look, I won’t tell you that you “need” both  types of beta readers. But ask yourself this: do you intend to make money with this book?

If so, you should know that it’s common practice to have manuscripts with traditional publishers go through multiple rounds of development with editors, and at least one round of advanced readers. In today’s traditional publishing market, both types of beta readers are becoming more common and crucial. And, like it or not, traditionally published books (and high-quality self-published work) will be your competition if you’re self-publishing.

If you don’t really care if your book makes money, next ask yourself if you’re interested in your book being the best version of itself it can be. If you want it to shine, and you can honestly and openly accept constructive criticism and work with it, then yes. Do the thing!

If you don’t really care about making money or publishing an A+ quality book, then the last question to consider is: do I care if my book offends people?

Chances are, if you don’t care about it being the best version of itself, then most readers will find a reason to quit reading it in the first 10% of your word count. But, if someone does keep reading after that, do you care if it hurts their feelings or offends them or if they find it insensitive? What if they go online and talk trash about it?

If you want to avoid setting somebody off and dealing with the fallout, consider at least one of both types of beta readers at least. Having two or three people who are members of your target audience should tell you enough to raise any urgent red flags. And if there are many red flags, the next step might be to work with a developmental editor.

Got more questions about both types of beta readers?

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Write a First Draft: Tips for Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Closeup hands on laptop keyboard for write first draft tips

You may have heard that there’s no wrong way to write a book. When you make the goal to write, first draft jitters can easily get in the way, and without a plan or solid options for your process, you won’t know what’s right or wrong. 

Many pieces of advice for finishing your book first draft won’t work for you. Some advice will only work some of the time, and some advice may even cramp your style or bring on writer’s block if it’s not right for you. 

Let’s review some of the options to help you write your first draft of a book.

Maybe we should separate fiction and nonfiction. There’s similarities of the two, but distinct genres pose different challenges and require different approaches.

Tips to Write a First Draft of a Nonfiction Book

1. Find a Theme

You need a hook. A central theme. Something interesting and fresh that grabs the reader’s attention. It’s the only way to move them through the details of events to understand the story. Your particular insight should be striking and unique. 

For the first draft of a book, think about what makes your book stand out from others like it. Maybe yours is the first to approach a topic from a specific intersection of identities of race, culture, gender, and age. Maybe yours is like another popular advice guide or self-help narrative out there, except yours is aimed to people in a specific occupation or area of the country. 

Whatever it is that makes your book unlike others, identify and lean in when you write your first draft. It can help when you’re stumped about what to write next. Think: how can I connect this back to my central theme? Then, write to answer that.

2. Gather Information

For a nonfiction book first draft, begin with research using public information available online. For a genre such as memoir or biography, you will need to go beyond online materials, but for the first draft, you can begin with widely known sources. For genres such as self-help, spirituality, or some kind of guidance book, you can use internet sources for basic terminology or general background knowledge on complex topics. 

As you write your first draft, keep track of sources. Depending on the citation style your publisher (or you, if you’re self-publishing) chooses, there can be large variations in citations for books, interviews, websites, videos, etc. And if you want to quote from large sections of other people’s copyrighted materials, you may need to reach out to the publisher for the appropriate permissions to reprint. So keep your notes organized as you write a first draft.

3. Write in any Order

When you write the first draft of a book, start with an outline to at least get going. It doesn’t have to spell out everything, but at least have a beginning, middle, and end plotted out. Some people are “pantsers” and don’t do outlines well. Honor your process but start with something. 

However, no matter how detailed your outline, you don’t have to write it in order. If you’re writing real-life events, no need to start at the beginning and go through each scene chronologically until the end. Write according to what you remember, the scenes you’re most passionate about, the time allotted. Write according to whatever system works best for you but don’t think you have to go from beginning to end. You can skip around until everything is drafted.

Tips to Write Your First Draft of a Fiction Book (Novel)

1. Find a Theme

For a fiction book first draft, focus on characters and plot. Some elements of your characters will be similar to established characters in other books, film, or TV. What makes yours different? Some tropes in your plot will make it similar to existing books that people love. How are you going to implement a twist or be entirely true to that plot device, in support of your story’s central theme? Focus on making your story unique. In later drafts you will hone in on specifics of word choice and details that make your book poetic, literary, or grammatically correct, but when you write your first draft, keep in mind what about these people or their adventures will keep your reader along for the ride.

2. Gather Information

Oh! The rabbit holes you can go down when you write first draft material. Don’t fall into the trap! For your first draft, use brackets and margin comments to mark areas that you can go back to later, especially if you need to research. If you write historical fiction or sci-fi, you may find yourself needing to look up details of complex events, theories, or devices, but keep the writing mindset focused in creative energy. Simply note for yourself where you should research details when the time comes. 

For the first draft of a book, the details matter less. Keep a clear vision of your story and characters and focus on narrative arc. The research to fill in specifics can come later.

3. Write in any Order

One fun way to approach creative fiction writing for your book first draft is to write when the muse speaks to you or when inspiration strikes. Sometimes you can picture a scene perfectly in your mind, and the dialogue just comes to you. Sometimes you hear voiceover or narration for a particularly poignant moment, and you don’t know what has happened to make the character feel like they do, but the words are flowing from your mind to express that disconnected, unprompted feeling. You don’t know where the paragraphs fit into the story, but damn it, you know they are beautiful, and you will fit them in. 

All of that is okay. When you write a first draft, you should put together stories in whatever method works for you. If it’s a bit like a scrap heap that turns into a patchwork quilt, then so be it. The time may come to string those random scenes together to make a story, but for the first draft of a book, you only have to get the random scenes written down.

Conclusion: To Write a First Draft, Be Prepared & Open to Creativity

Don’t be intimidated to write your first draft of a book! It’s a huge achievement, and you’re going to do great. As long as you keep putting down one word after another, you’ll end up with a whole book manuscript before you know it. The key to success is to be prepared with an outline and some basic research, then be open to creativity and your own writing process, as long as you’re keeping the central theme of your book in mind.

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Goodreads Book List: Father’s Day Recommendations

Drawn image of man and small child silhouette by the sun and the words "Happy Father's Day"

The last-week countdown to Father’s Day begins today! And if you have a dad who loves (or even just “likes”) reading, then I have a book list for you. 

Dad doesn’t want another tie or photo frame this year; he wants a book! 

At least, I think he might. And since I listen to a lot of audiobooks, I thought I’d compile a shortlist of the best books I’ve listened to in 2023 that might be perfect for a dad in your life. I’ve linked here to the audiobooks, since I know I can personally recommend them, but if the dad you’re shopping for prefers physical or ebooks, get him the format you know he’ll love.

Below, you can find the featured book list of my top recommendations from audiobooks read in 2023, but take a look at my Father’s Day Book List Shelf on Goodreads for a comprehensive and more frequently updated list of books I’d recommend for dads. 

Editor Cortni's Father's Day Book List Shelf on Goodreads

Screenshot of Goodreads page with book list of recommended readings for Father's Day from SRD Editing Services
Screenshot of Goodreads book list with Father's Day recommendations from SRD Editing Services

The SRD Editing Services Father’s Day Book List Shelf on Goodreads includes books our editor read or audiobooks listened to in 2022 or 2023.

Recommendations include memoirs, self-help and psychology, history, and fiction with “fatherhood” as a theme.

Goodreads

Connect with Cortni on Goodreads!

Editor Cortni's Featured Short Book List

So while my full Goodreads Shelf includes the whole book list I can recommend for dads, I realized that the books I tag as “dad lit” fall into four main categories: 

  • Parenting books
  • Self-help books
  • Books on topics dads might like
  • Fiction that features “fatherhood” as a theme

So whether you know a dad who is looking to grow, to think, or to feel, I compiled a shortlist of books I think your dad might dig. If you don’t see one below that seems quite like him, check out the full Father’s Day Book List Shelf on Goodreads for my other recommendations!

Featured Parenting Books for Dads

Topping my book list are books that help any Dad become the best Dad he can be. 

Screenshot of book cover of The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber
The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber
Screenshot of book cover for Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Good Inside: The Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

The Opposite of Spoiled dives into excellent advice for how to parent kids of all ages and teach financial literacy, responsibility, charity, and even some basic investment advice. The information may be a bit outdated in some respects (pre-Covid), but overall excellent advice to help parents help their children financially excel. 

Good Inside might be my new favorite parenting book. It hits a broad range of topics about relationship development, communication strategies, healthy bonding and attachment, and personal growth that can comebine to make each and every parent better. 

Featured Self-Help Books for Dads

Books that Dad can enjoy while learning to improve himself and enhance his family’s lives. 

Screenshot of book cover for We over Me by Khadeen and Devale Ellis
We Over Me By Khadeen and Devale Ellis
Screenshot of cover of book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess By Dr. Caroline Leaf

We Over Me takes a deep dive into exploring relationship and parenting advice in a practical way. Although a large section of the book is dedicated to describing the story of this power couple who have been together for more than twenty years and are raising four children, there are equally large sections of the book dedicated to discussing communication and parenting strategies, relationship goals and advice, and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a working father. 

Cleaning up Your Mental Mess is an in-depth and comprehensive behavioral therapy approach that could help most anyone adjust and reshape a learned behavior through a series of steps. The author has developed an easy-to-follow progressive plan that the reader can use to create a new habit and set of responses or to break out of an established pattern. Adaptive and flexible to nearly every situation, the largest factor that Dad will have to bring to the table is his dedication. 

For History-Loving Dads

Books for dads who love the nerd out/do a deep dive on a specific topic. 

Screenshot for book cover for The Declassification Engine:
The Declassification Engine by Matthew Connelly
Screenshot of cover of book Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman
Good for a Girl By Lauren Fleshman

If Dad loves a well-researched deep dive into a topic, he may enjoy either of these titles. 

The Declassification Engine explores the history of protected information and documents in the U.S. From encryption to scandals, from leaks to staged releases, from data management to AI-generated solutions for mismanagement; this title is a wealth of information. 

Good for a Girl is perfect for a father of a female athlete. This title explores the areas of girls and women in sports at all levels, from introductory to professional, and the physiological, psychological, and sociological impacts and challenges. While the writer may be a runner, the information contained within applies to women in every sport. 

Fiction with Fatherhood as a Theme

Books for Dads who love to be told an interesting story that explores the theme of “fatherhood.” 

Screenshot of the book cover for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time By Mark Haddon
Screenshot of book cover for Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Fairy Tale By Stephen King

The Curious Incident is one of the most unique books I’ve read recently, as the narrating character speaks from a neurodivergent perspective. A young teenager/pre-teen, I suspect his voice will feel both achingly familiar and charmingly young to a reader over thirty years old. It is a relatively short read/listen but packs a real punch.

Fairy Tale, on the other hand, is a monster of a tome and well worth the journey at the end. If Dad is already a fan of Stephen King, you may not have to sell him on this too hard, but if not, I think he’ll enjoy all the classic elements he’ll see here. It’s not horror, but there are some frightening moments in the adventure, and a solid and heartfelt lesson learned along the way. 

So that’s it! This is my book list of top recommendations for dads, out of the books I’ve read in 2023. 

For more suggestions, take a look at this blog with my Top 5 Book List of 2022 or visit Goodreads and peruse my Father’s Day Book List Shelf.

Happy reading, and Happy Father’s Day! 

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Tool for Children’s Book Writers (& Parents!): Accelerated Reader Bookfinder

Children reading a children's book. Boy and girl sitting next to a window.

For more than 20 years, the Accelerated Reader (AR) program has been helping kids read children’s books they enjoy, at their own pace. Readers of all levels can choose an AR book, read their way through it, then take a computerized quiz to assess their understanding and sometimes earn class credit. 

Educators across the US use it, and hundreds of thousands of kids across the country read millions of pages every year because of it. If you’re a parent of a child of any age, you’ve probably already heard of AR. 

But if you’re a parent who is looking to contribute more to your child’s reading goals and even help them find new books to read, or if you’re a writer of children’s books looking to keep up with trends, find stories comparable with your own work, or identify the reading level of your work, the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder website can be a great resource. 

This blog aims to provide both parents and kids lit authors an introduction and overview of how to use the AR Bookfinder site. Let’s take a look! 

Accelerated Reader Bookfinder logo for childrens book database
The Accelerated Reader Bookfinder website is a comprehensive database of information about children's books.

Using AR Bookfinder Website

Whether you’re a parent or you write children’s books of any level — from elementary to mid-grade, juvenile, or YA books — use the AR Bookfinder website for basic research. 

Now, when I was a kid participating in Accelerated Reader, there was no website–there was no internet. If I wanted to know what reading level a book was or how many points it was worth, I had to actually go to the library and examine the sticker on the spine of the book or ask the librarian. How times have changed!

Accelerated Reader Bookfinder welcome page for children's books
On the Welcome page, select the “Parent” option to explore AR Bookfinder without creating an account.

When you first land on the AR Bookfinder welcome page, you need to identify yourself as a student, parent, teacher, or librarian. Whether you’re a parent or a writer of children’s books, you can use the “parent” option to browse the website without creating an account.

For Parents: Confirm AR Children's Books, Reading Levels, & Points

Once you have identified yourself as a parent, use the “Quick Search” option to enter a title that your kid is interested in, to confirm whether it is an AR book, what reading level it is, and how many points it’s worth. You can also search an author name to see which of their works are AR eligible.

I’m lucky, personally. My kid is an excellent reader(!), but I have to constantly remind him to collect his AR points and meet his goal to earn the grade for his language arts class. Luckily, most of the books he’s interested in are in the AR Bookfinder database. 

We are sometimes at our favorite local thrift bookstore or the public library, or a friend will offer to let my son borrow a book, and with a quick search, we can find out whether a title he’s interested in is an AR book.

(In fact, one of our favorite books of 2022 — See You in the Cosmos — was one we borrowed from the public library then found out on AR Bookfinder that it was worth 10 points!)

For titles that may have multiple versions in print, it may be important to look more closely at the details of each book on your search results list. Some versions may be abridged, a graphic novel or illustrated version, or an annotated or enhanced version of the book–all of which might affect the reading level and point value. 

AR Bookfinder children's book results list of different versions of Alice in Wonderland
A popular title like “Alice in Wonderland” may have several versions available for your child to enjoy and earn AR points.

Advanced Search Options

If you’re not sure of the title or author name, or if you want to check more details about a book series, use the “Advanced Search” tab for more search options.

AR Bookfinder childrens books advanced search options and menu
Use the AR Bookfinder Advanced Search options to filter specific results.

By using the Advanced Search tab, you can peruse a specific children’s book series to see which titles earn AR points, or you can choose the “Interest Level” (i.e., reading level) to browse titles that might appeal to your child. 

Select from Lower Grade (K-3), Middle Grade (4-8), Middle Grade (6+), and Upper Grades (9-12) to filter a list that meets your child’s unique reading needs.

Use the Additional Criteria options to select a topic that your child is interested in (not just genres, but think of this more similar to tags, like “adventure” or “history”), as well as filter to look at only fiction or nonfiction children’s book titles.

If you have no ideas or starting points for your search, and your kid needs suggestions of children’s books, keep reading! The section below details how to use the “Collections” tab on the AR Bookfinder website to search for new titles, authors, or series your little one may love.

AR Bookfinder Tips For Children's Book Writers

As a new or still-learning children’s book writer, it can be tricky to know exactly what reading level or grade level you’re writing for. These “levels” may differ based on subjective criteria such as word choice, sentence structure, and topic.

Maybe you have an idea for a kid’s book, and you’re not sure who your audience is or exactly what age they are.

Or maybe you’re prepping your query letter and submission info for agents and you need to gather titles of children’s books that are comparable to yours. Either way, using the “Collections” tab in AR Bookfinder can help.

Explore "Collections" for Comps & Reading Level

Writers (and parents!) can use the “Collections” tab to explore two things: recent award-winning children’s books and trending and popular kids books.

AR Bookfinder website showing childrens book writers how to explore the Collections tab.
Use the “Collections” tab to explore award-winning children’s books.

Now, it’s possible that these lists will overlap, but just because something is award winning doesn’t mean it’ll be popular! And just because a title is popular with kids in a certain age group doesn’t mean it was critically acclaimed.

Checking out both options in the Collections tab can give you a full picture of what’s going on in children’s book publishing and how to position your title. 

When you select the Collections, tab you will see these two main options to peruse through the database.

By selecting the “plus sign” next to one of the options, you expand the menu for more specific information.

Under “Awards,” for example, you can find links to specific children’s book award lists, such as the Newberry Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award. 

AR Bookfinder collections show award-winning children's books
Use “Collections” to browse award-winning children’s books.

On the other hand, selecting the plus sign next to “What Kids Are Reading” opens a sub-menu with the three most recent calendar years. Select a year to open the next sub-menu, which says “Top 20 Fiction/Nonfiction Books of [YEAR]”.

When you select this menu, the next sub-menu opens, separating out each grade with a link. You can then explore the top 20 books for kindergarteners, first graders, etc., all the way through high school seniors.

AR Bookfinder children's books top 20 of 2020
Use “Collections” to explore top 20 titles for each grade level in most recent 3 calendar years.

For example, the Top 20 for 11th grade in 2020 includes classic titles such as The Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn, along with contemporary titles such as Divergent and The Hate U Give. 

Obviously, many eleventh graders are reading and taking AR quizzes on titles required for a class curriculum, but it’s also obvious that many eleventh graders are continuing to read children’s and YA books in which they’re interested and which are also AR books they can earn points on. 

Track Titles & Reading Goals with Goodreads!

Although the AR Bookfinder website does have a “favorites” feature, which they call the AR Bookbag, that allows you to save a list of titles; however, when using a Parent account, the Bookbag empties/clears its history when you close your web browser. That can be inconvenient for long-term tracking and ideas! 

Instead, our editor Cortni suggests creating a Goodreads account if you don’t already have one (and connect with Cortni on Goodreads!) Using Goodreads’ “shelf” feature, you can easily track all the books you’ve read, the ones you’re currently reading, and ones you want to read. 

Since a Goodreads account will last far beyond your child’s school years, it can be an excellent long-term tool to keep your kid reading far into adulthood. 

And for authors of children’s books, a Goodreads membership and active account can help you connect with your readers and keep them informed of your work and upcoming releases.

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Self-Editing Tips: Use Ctrl + H to Edit Your Writing

Close up black and white photograph of the keys on a typewriter.

MS Keyboard Shortcuts Are Gold to Edit Your Writing

If you use MS Word on a regular basis to write and edit, you probably already know about the most common keyboard shortcuts. (If you’re not familiar with the long list of Windows keyboard shortcuts out there, check them out now!) In particular, there are several wonderful, useful keyboard shortcuts that will help you level up when you edit your writing.  They open for you a world of time-saving tricks.

Admittedly, my favorite keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Z, which is “undo.” I frequently make mistakes and immediately want to revert the text or document back to the way it was.

(If only there was an Undo button for life, right? But I’ll settle for Ctrl + Z.)

When you’re an author putting your early-draft manuscript through rounds of self-editing (using this checklist can help!), you can save valuable time and perhaps lower the costs of your professional editing by using a few simple tricks that are built into MS Word.

This article will help you navigate and learn to use one of the most helpful, time-saving keyboard shortcuts available when editing your writing: “Ctrl + H” or “Find/Replace All.” 

"Replace All" Is Misleading: You Need "More"

It’s not as simple as it first sounds. You may hear “Replace All” and think, “Oh! That’s an easy way to edit my writing. I can fix every mistake of the same kind all at once.”

Well, yes, but even more so: no. When you’re using the function for Ctrl + H, there are a few advanced settings to be aware of, and there are a few tricks to make your search-and-find editing sessions easier.

Finding "More"

When you hold the “Ctrl” key while tapping the “H” key, the Find/Replace All pop-up box should open. Select the “More” button in the lower left-hand corner to see the Advanced Menu options. Using these options will level up your results when editing your writing.

Find and Replace All box in MS Word with the "More" button for Advanced menu options circled in red. Helpful for writers editing their own writing.
Click "More" to open the Advanced Settings menu.

Accidentally Replacing Parts of Words

For example, let’s say that while editing your writing, you noticed that you inconsistently used the number “2” and spelled out “two” throughout your manuscript. Now you want to quickly edit and correct all the numbers, according to the Chicago style standards, to ready it for publication. And you want an easy way to fix your number errors.

However, if you simply Find/Replace All appearances of 2 with two at once, without reviewing the advanced settings, you could have problems.

What happens if you use Find/Replace All universally? Well, when that 2 is part of a larger number, like 22 or 287, you’ll end up only replacing the appropriate numeral, creating new errors like twotwo and two87. Neither of these is what you want.

I’ve seen a popular post online (and you might have too) that tells the story of a British publisher that used Find/Replace All with an American book, specifically replacing pants with trousers. Then, the book went to print with occutrousers in the text because the editor did not adjust the advanced settings. Whoops.

How to Search for Whole Words Only

Search for whole words only when editing your writing to ensure greater accuracy
Search for whole words only when editing your writing to ensure greater accuracy.

When you open the Advanced Menu options by clicking on “More,” you’ll see a series of tic boxes in an extended menu. 

The second option down in the left-hand column reads, “Find whole words only.” Select this box to search only for whole words in your Find/Replace all edits. 

To continue our previous example, if you select this option, then search for 2, you’ll see it only brings up instances of 2 that are not a part of larger numbers like 22 or 287. 

You can see how this would help if you’re searching for pants as an individual/whole world; in that case, no occutrousers. 

Pro editing tip: 

Using “find whole words only” comes in hand when editing your writing for the word “OK.” People commonly spell/punctuate/capitalize this inconsistently (OK, okay, Ok, Ohkay, O.K.), but the series of letters can be part of many other words.

So if you’re doing a search for ok, it’s appropriate to check the back for “whole words only,” to make sure you don’t pull up words like spoke or stroke or book, look, or took. 

How many ways have you seen to spell OK? What’s your default?  

Fun fact: CMOS prefers OK but defers to author preference as long as there’s consistency. APA Style does not state a preference, as OK is simply seen as nonacademic and inappropriate.

Personally, I prefer okay, but oh well.

Accidentally Missing Capitalization Errors

Capitalization can be a real pain when you’re searching for words that might be capitalized inconsistently, like asap and X-ray. 

Again, we have our common offender, OK.

OK is a very commonly used word at the beginning of sentences as well as throughout. So capitalization for it might be all over the place in your manuscript.

Make sure to always check the case if you’re making an edit to a word that the Merriam-Webster dictionary advises specific capitalization. For example, if you want to ensure that any instances of nasa or Nasa become NASA. 

But, in the case of OK, if you know you consistently wrote okay throughout and you want to edit them to OK, do two searches–for okay and Okay--with the case sensitive option turned on to ensure you replace them all with OK.

How to "Match Case" to Self-Edit Your Writing

When you open the Advanced Menu options in the Find/Replace box, you’ll see a tic box next to “Match case.” Check off this box to search for the same capitalization as what you enter in “Find what.” 

Match case to Replace all of the same capitalization when editing your writing
Match case to Replace all of the same capitalization when editing your writing.
Use matchcase and find whole words combined to replace specific words when editing your writing.
Use matchcase and find whole words combined to replace specific words when editing your writing.

Edit Your Writing with A Self-Editing Exercise

Want to practice using these advanced editing options to edit your writing? One good way is to do a thorough round of edits focusing on some of your most overused, easily cut verbiage. 

Not that anything you wrote “must go”…but…probably. 

Two of these overused words/phrases that I am particularly sensitive to are just and a lot of. 

*sigh*

I challenge you, specifically, to perform advanced searches on your manuscript for these two top offenders. Some people overuse these more than others. *wink* 

To take this exercise even further and give a thorough edit to your writing, check out our blog and the linked video on 29 words you can cut from your novel.

Good luck and happy writing! 

Your Professional Editor

A round of self-editing for your writing is essential, but when you’re ready for a professional touch, contact SRD Editing Services. 

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Creative Writing Tips: How to Watch Movies to Improve Your Storytelling

Early 20th century film projector with light on blue and black background. Creative writing tips for watching movies.

Sometimes, you just want to watch a movie for the fun of it. Sometimes, you want to watch a movie and learn from it. Specifically, if you want to spend some time enhancing your own creative writing skills by watching movies, I think there are a few ways that can be done.

Now of course, movies aren’t the same as books, but neither are TV shows, podcasts, or games. But they all have similarities, and although they employ different types of storytelling techniques, you will widen your own storytelling techniques by familiarizing (or at least, exposing) yourself to storytelling in different media. If you write creative fiction or nonfiction, here’s how you can watch movies in the same genre and critically analyze it to improve your writing.

(BTW: I also already wrote a blog on how to read fiction to improve your own writing.)

Take Notes!

I know, I’m spoiling the fun even more. But my suggestion is to take notes when you’re watching a movie that you want to learn from. It will help you write your best creative writing.

In your notes, it can be helpful to write down the timestamp of the moment in the movie you want to reference. For example, if there’s an example of really great dialogue, pause the movie and find out at what minute and second (for example, 12 minutes and 22 seconds into the movie would be 12:22, or 1 hour, 12 minutes and 22 seconds into the movie is 1:12:22) the scene takes place so you can easily go back to it. 

If you’re watching the film on DVD, you might be able to return to the “chapter” or “scene” using the menu options, so if you have that option and find that easier, use that method instead. 

Watch It Alone

This notetaking process of occasionally pausing the movie to take notes when your creativity or interest is sparked (or sometimes, even, to briefly interrupt watching for a creative writing spurt) will probably annoy other people if you’re attempting to watch the movie with a companion (or several). Opt for times when you can watch the movie alone and without judgment. 

Unless you find someone really supercool and awesome who is unbothered by this way of watching a movie. In that case, pop your popcorn for two. 

Creative Writing Tip 1: The Beginning and End

Of course you may have heard this advice in creative writing classes over the years, but it’s worth saying again.

The first line means something and the last line means something.

So when it comes to movies, there are two aspects of each end of the movie to consider: the visuals and the first line of narration or dialogue.

When it comes to a book, you can start anywhere—inside a character’s head, describing the setting, or giving expository information are only three of many potential methods.

However, movies must do two things at once: they must start with visuals that immediately begin the process of world-building, and they, at some point, include voiceover narration or character dialogue that begins to lay out information relevant to the plot.

Now those are two of the practical functions served by the earliest moments in the movie, but there are several other important establishing elements: time period, mood, intensity, pacing, etc.

Then, at the end of the movie, the concluding scene must do all of the same but in reverse: wrapping up the interactions and plot, character insight, history of the events in the story, mood resolutions, etc.

As you’re watching a beloved (or brand-new-to-you!) movie in the near future consider the following:

  • Who are the first characters seen on-screen? The last characters? Were they significant to the story and why?
  • What emotions did you experience in the opening scene? What about the end?
  • What color schemes were used and how did they set (or resolve) a mood? What built on that mood?
  • How would you have handled it differently if you’d been the lead creative writer?

Then as the movie reaches its conclusion, take note of the last line of the movie. As much as book writers love to obsess over the first and last lines in a movie, good film writers do too.

Even if the line is bad (cheesy etc.) consider if the writer was true to the character and did them justice in the end.

Creative Writing Tip 2: Expressions and Body Language

Acting is very physical. The best actors can (arguably) portray a range of emotions and embody realistic physical movements of a range of characters.

It can be easy to tell rather than show in your writing, but silent acting is pure showing. Watching movies can help you recognize moments where the actors are giving a genuine physical performance, showing their emotions in their facial expressions or their experiences through the movements of their body.

When you come across a scene with particularly great physicality, give yourself the writing exercise to pause the film and see how much you can describe based on purely what you see, without context.

For example, in the movie Red Dragon, I think there is particularly excellent physical acting from Ralph Fiennes. Of course, he’s excellent throughout the movie, but particularly, in the climactic scene where he (as the antgaonist) is facing off against the protagonist, played by Edward Norton. 

The scene begins with Fiennes’s character threatening the life of the teenage son of Norton’s character. At a distinct moment in the scene, without saying a word, Fiennes goes from being threatening toward the boy to being protective of him. And you can see it—in the way Fiennes tightens his arm around the boy, cradling the teenager to his chest; in the way his nostrils flare and eyes widen; in the way he starts to move his body in front of the boy’s, to shield him from harm—when he had been threatening to kill him not a moment before.

It’s a dramatic turn and incredibly well-executed by an actor who shows you what his character is feeling without having him speak a word.  

(Okay, in general, Ralph Fiennes is a fantastic physical actor. I know, I know, he’s Voldemort and all but…well, nobody’s perfect.)

Creative Writing Tip 3: Accents, Sounds, & Speech Patterns

Some stories, especially those set in a particular place and time, have a distinct soundscape. While this most obviously is important for your characters in terms of accents and voices it’s also important in terms of the sounds of the world you’re building.

When you’re setting a scene, it can be easy as a creative writer to focus on the characters themselves, or give a brief description of what a room or setting looks like. But, there is much more to a reader’s true depiction of a place, and one of the key elements is sound. 

Pay attention to how movies utilize sound to build tension, bring a setting to life, and affect mood. If there are animals in the scene, can you also hear them? If there are children, what sounds to they make and how do they contribute to the film? 

How are sound effects used? How can you pace your own writing like music? How can you interject comedy or dramatic delivery through use of sound in your settings? 

Here, I can give you one example of what not to do: in the TV show Gotham, which largely takes place in a police station, there was too much silence. I would notice how, in multiple episodes, entire scenes would take place at the police station, which would have no ringing phones in the background, no slamming doors, no shouting, no squeaking chairs. It would simply be a close-up of the characters, against a dramatically lit and silent background. Like a comic panel, not a TV show, and it ultimately became distracting for me as a viewer, who was used to seeing other cop TV shows where the stations were full of a lot of noise. 

If I’d been a writer on that show, I might have made that suggestion at some point. Perhaps one did, and their idea was rejected. Who knows? But I know that as a viewer, it was too quiet; and if I read a book with the same kind of “silence scenery,” I find it too quiet. 

Be Kind. Rewind.

Watching movies can be a lot of fun and inspiring to writers looking to enhance their creative writing. Some of the movies you find are excellent examples of your genre, you may need to re-watch multiple times and extract the elements you find most useful to you and your process.

But whatever you do, don’t get caught up in being a movie-viewer rather than a writer. Keep writing. 

Ready to talk to an editor about your creative writing or manuscript?

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From “Writer” to “Author of a Book”: 4 Tips for Imposter Syndrome

Black and white image of hands coming together in fist bump. Encouragement for writers who want to author a book

There’s a mental shift for writers when they start calling themselves an author of a book. Many writers seem to find some magic in the term, some kind of promise in the word.

If you are among the group of authors with only one published book, there’s good news. That’s all it takes to call yourself an author. Technically, if you have published only one book, I’d recommend you call yourself an emerging author.

Difference Between a “Writer” and an “Author”

Some people (who risk sounding pretentious) might elaborate on subtle differences between the terms writer and author, but really it just comes down to: have you published a book yet? Fiction or nonfiction, any age genre (adult, YA, children); authors with only one published book are still the author of a book.

Now, there are many types of writers.

Screen writers are highly involved in your favorite TV shows and movies. Copywriters craft the ads, commercials, and most of the social media posts (and blogs!) that you see.

Poets are writers who specialize in poetry. A fiction writer might not necessarily be an author of a book. Many fiction writers are accomplished at short form and focus on flash fiction or short stories.

Nonfiction writers compose essays, magazine and website content, and online tutorials and articles.

Technical writers compose textbooks, guidebooks, and manuals.

You can make an excellent living, engage many interests, and master many forms and platforms as a writer, without ever becoming the author of a book.

But if you do finish that first draft of your manuscript, you’re one step closer to calling yourself an author. Now, all you have to do is publish.

Imposter Syndrome

Not to gloss over the sometimes-difficult, multistep process of publishing, but…

One of the challenges that can keep many people from making the transition from writer of a manuscript to author of a book is imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is a situation in which a person feels or states that they are not worthy of their achievements or of acclaim, despite evidence to the contrary. People who struggle with imposter syndrome report feeling like a “fraud” or like they’ve fooled others into thinking highly of them.

I think you can see why this is a mindset that might (sometimes) affect writers (even very talented ones.) I have worked with people who had run multiple successful companies, had raised incredible children, had lived through extreme and extraordinary circumstances who all told me that they weren’t sure they could be an author of a book because they weren’t sure that anyone would be interested in their stories or ideas.

Every book you’ve ever read, every author you ever admired, began as a writer who decided that, even if they weren’t sure anyone would be interested, they were going to publish their book anyway.

Funny cartoon from Science of People showing two pie charts. One blue and one yellow.
From The Science of People, “The 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome (and How to Overcome It!)”

Becoming a Successful Author of a Book

Now, that’s not to say that publishing a single book will let you live the life of your dreams. Authors with only one published book have a long road ahead of them. Being an author is not the same as being a successful author. Generally, emerging authors tend to publish about seven or eight books; those authors who earn $100K per year or more have an average of thirty-three books to their names.

It can be helpful to consider your definition of success. An annual income of $100K as a book author is one measure of success. You might consider what else are elements of your personal success story—a successful launch party; a successful book signing or public speaking engagement; a successful media tour; a successful establishment of a Facebook group or other social media space to connect with your readership.

There are many standards by which you can measure success once you’re the author of a book, and you can build on those successes.

Writing through Imposter Syndrome

But first, in order to complete that all-important initial step from writer to author, you have to get past the dreadful imposter syndrome. There are many different approaches, but here are a few of my favorites that I’ve seen work over the years for different authors working on their first book.

Talk Back to Negative Voices

You can do this out loud (if you’re in a comfortable environment), or you might type it up as a dialogue screen in a blank document. When a negative thought tells you that you should stop writing, shouldn’t tell your story, or that you’ll never be the author of a book, you respond back to the thought with either a question like, “Is that really true?” or a statement that conveys the idea that “Your opinion isn’t welcome here.”

I find it can be particularly helpful to get this all out at the beginning of a scheduled or impromptu writing session. If you have half an hour to write, spend the first two to three minutes telling your self-doubt to take a hike…at least for the next twenty-eight minutes.

Let Negative Thoughts Sputter Out

Along the same lines, if you don’t find that talking back to negative self-criticism or doubt is the right approach for you, instead, try to imagine those thoughts being said to you by an angry toddler—fragmented language and all. Then, spend two to three minutes writing up what the negative toddler–thoughts are saying. You might find that—very quickly and like a toddler—the negative self-talk will run out of steam. Or you might find yourself laughing if you’re very good at writing a toddler’s voice, and in that case, consider becoming the author of a book for children.

Lock Away Negative Voices

You can also manage negative self-talk from imposter syndrome using visualization techniques, including “shrinking” the source of this critical inner voice. Visualize the person (or people) whose voices embody the negative thoughts, then visualize that person shrinking, becoming small, small enough that you can drop them into a glass jar on which you tightly screw the lid, muting the voice. If you hear multiple voices or inner critics, repeat the process with each person/thought until they are all secured in these mental glass jars. Then, place all the jars in a mental cabinet, close the door, and physically lock it. Now, sit down to write.

Try the Mirror Technique with a Writerly Twist

You have probably heard of the motivational process/Law of Attraction of repeating positive mantras (or affirmations) to yourself in the mirror, daily, in order to boost confidence, increase self-compassion, and focus your mental energy—aka, the mirror technique. This is a great idea, of course, and there is some research showing that mirror affirmations may help support student achievement (in certain circumstances); so why not writers?

The basic mirror technique is simple: You spend at least 1 minute in front of the mirror repeating to yourself positive, self-affirming statements. (Some say you can simply think the statements, but I suggest speaking them aloud.) General recommendations include phrases like, “I can do anything I put my mind to” or “I am worthy.”

For writers, and specifically a writer who wants to become the author of a book, I recommend trying author-motivational phrases such as: 

  • “I am an author.”
  • “All it takes is one published book.”
  • “All of my favorite books started as ideas.”
  • “I am creative.”
  • “I can write my way out of any plothole.”
  • “You can edit a bad draft, but you can’t edit a blank page.”

If you have another writer-related motivational phrase, give it priority in your daily affirmation routine.

Image of a small cat looking in mirror at reflection of a lion with the caption "What matters most is how you see yourself." Encouragement for writers and author of a book.

If you don’t have a daily affirmation routine, you can always try this as a practice to pump yourself up before writing time. Give yourself a one-minute pep talk, then sit at your keyboard and let the imposter syndrome watch you work.

Whatever you need to do to become the author of a book that you want to be, keep writing.

We help dreams become books

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Random Writer Tool: 200 Years of Illustrated Women’s Fashion (Historical Fiction)

Illustration showing women clothing fashion examples from 1785-1970, used as a tool for writers of historical fiction
Illustration showing women clothing fashion examples from 1785-1970, used as a tool for writers of historical fiction

Random Writer Tools: Fashion in Historical Fiction

Writers of historical fiction: rejoice! 

As a writer, you never know what kind of random tools that you find online will come in handy, and this article from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (“the Met”) is one such example! 

A team of researchers painstakingly reviewed fashion plates, dress patterns, images, and descriptions to compile this comprehensive illustrated timeline of women’s historical fashion from 1784-1970. 

The timeline includes an example of popular fashion (mostly dress designs) from every year.

Now, if you’re writing a story, book, or script of an event that takes place in the past 200 years or so, you can have a visual example.

The article also gives a brief description of the general fashion trends of each decade, including details like raised or lowered hem lines or waist lines, preference for long or short sleeve lengths, and a notation about hats, bonnets, and head fashion accessories.

Some Drawbacks...

While this illustrated timeline is helpful and certainly a lot of fun(!), it’s important to note that: 

  • This is limited to European and American fashions and does not include examples of fashion trends in other areas of the world.
  • This is also limited by class and most likely depicts the fashion trends of middle-class and upper-class women.
  • Because of that, all illustrations depict upper-middle-class White women.
  • The timeline ends in 1970, at which point, fashion photography and popular media make most fashion research easier.

This article also doesn’t touch on shoes or footwear! But, as this blog discusses, footwear is an important element of fashion in fiction. 

Use the Best Tools for the Best Writing

No matter what genre you write in, you will spend time researching to improve and enhance the accuracy, details, and believability of your writing. Historical fiction presents its own unique challenges, and many writers choose to specialize in one specific historical time period (and location) because of how overwhelming it can be to “live inside” the world you create as a writer. 

The best writers use the best tools, and you never know what will be useful. Hopefully, historical fiction writers find this illustrated fashion timeline one of the tools worth saving for later. 

Editor of Historical Fiction

Editor Cortni Merritt enjoys editing historical fiction from a variety of time periods! Interested in a beta read, line edit, or proofread for your historical fiction? Let’s talk! 

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Top 5 Books of 2022

Neon sign in purple, pink, and blue that reads "top 5" indicating top 5 books read and reviewed in 2022

The SRD Editor List of Favorite Books Read in 2022

As an avid reader, I’ve been on Goodreads for years. I love being able to track what books I read and share with others the ones I feel most strongly about. In 2022, I began listening to audiobooks that I borrow from my local library on the Libby by Overdrive app. I love it! I have a commute. I have to cook dinner. I can’t always be sitting with my nose in a book, but I can (almost) always be listening to a  book while doing something else. I’m hooked! 

So in 2022, I borrowed 68 audiobooks from my library. Although Goodreads shows I read 88 books, it counted some story or essay collections separately (Sherlock Holmes and Karl Marx, in particular). Plus, I also read a couple physical books that made their way into Goodreads. So I probably read about 75-ish total. 

Don’t ask me to pick a single favorite! I might blow a circuit trying to figure it out. 

But I have narrowed it down to a *few* of my top recommendations. 

After I finished these audiobooks last year, I posted about them to my personal Facebook circle. So below, you’ll find that original, casual review. But, as a bonus, because I professionally write book reviews as well, I’ve included a bit more of a comprehensive review in this blog. I also tag the books I read to keep track of genres, so I’ve included those below as well. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

These book reviews may contain some details that could affect your reading of the book. I’ve tried not to give away too much, however. 

Oh! And connect with me on Goodreads! I love to add to my “Want to Read” list when I see my connections recommend a book! 

This page contains affiliate links. SRD Editing Services may receive a commission if you purchase a product through one of our affiliate links. Thank you!

Little Fires Everywhere

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By: Celeste Ng
 
This started as a slow burn for me. Probably wasn’t really until the end of Chapter 2 before I was interested but I was hooked by the end of Chapter 10. I kind of always wanted to be Mia, but I was probably actually Izzy. But at least I never burned the house down. 🔥😁
 
This story is especially pertinent now, in the wake of over turning Roe v. Wade. 
Book cover for Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

 It’s about mothering, motherhood, and who “qualifies” as a mother — which, mothering was central to my Master’s thesis, btw. If this book has been published when i was writing my thesis, i would have used it. It has so much to say.

It’s set in the 90s, just a couple years ahead of my own life and social development.

I remember pretty much everything mentioned but i remember it as a child. Reading about the events as an adult is different. Strikingly, painfully different now that i know what happened after 2001. The world can never be the way it was in the 90s. You can never go home again.
 
Especially after you’ve burned it to the ground. 🔥 Great job, Izzy. Well done.

Extended Review...

“Motherhood” is composed of many decisions, daily, and it presents in many different ways. This story gave an interesting analysis of different types of mothers, what “mothering” can look like, and what makes a truly excellent mother. There’s a contrast between the suburban, idyllic mother, who embodies many of the stereotypes sold on TV as ideal mothering, a birth-mother who gives up her daughter for adoption due to temporary struggles and the adoptive mother who doesn’t want to give the daughter back when the birth-mother asks for her, and a surrogate mother who, during pregnancy, realized she did not want to give up the chance to be a mother and who steals the baby from the couple she is surrogating for. All of these women are flawed; all of these women define themselves as mothers, although their priorities and approaches are vastly different. 

The definition and portrayals of mothers changed vastly in the 1990s, the time period for the story, and the book faces those challenges with grit and heart. In a decade when women were fighting to institute a more fair and truly family-friendly approach to motherhood, women seemed to also be fighting each other over who was entitled to those motherhood rights. Which is unfortunate, and perhaps the women of today’s generation can examine if, and how, gendered treatment of one another has changed. From “mean girls” to “mean moms,” how is today’s generation approaching the community of sorority differently? I’m not sure the book answers these questions, but to pose them for examination is one of the first challenges, and the story certainly makes a display of the importance of these ponderings. 

Tagged: women’s lit, 21st century lit, mom lit, movie

Readers should be aware of sensitive content including sexual activity in teenagers, destruction of property, and discussions of abortion. 

Kitchen Confidential

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By: Anthony Bourdain
Read by the author

Everyone should read this book. Everyone. If you’ve ever worked at a restaraunt, known someone who works in a kitchen, eaten at a restauraunt, or plan to eat at a restaurant. EVERYONE.

Foul-mouthed. Fast-paced. Full of life.

Book cover for Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Sure he talks a bit about his life. But what he regails in elegant prose and sharp-tongued truth is kitchen life. Who you’ll meet in a kitchen. How you’ll grow. And the grit it really takes to run a great restaurant.

Now, this book is old. Pre-food network glory days. But it’s destined to be a classic of nonfiction prose. One for the ages.

RIP. 💔

Extended Review...

As someone who worked in kitchens (fast food and delis) as a teenager, I felt a deep connection and identification with Bourdain’s content. And as a frequent reader of memoir, I found this to be a unique description more about the actions and lessons learned in his life than the events of it, which was not only refreshing but insightful and helpful thanks to his practical advice and world-wise perspective. 

Tagged: memoir, funny, 21st century lit, science

Readers should be aware of sensitive content including adult language and drug use. 

The Giver of Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By: Jojo Moyes

5 glowing stars.

Excellent. A place I’ve never been before (Depression-era Kentucky), full of characters with unique voices, and a story I’ve never heard before. One in which gritty librarians are the heroes. Full of #girlpower. Honestly, I’m not sure if it gets better than this.

Book cover for The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Shows an image of a mountainside in sunrise.

There’s a lot of debate in writer communities about prologues. Are they good? Bad? Necessary? Annoying?

To offer a little *spoiler*: I think the prologue in this book is crucial. 

You couldn’t cut it. It’d be an entirely different story. That’s all I’ll say about that. 🤐

I’ll be checking out more from this author. ❤️

Extended Review...

There’s always something I appreciate when reading about characters who are dirt poor. I mean, stuffing holes in the cracks in the wall to keep out the cold, no shoes in frozen ground, bathes once a year in a hot bath, seasons broth with tree bark, live off the land, dirt poor. It feels more real somehow, more urgent, than reading about characters whose lives are full of diamonds and satins and warm fires in gilded fireplaces. Maybe it just makes me appreciate living in moderate comfort in modern times, but it feels more approachable. 

In particular, I love to read about the lives of “everyday” or common women in the past. Even if they are fictitious. The lives of the rich and famous, the lives of aristocrats and social figures is nice and all — queens are certainly fabulous — but there’s something simultaneously sweet and raw in reading about peasant women whose lives didn’t have a huge impact but whose stories are larger than life. 

So maybe that’s why I loved this book so much. Because I love when I get to connect with women from the past and see all the ways in which their lives might be similar to my own. 

Tagged: historical lit, women’s lit, romance

Readers may need to be made aware of sensitive content including adult language, death/murder, and physical abuse of women/children.

Atomic Habits

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By: James Clear

I could give this 10 stars. Remarkable. Genuinely a book that I think everyone could benefit from. Clear breaks down some of the most useful and successful concepts in cognitive behavioral therapy into practical, applicable advice. Want to implement a good habit? There’s a trick for that. Want to break or replace a bad habit? There’s advice for that. Not too technical or full of jargon. An approachable self-help manual to improve any area of your life. I cannot recommend this book enough. I may actually buy a physical copy for myself and everyone i know. ❤️

Book cover for Atomic Habits by James Clear

Extended Review...

As someone who has read extensively into psychology topics, I love the idea of behavior modification through proven/easy-to-implement techniques. In particular, I love how simple Clear makes this. He doesn’t say it will be easy, but he does help readers make it as easy as possible. 

Some of these concepts I was familiar with and have used before, such as “habit stacking,” which is when you build on one habit by attaching another to it. For example, if you have a medication you need to take every morning, you attach it to something that’s part of your existing routine, like brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth. Take the medicine. Stack one habit on another to make your routine easier and optimize your habit building. 

Clear focuses on behaviors, and although he touches a bit on the “cognitive” part of cognitive behavioral therapy, he keeps the focus on the manageable actions. I think that’s best for most people. Some people need a deeper dive into their thoughts and changing their thought patterns to have better control over their behaviors, but most people mainly need the awareness of the behavior in the first place in order to initiate change. 

Clear makes the topic easy and guilt-free. It’s a solutions-first approach rather than heavy on analytical techniques or digging into the “why,” and that’s why I think it’s so successful and approachable for so many people. 

Tagged: self-help, psychology

There is no sensitive content readers should be aware of. 

Damned

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
By Chuck Palahniuk

Alrighty then. Picture this if you will: A 13 year old girl with the personality of Tyler Durden has died of a marijuana overdose and gone to hell. 🔥 She becomes the weirdo freak character in a twisted version of the Breakfast Club and together, she and a group of fellow misfits relive a rendition of Dante’s Inferno, where she works a call center reminiscent of the Sorry to Bother You movie, then squares off against the most evil characters in world history to live the most wacky and triumphant afterlife imaginable. 😈

Cover of the novel "Damned" by Chuck Palahniuk. Shows a red devil face on a brown background.

This might be my favorite book I’ve listened to this year. Wild. Self-righteous. Zany. Completely unhinged. Disgusting. Hilarious. Sharp and sardonic. I don’t know how else to describe Palahniuk.

If you’ve never read any Palahniuk before, this isn’t the worst place to start. But just know, you may think you’re losing your mind, and you may also love every damned minute of it.

Extended Review...

Chuck Palahniuk has become synonymous with weird, building a legacy on his twisted tales that take the reader places they’ve likely never been before. And although male writers often err when writing female characters, Palahniuk has found a way to channel the sarcasm, biting critiques, and attitude of outraged angst so typical in his characters into a perfectly believable teenage girl. 

One of the elements that contributes to Palahniuk’s success in his craft is his ability to handle unreliable narrators. Here, the narrator either is insecure and embarrassed, lying to give a better impression while knowing she’s unreliable. Or, she starts off in denial of her situation, and it is only after she faces the unique and tragic circumstances that got her to hell can she be relied upon (either by the reader or other characters). I’ll let you be the judge. 

However, once she empowers herself with the truth, her redemption/revenge arc is an extraordinary adventure.

Tagged: 21st century lit, adventure, women’s lit, fantasy, funny, horror

Readers should be warned about sensitive content including adult language, self-harm and suicide, drug use, and sexual activity among teenagers.  

Honorable Mention

The Book Eaters
By Sunyi Dean
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: adventure, women’s lit, 21st century lit, Mom lit, LGBTQ, horror, sci-fi

4.5 stars. In a world where some people consume and grow from literature and some people consume and grow from others’ minds, how does a mother protect and care for children who are seen as monsters and who can quickly become monsters? 📚

I loved this. Every minute of it. The prose is gripping and the plot takes several unexpected twists. Including how Lgbtqia+ this book is (it’s the first book I’ve read this year with a character who self-identifies as ace.)🏳️‍🌈

Part Handmaid’s Tale, part Frankenstein, mixed into a new nightmare. 🧟‍♀️

The ending isn’t what i expected either. And i liked that. It *doesnt* tie up with a nice bow, and what could be more true-to-life?

The audiobook ended with a lovely conversation between the author and the audiobook narrator, which was so interesting and different. As a publishing professional, i love that kind of industry insider content. 😊 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: women’s lit, 21st century lit, LGBTQ, romance, funny, movie

If you’ve heard anything about this book, I think it will come as no surprise that I found it extraordinary. What a romance! I cried real tears. Simply heart wrenching and inspiring with an excellent twist at the end. 🙌

I know Evelyn is blonde, but I kept picturing her as Katherine Hepburn or Lauren Bacall. Maybe with a dash of Marilyn Monroe mixed in. Elegant and lovely. Sharp witted. Classy and poised like golden Hollywood always presented itself. A true icon. 👗👠

I can’t say i “liked” Evelyn. But i really loved her. And i won’t say that Celia was perfect, but she was damn sure close. And Harry! Who wouldn’t love Harry? ❤️

I loved the alternating between past and present timelines, with the occassional insert from the gossip columns so we could see how things looked from the outside.

I was on the wait list for this book. Twice. For a total of 5 months. And i devoured it in 2 days. It was well worth the wait and impossible to put down.

Netflix is making a movie, and I see people online concerned that Netflix will “sterilize” the story and focus on only Evelyn’s seven husbands and not her wife. I agree. I really, really hope they don’t do that. 😬

Run, don’t walk, to check this out for yourself.

The Last House on Needless Street
By Catriona Ward
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: 21st century lit, LGBTQ, psychology, horror

It should be no surprise that a thriller with a blurb from Stephen King on the cover is very good. And this book is.

Although i want horror and spooky all month, what i *didnt* want was serial killers torturing victims, and I was a bit afraid when this story seemed to be heading in that direction. But it took a powerful and well-executed turn, and i think this will stick with me for a long time. 🐱

What really stuck with me is the idea that “monsters” very rarely look like what we expect them to. The weird guy you pass on the street? probably not a monster. But beware the nice looking, the people who seem to have no cracks in their outer presentation.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like inside the mind of someone with disassociative identity disorder (aka, multiple personalities) i’d bet this book will give you a pretty clear picture. DID is pretty well always prompted by severe childhood trauma, so be forewarned that’s something that comes with the territory in this story. 💔

By Jack Cheng
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: kid lit, adventure, mom lit, psychology, 21st century lit, funny, sci-fi
 
This funny, heartwarming adventure was an outstanding audiobook that my son and I enjoyed together. Almost-12-year-old Alex wants to launch his home built rocket into space and ends up launching himself into his own future. Alex is making a series of recordings for the aliens he thinks his rocket will encounter – a golden iPod to update alien life and build on what is contained in the golden record.
Charming. Smart. Thought-provoking. I loved it.
 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My 9 year old son’s review: “Stunning. It got really deep. The author did a really good job on this one. Five and a half stars.”

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer 
By Fredrik Backman
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tagged: 21st century lit, short story, psychology

It’s only an hour-long audiobook, and I bawled beginning at about minute 4 and continued throughout.

A man with Alzheimers recalls and recounts the precious moments of his life with his son, the ghost of his wife, and his grandson, Noah-Noah, whose name he likes twice as much as anyone else’s so he always says it twice (🥺😢😭 ).

It’s beautifully written and performed. It’ll hit home hard.

I do not recommend listening to it at work, where people can walk in your office and you have to explain that you’re fine but just listening to a sad book. Lol.

But i do recommend listening to it. ❤️

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Two Common (and Easy-to-Use) Semicolon Rules

Black examples of the semicolon in different fonts against a white background

Semicolons: Who Needs 'Em?

Black examples of the semicolon in different fonts against a white background

Oh! Semicolons. I, like many other editors, love them. But if you’re a writer who finds the semicolon *the worst, * you have options available to you.

One of those options is that you don’t have to use any semicolons at all if you don’t want to. I won’t pressure you.

But if you want to learn the most basic semicolon rules, here you go. There are only two common semicolon uses that writers may “need” to know. At least, two that are simple enough you won’t have to look them up to remember them.

Starting your round of self-edits with a self-editing checklist can make it easier to finalize your manuscript. If you find that you particularly struggle with semicolons, add them as an item to your personal self-editing checklist. 

Semicolon Rule 1: Compound Sentences without a Coordinating Conjunction

In Grammarian: When you’re joining two independent clauses into a compound sentence without a coordinating conjunction, use a semicolon.

In plain English: When you want to combine two sentences into one and you’re not using and/or/but, you can use a semicolon.

What it means: you never *have* to use a semicolon in this situation. You can separate it into two sentences, or use a comma with the appropriate coordinating conjunction.

When this can be especially useful: when using a pronoun such as it/this/that.

Example:

I ate the pizza. The pizza was delicious.

I ate the pizza, and the pizza was delicious.

I ate the pizza, and it was delicious.

I ate the pizza; it was delicious.

Now I know this is incredibly simple, but it is also clear. (Always start with a basic example when explaining something). You can easily see how we progressed from two sentences to a compound sentence that uses a coordinating conjunction and a comma, to a compound sentence that uses a semicolon and no conjunction.

Honestly, this rule applies even with compound subjects or predicates, with sentences that contain a lot of adjectives or adverbs, and even with sentences chock-full of prepositions.

Example:

I ate the wings and pizza; the wings made me sick, but the pizza was delicious.

I ate pizza and drank Coke; this combination made me sick to my stomach.

I ate pizza and got sick; that got me thinking.

I think the semicolon is particularly helpful in sentences with pronouns it/this//that because you can combine two thoughts that are connected, without having to repeat yourself, while maintaining clearly that the pronoun refers to the immediately preceding noun. Sometimes when the pronoun and the noun to which it refers are separated into two sentences, the meaning becomes unclear.

The process of self-editing your book can be long and tedious, so many people hire an editor instead. It can take a long time.

Now, “it” here *probably* refers to “the process of self-editing your book” but “it” could also refer to “hir[ing] an editor.” Do you see what I mean about ambiguity? Readers may become confused.

(If I came across this in a line edit, I would leave a comment with suggestions on how to rewrite this to ensure the meaning remains clear.)

The process of self-editing your book can be long and tedious, so many people hire an editor instead, which can take a long time. (Indicates hiring an editor takes a long time.)

The process of self-editing your book can be long and tedious, which takes a long time, so many people hire an editor instead. (Indicates self-editing your book takes a long time.)

Semicolon Rule 2: Use semicolons to Separate List Items when Lists Contain Lists

Think of it as “list-ception.”

If you have a list of three or more items, you separate each list item with a comma.

I went to the store and bought milk, eggs, and bread.

Simple enough.

But when one of your list items contains elements that would also be separated by commas, it would create confusion. So you separate the larger (external) list with semicolons and the shorter (internal) list with commas.

Yesterday I went to the post office, picked up groceries, and dropped off my dry cleaning. The groceries I picked up included milk, eggs, and bread.

As a single sentence:

Yesterday I went to the post office; dropped off my dry cleaning; and picked up groceries including eggs, milk, and bread.

Notice I changed the order of items so the contained list would be at the end. This was simply personal preference; I personally think it’s a bit grammatically neater. But it would also be acceptable to keep them in the original order.

Yesterday I went to the post office; picked up groceries including milk, eggs, and bread; and dropped off dry cleaning.

In this original order, it’s a bit easier to see what I mean by “external” and “internal” lists.

Semicolons: Simple as That!

And that’s it! The two most common and easy-to-follow semicolon rules.

Now, there’s different types of editing, which can vary even more depending on which genre the manuscript is or the type of writer you are. Finish your  developmental editing for creative concepts before jumping into your specific technical edits; your manuscript will benefit the most in the end. And your readers will love it! 

Want to learn more about semicolons? Check out this blog from Grammarly which guides you through 5 different ways to use semicolons. 

Happy writing! 

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Self-Editing Tips: Chicago Style Overview of Number Rules

Colorful blocks of different shapes with numbers. Self-editing tips for numbers in Chicago Style.
Colorful blocks of different shapes with numbers. Self-editing tips for numbers in Chicago Style.

Everyone comes to writing with a different background. Different instructors. Different books we’ve read over the years that influence us. Different advice we’ve been given and rules we’ve been told. But when it comes to writing for yourself as a self-published author or prepping a manuscript for traditional publication, you may need to go against the rules you thought you knew and adapt to one style guide or another. These self-editing tips focus on number rules and will help you understand how to follow one particular set of guidelines. 

What are style guides?

Style guides are standardized sets of rules that writers can follow to make their manuscripts consistent internally and with other books that may be their competition.

The most common style guide in commercial book publishing is the Chicago Manual of Style (which is currently in its 17th edition), but many publishers make their own in-house style guides that deviate from the general rules.

Getting Started Self-Editing Tips: What Style Guide Should I Use?

In most cases, whether you’re self-publishing or submitting for traditional publication, the CMoS guide is a great place to start. One of the best self-editing tips that self-publishing authors don’t realize is that if there’s a rule you don’t like and you’re self-publishing, you can make your own rule! Just be sure to apply the rule consistently throughout your writing and to let your editor know about your preference.

Deviating from the Style Guide

For example, CMoS typically defers to the Merriam-Webster dictionary for spellings of words, however, I recently edited for an author who preferred the lesser-used spelling of “advisor” instead of the M-W preference “adviser.” By making me aware of his preference, I was able to help him make sure that his preferred spelling was maintained.

Other examples of deviating from CMoS that I’ve seen include a preference for “healthcare” over “health care” and maintaining capitalization for holy and religious terms that CMoS defaults to downcase.

Self-Editing Tips for Numbers in CMoS

Every style guide starts with a general rule, then specifies more details depending on the specific use and situations a writer might find themselves in.

The General Rule

In CMoS, the general rule is to spell out numbers of one hundred or less. Hyphenate numbers that are two-word phrases.

Additionally, you use the numeral for 101 and higher.

Ex:

He is seven years old. 

We expect ninety-five visitors. 

After 112 years had passed, the house no longer stood tall. 

Self-Editing Tips for Numbers: Some Notable Exceptions

Numbers that begin a sentence

Spell out numbers that begin a sentence, even if it’s a year or large number you would normally use a numeral for. Do not begin sentences with numerals.

Ex: 

Eighteen seventy-five was a memorable year.

Two million dollars was the largest donation. 

To avoid this, if you’d rather use the numeral when self-editing, add wording to the start of the sentence.

Ex: 

Instead of “1875 was a memorable year,” rephrase to:

In 1875, memorable events occurred…

Large numbers

When writing whole numbers in the ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, or billions, spell out the number

Ex:

We expect ten thousand people to attend the event. 

After one hundred and forty thousand years, the tectonic shifts made the area unrecognizable. 

No fewer than four million results were compiled. 

Money

When writing monetary amounts, use the dollar symbol ($) and the numeral, or a combination of numerals and spelled words in the case of large numbers, rather than writing out the number and the word “dollars.” There is no need to specify “USD.” If using another monetary denomination (euros, rupees, yen, etc.), use the appropriate symbol. If referring to a non-US monetary unit that also uses “dollars,” you may specify the country with a designation before the dollar symbol. 

For example, Canadian dollars are expressed as “C$”, and Australian dollars are expressed as “A$”.  

Ex:

“Hey!” I cried. “You owe me $5!”

On sale this week only for £999.

The average cost of a house in the city is $175,000. 

The facility is expected to generate more than C$2 million annually.

Time

For times, choose between either the specific “a.m.” or “p.m.” designation or a word phrase to describe time — such as “in the afternoon” or “o’clock.” 

For a.m. and p.m., use the numeral and with word phrases, spell out the number.

When precise time is required, use a.m. and p.m.

Ex: 

The package arrived at precisely 4:22 p.m.

The package arrived around four o’clock.

The package arrived at approximately four in the afternoon.

Measurements

OK, so this self-editing tip gets tricky: when using an abbreviation for the unit of measurement, use a numeral. But spell out numbers when measurements are spelled as words.

Ex:

We need a board that’s twenty-two inches long.

We need a board measuring 22 x 4 in.

Dates

You can pretty much always expect to use the numerals when including the entire date. When writing more narratively consider spelling out numbers, especially for ordinals.

Ex:

They will arrive on June 2, 2022.

They will arrive on June second.  

Percentages

In nontechnical manuscripts, CMoS prefers spelling out the word “percent” rather than using the percent symbol (%). 

Ex: 

This year’s turnout was twenty percent higher than last year.

There was an increase of 217 percent over last year.

I only scored forty-five percent on the exam. 

Self-Editing Tips for Number Correction

While writing your draft, chances are that you didn’t have all these number rules in mind. Even if you were mindful of being compliant with Chicago style, the best writers sometimes make mistakes. Once you are ready to put your manuscript through a self-editing checklist for authors, I suggest that one of those rounds of self-editing focus specifically on number rules. 

There are two main ways you can make mistakes with numbers while writing: either you used the numeral where you should have spelled out the word, or you used the word where you should have used the numeral. 

To correct numerals to words

Using CTRL+F, search for all the numerals in your text to confirm that they should be numerals. 

Self-editing tips: To search all numerals, put the following into your search bar: 

^#

This should highlight every numeral, and you can use the navigation panel on the left-hand side of the screen to check that each one is correct.

To correct words to numerals

This is a bit trickier but can still be completed using CTRL+F. 

You will need to search for each number-word individually, at least for one through twenty. (One, two, three, four…etc.) 

Once this is complete, search for the root denomination word of each count of ten. (Twenty, thirty, forty…etc.)

Correct "dollars" to $ and "%" to "percent"

Lastly, you can perform separate searches for the word “dollars” (or other monetary units) and for the percent symbol (%) to find any use of them in the text, then make corrections by spelling out the word instead of using the symbol. 

Nice work! You've successfully followed our self-editing tips for numbers in your manuscript!

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Self-editing Checklist for Authors

A pink piece of paper demonstrating a self-editing checklist for authors

Congratulations! You’ve finished the initial drafts of your manuscript. Maybe you even went through developmental edits or critique partners already. Now, you think you’re ready for content editing or line editing. Not so fast. You want everything to be as clean as possible—you want to save yourself the time and money of making editors do extra work. Here’s a handy self-editing checklist you can use to guide your final steps before you send it off to be marked up.

A Word on Style Guides:

While the big five publishers typically follow the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style, most independent book publishers have an in-house guide; as a self-published writer, the rules of style are yours to choose from.

Be prepared to discuss with your editor some specifics like Oxford comma, when to use italics, and whether you prefer “ok” or “okay” or “OK” or “O.K.”, “T-shirt” or “tee shirt” or “t-shirt”.

My advice: Pick one and use it consistently during your self-edit. If you and the editor decide to make a change later, it will be a smoother process.

Self-Editing Checklist for Writers

  • Chapter & section titles
  • Fact checking
  • Character & setting consistency
  • Punctuation consistency
  • Order of events /continuity
  • Basic font/formatting

Let’s go through these in some more detail. Edit your writing with these in mind, and you’ll feel good passing it on to beta readers or your editor.

Editing Chapter & Section Titles

Every chapter should be marked. You might not title them, but they need to at least have numbers. Every chapter should start on a new page.

Create a new page by inserting a page break at the end of the previous chapter. Click your cursor after your last line of text, hit Ctrl + Enter (or Command+Enter on a Mac) and voila! Your cursor will be at the top of the next page. Now use your “Delete” key to move the next chapter title into place.

According to Chicago style, spell out the words (“two” and “twenty”) rather than using Arabic or Roman numerals. My rule of thumb is to be consistent. I don’t care if you like it spelled out or use numbers — just pick one and go through all your chapters and make them the same.

self-editing checklist for writers, authors, and poets
It will all build on itself. Trust the self-editing and professional editing process …

Lastly, you don’t need to center the chapter title. You can if you want, but your designer will likely remove it anyway.

Now, cross this off your self-editing checklist. Well done. 

Editing for Facts

Fact: it’s super-easy to Google a business, brand, or person’s name and make sure it’s spelled, capitalized, and punctuated correctly. You can do this simple research yourself or you can pay someone else to do it, but it should be done.

Pop quiz: Is it “Pop-Tart” or “PopTarts” or “Pop Tarts”? What about “cleanex”? Is that correct? Does Frederick Douglas’ last name have two “s”es?

Answers: Pop-Tarts, Kleenex, and yes.

I will never forget being younger and reading a book from a renowned author, and noticing that the spelling of “Arrowsmith” appeared in the printed book. This was in pre-Google days but still… It haunts me.

Fact: it’s pretty easy to check the history of most things, and if you’re writing a historical novel, you must.

Don’t have your characters using technology that is invented after their time, dressing in clothing that doesn’t match the period, or unaware of information that was common knowledge in their day.

I once edited a novel set in the 1800s where the richest character showed off how rich he was because he was the only guy in town with a certain type of car… or any car for that matter, because they hadn’t been invented yet.

Fact: it’s a little harder to check the science on something if you’re a sci-fi writer, but you’d better do it. Otherwise, science lovers won’t want to read your stuff. Take the time to learn the basics of the science you’re writing about. You don’t have to get your PhD, but you do have to know at least enough to pass a 101 class.

This self-editing checklist item can take a bit more time, but it will be worth it in the end. 

Editing for Character & Setting Consistency

improve-writing-process
Your reader will go down a straight path from beginning to end. Take a look at it the way they do.

I’m assuming you didn’t sit to write the whole novel at once. So I’ll give you leniency and predict that some details probably changed. Maybe a character starts off brunette and ends up with black hair. Maybe the house starts off blue but ends up yellow. Maybe the scene starts off midday and suddenly shifts to sunset.

Inconsistencies happen.

If you’re a planner, you might have made a whole character description list and maps and who knows what else. They might come in handy at this point, but if you didn’t make one already, there’s no time like the present.

Start at the beginning. When a new character or setting is introduced, make a note of what details you included, including how you spelled the name that first time. If you spelled it wrong the first time, correct it and move on. But otherwise, I want you to read through and make sure every other use of that character’s name is spelled the same way as the first use.

Yes. This happens more than you would think. Writers change the spelling of character names. Sometimes the name itself will change or the character suddenly has a nickname—it happens all the time.

Your reader (and editor) will think: How was I supposed to know Kate and Katie were the same person?

Some writers might find it helpful to note the time of day or location at the beginning of each scene, then read through the entire scene and confirm consistency. After you know a certain scene, chapter, or section is consistent, you can remove the notes about it.

The trick is: Read through and note details that arise every time the character appears. Then, the next time the character is in the scene, check your notes. Make sure distinguishing features or idiomatic expressions remain true to the character you’ve already introduced.

Give this self-editing checklist item several rounds and perhaps break it into sub-list items if that is the right process for you. 

For consistency with self-editing numbers, take a look at this detailed blog about self-editing numbers in Chicago Manual of Style. 

Punctuation Consistency

This is another thing you can pay for if you want to, but with a little elbow grease, you can shape this up pretty good yourself. So roll up your sleeves and get to work.

The three biggest offenders here are probably dashes ( – vs. — ), use of parentheses, and punctuation in time.

Dashes — first: they’re not hyphens. Hyphens join two words to make a new one and don’t have a space on either side. There are two types of dashes (but this blog is long enough, no?), and my general rule is: if you want to make the reader follow you across a little “pause” or “jump” then put a space for them to jump over, two short dashes to land on — like this — and a space to let them jump back into the main sentence.

Just make all your dashes between words consistent.

Parentheses: if you open it, you must close it. Don’t leave any parenthesis hanging. If you start it, finish it too.

Don’t leave a random parenthesis hanging at the end of a sentence or paragraph if there wasn’t one earlier in the sentence or paragraph. It’s technically just a typo, but these things happen. And your reader will go back and look for the other one and lose their train of thought. You never want the reader to lose their train of thought.

self-edit, consistency, punctuation help
Make your message clear, and it will be timeless.

Punctuation in Time: I may be going against Chicago style here but I’ll say it anyway—minimize your use of colons, and use periods to your advantage. I suggest that if you’re mentioning an exact on-the-hour time, go ahead use the Arabic numeral without a :00 after it. If you’re using “a.m.” and “p.m.”, periods help make it clearer and are preferred by CMoS.

Don’t capitalize “AM” or “PM”, and I suggest that you never use “o’clock”, unless it’s accurate to the historical period or character’s voice. CMoS does allow for “o’clock.” 

For more about consistency with semicolons take a look at our blog with easy semicolon rules to help you check this off your self-editing checklist. 

Editing for Event Continuity

We’d all like to think that our scenes don’t contain any holes. But, we’re wrong. 

Continuity is easy to mess up—and even after you’ve edited for character and setting consistency, there’s one more type of consistency you should check for. 

Re-read scenes with an eye for consistency of smaller actions inside each event. Do your characters repeat actions or lines of dialogue? Are there gaps between actions in the scene—for example, does a character take off his jacket, but then in a couple lines, it’s back on again? 

This round of your consistency edits—specifically for continuity—is where you’re checking for internal consistency within scenes. Some editors will begin at the end of the book and work their way backward chapter by chapter, to make sure that the continuity within each scene is solid.  

As your self-editing checklist is getting shorter, your manuscript is getting better. Keep going! 

Editing for Basic Formatting

OK, you’re reaching the conclusion. You’ve edited and re-edited and revised and checked over everything. You might have even reached a point where you feel like your eyes will cross if you have to read it again. 

This round of editing doesn’t really require reading. Just attention to detail. 

The long and complicated explanation regarding formatting is that—oh boy—it largely depends on how you plan to publish. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll be sending your Word document to a professional designer for the internal formatting for your printed book. 

Don’t argue, don’t think you can cut corners or save yourself money by “formatting” your printed book yourself. You’ve put so much hard work into your manuscript, and if you’re going to print physical copies, don’t sell yourself short. Hire a pro. That being said, you will want to do some basic formatting before you send it to a designer. 

If you are planning to self-publish an ebook, there are specific formatting guidelines you will need to follow. But again, you’ll need to do some basics before you send it to an editor or your publishing team, or even before you convert the document into the appropriate file format. You can do this yourself, if you want to take the time to learn, or you can hire a pro. But either way, do the basic formatting. 

So what do I mean by “basic formatting”? 

Simple: 

  1. Make sure that all the body copy is in the same font and same spacing. Select all text, and make the font, font size, and paragraph spacing uniform. Don’t try to manipulate this stuff so that the MS Word document “looks right.” It’s more important to communicate to the designer how you want it to look than it is to make it look that way. 
  2. Make sure each chapter starts on a new page (see earlier checklist item). If you want to be really fancy, make sure that each chapter title is in bold, to identify it at a glance.
  3. Search the document for any double spaces. Remove them. No double spaces at the beginning of a new sentence. No double spaces at all. 
  4.  Put in your “front matter.” This includes the Title page, acknowledgments page, and copyright page. You *can* include a Table of Contents page, but do NOT (repeat: do NOT) bother to include the page numbers here. The page numbers will change throughout the formatting, and this page is best finalized as one of the last things. 

So four basic things that might take you an hour or so to complete and officially cross off your self-editing checklist. And if you don’t know how—ask! Whether you have an editor you can consult with, or if you check out some helpful tutorials on YouTube or Skillshare to improve your MS Word skills, there are plenty of places for you to find out what you need to know to make these simple formatting at home in your manuscript. 

Ebook formatting from SRD Editing Services | literary editor fiction & nonfiction | Orlando, FL

So that’s it! I know I said this wasn’t going to be a comprehensive self-editing checklist—and trust me, it isn’t—but hopefully, we’ve struck that balance between “that’s enough” and “too much”. This is definitely editing that most writers can manage themselves—no special training or extensive skills necessary—however, hopefully it’s not too advanced that you’ve gone cross-eyed. 

My Favorite Editing Shortcuts

Editing can be a long process. Here’s a few of my favorite shortcuts. Of course, these are for a PC, but I think on a Mac you just use the “Command” key instead of the Ctrl key.

  • Ctrl + A for select all
  • Ctrl + F to find
  • Ctrl + K to find and replace
  • Ctrl + Z for undo

You can also check out this blog about how to use CTRL + H when writing and as an addition to your self-editing checklist. 

Happy writing!

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How to Outline Your Novel or Nonfiction Book

Woman editing a stack of papers by hand to demonstrate how to outline your novel or nonfiction book.

In my years as a developmental editor, ghostwriter, and book reviewer, I’ve come across a few tricks to breaking down a good story, and a few tips for assembling one. Maybe you’ve been told before how to outline your novel or nonfiction book, but hopefully this blog will have some new information for you. 

In the discussion about different types of writers — “planners” vs. “pantsers” — I tend to come down closer on the side of “planner.” I look at it like having a road map that helps you know what direction you’re heading, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take detours or stops or double-back along the way. 

Writing is a journey, and here’s a few tips to help you get through it.

About Outline "Rules"

Many writers say to begin a plot or nonfiction book with an outline. You’ve probably done different kinds of outlines repeatedly since the seventh grade.

I wholeheartedly agree that you should outline your novel or nonfiction book, except two things:

First: You’re not in school, so don’t think your outline will be graded. It’s for you, to organize your thoughts. So don’t use Roman numerals or complicated tiered systems if they don’t work for you. Regular ol’ bullet points work just fine.

Second: Take a step back to something even more basic than the outline. First, take three blank pages and plot out your book’s beginning, then the end, and then figure out the middle. One page for each.

First Tip to Outline Your Novel or Nonfiction Book: Begin at the Beginning

The beginning is often the easiest to write. You have figured out where to start; you have a lot of information and world building and context to put in.

Limit yourself to only one page to summarize the most important points for the beginning of your outline. You will expand on it later. No doubt.

Answer Me These Questions Three

The beginning of your story should answer three questions, so you want to address them on the first page, and use them to build the first section of your outline.

  1. What’s the story about?
  2. What does the reader need to know to understand it?
  3. How much does the reader know already?

Your first two chapters should set up the context. Maybe a preface or introduction if you can squeeze it in. But really, you don’t have long to get the reader invested. When you want to outline your novel, include specific points and details about how and where you will hit these points in the narrative. 

Assume your back cover copy has gotten the reader to open to page 1. They’re primed for you to “wow” them. Use a barbed hook to pull them along through the opening pages. Show them that they made the right decision to crack the cover — because you’ve got something to say, you’ve got a story to tell, and you’re talking straight to them.

Getting them hooked is one thing. Interested is another. But really getting the reader to the point where they can say to someone “I’ve read a couple chapters, and I really like it so far” — that’s the first solid milestone.

Give Readers what They Need & Build to Outline Your Novel or Nonfiction

You want your book’s readers to understand the context for the book right away. Weigh in the first page they should clearly know the main theme of your book. Not the thesis statement of it, but what’s at the heart. They should be able to immediately see themselves living inside it for hours.

You want readers to figure out quickly that they have some idea of what’s going on. Don’t overload the beginning, keep them walking through the introduction to the topic or the characters’ world, and give them a few pages to put together familiar pieces. Connect with things similar to what readers have heard or seen before.

The beginning of your book can namedrop or allude to references, and it should convince the reader you know what you’re talking about. Both for fiction and nonfiction.

Keep the Reader Guessing

Although it will be tempting at the beginning, don’t reveal every secret. Don’t list off everything that makes your book different. Let your readers discover why your book is different and tell you when they’ve finished it. Instead, focus on letting them see how the knowledge they bring from their experience as a reader is going to pay off for them in your book.

Then, when they think they have a handle on the topic at hand and the world you’ve created for your characters, drop the first bomb on them. Shatter something the reader took for granted, something they thought they knew and understood. Put something familiar in a new light, and you’ll get them passed the beginning of the book and into its middle.

Second Tip to Outline Your Novel or Nonfiction Book: When You Get to the End, Stop

Next in the outline of your novel or nonfiction book, consider the end of your book. Your ending has to stick, if you want anyone to leave an online review or tell their friends about you. Too often I see writers really dig into the beginning and lose steam by the end. So, outline your book’s ending before its middle.

Use one of your three sheets of paper to brainstorm the answers to the three following questions. 

  1. Where does the reader end up?
  2. How do they feel?
  3. What should they do next?

If you plot the end of your book with clear intentions of the results you’re aiming for, you are more likely to hit them. Consider both issues of plot structure and resolution for character arcs, as well as the emotional ripples you’ll be sending through your readers’ souls. Do you want readers to be better prepared for something in the world? Do you want them to have an emotional reaction? 

Again, considering how your book’s outline functions like a road map, this is your general idea of the destination you want to reach and the welcome you expect on your arrival. 

Outline Your Novel to Avoid "The Curse of the Dragging Middle"

The middle of your book will likely comprise approximately 40 to 60% of your overall content, depending on how thorough you are with your first and final sections. And, I would reckon that “somewhere in the middle” is where 40 to 60% of readership lose interest.  

This is the “meat” in burger that is your book. So your outline can’t “yada yada” past this important section. It may be tempting to rush it, but take as much time considering how to avoid making your middle “drag” as you did with brainstorming how to engage the reader in the beginning. 

Avoid a sagging middle section in your book by addressing four questions:

  1. How do I get the reader from where they are to where I want them to go?
  2. What are the 3 most important things I have to tell them (in 2 sentences each)?
  3. What order should I release this important information?
  4. How can I capture readers’ hearts and minds?

Don’t underestimate the value of having a road map to get you through this important section. If you want people to finish your book, think ahead about the course you’ll guide them along. 

Of course, this first outline isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, and the draft will change. But you’ll know where you’re starting, where you want to end up, and have a vague way how to get there if you outline your novel or nonfiction book.

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Tips for Consistent Quality Writing

tips-quality-writing

There’s a problem with doing something well: Once is rarely enough. When you do something (like producing quality writing) well, two things can happen:

  1. Other people begin to expect more of you, and
  2. You begin to expect more of yourself

For a writer, this can be great. A well-done piece deserves the admiration it receives, and you should be proud when an article, poem, essay, story, or book comes together.

But unless you’re one among the rare breed of author — and I mean really, really rare — who can launch a career from one great piece, a single successful publication will not a sustainable income make.

Setting Unreasonable Standards

So after your first great piece, you sit down to write the next one. Immediately the demon of comparison shows up on your shoulder.

What if it’s not as good as your first published thing? What if you don’t live up to the expectations for quality writing you’ve set for yourself?

On some level, you try to tell yourself, “Everything will be okay if it’s not ‘perfect.'”

So you let something slide. Relax a little on your vigilance to push the quality to its extreme.

But if your first high-quality product was noticed by the public, you can bet that any dip in quality will be noticed, too. You set a high standard that others now expect to see in your work, and when they don’t see it, they will let you know.

Setting Reasonable Writing Expectations

What’s the lesson here? How do you keep yourself from being caught in an endless loop of writing better and pushing yourself to the limit every time?

Well, you don’t.

Some people think they can avoid this challenge by settling for a lower quality piece and set low expectations at the beginning. But ask yourself: Why would you expect to get readers if you lower your standards?

Readers have fairly low tolerance for writers who treat them like fools. If you’re offering mediocre or low quality, they won’t be back for more.

With lower quality writing, you’re less likely to engage as many people to begin with or bring back the ones you engage with the first time.

So what to do?

Quality Writing Tip #1: Do your best.

One man’s trash is another’s treasure and all that. If your prose is clean and error free, and your plot is well structured with thought-out character arcs and a solid narrative, readers may forgive historical inaccuracies, use of clichés or bland characters and world building.

Do your best, and be prepared to hear that your best wasn’t “perfect.”

Present the reader with a polished package, and they may overlook some areas where it could be improved. Or, at least you’ll receive feedback on what to improve for your next piece.

Quality Writing Tip #2: Use feedback.

Don’t just “receive” feedback, use it.

If you received praise from readers, and you want to know why they thought your book was high quality — ask!

This might take the form of social media polls, reading your reviews and comment threads, or sending out reader copies  of your work and asking for specific advice.

Use what your readers say to recognize at least four things your readers generally agree was high quality about your writing or the book in general, and identify at two areas where you can push the quality to higher levels in the next poem or manuscript.

Quality Writing Tip #3: Look for quality to emulate.

Maybe you really admire colorful metaphors or quirky descriptions and world building. Maybe tight and minimal sentences are what you strive for.

Read books from some of the great writers in your genre or historical time period and pick out examples of what you think makes their writing great.

Work to structure your sentences the same way, use metaphors or descriptors similarly, or mimic the dialogue style that you find engaging. Whatever it is that you enjoy about reading their work, use as a model for your own craft.

Quality Writing Tip #4: Be patient. Quality takes time.

Be prepared to tackle your manuscript in multiple revision iterations.

Maybe one day, you revise the entire thing with a focus on word choice. Then, the next day, you do a read-through and edit to focus on historical accuracy. Stay focused on the areas you’ve marked for improvement and special attention. Be patient.

You might be midway through your outline and realize you need to do additional research or watch a movie that people recommended as a reference. Do it.

Don’t let the pressure to put out a follow up to your first well-received work push you to a hasty release of the next piece.

If you’re honestly working to improve, you must work as hard as you did the first time, so you can reach the level of quality you’ve already set for yourself. Then, push at least 25% past that. Work harder than you’ve ever worked before; the improvement will show.

Once you become recognized for your skill, enjoy it. But don’t stop.

No one wants to be a one-trick pony, and compromising on your writing quality ensures you will be.

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29 Words to Cut from Your Novel

tips-words-novel

Each writer lives in a special, unique mind. Each can combine words into glorious chains, never before seen by human eyes. Yet, each writer is also a flawed human, who is liable to trip on the same rubble on the path to beautiful writing as every other writer. (And no writer wants to hear that there are words to cut from their writing…)

Now, first drafts are supposed to be messy. Second drafts, less so. But it’s not easy to clean up the first draft to turn it into the second. Nor is it simple to revise the second draft into the third. As an editor, I know. I’ve been there with my own writing and the writing of others.

Behold! A Video to Help!

Vivien Reis is a writer, editor, and YouTuber. 

I’ve had this video saved for a couple of years, and I keep referencing it when editing my clients’ fiction and nonfiction. 

When I thought about writing a blog on the topic of editing for word choice, I started to make my own list of words to cut. Then I realized: Why re-invent the wheel? Vivian’s done a spectacular job to begin with.

Instructions for Word Choice Edits & Which Words to Cut

Generally, I suggest writers do at least one edit through their manuscript for “word choice.” As you watch this video, take notes on which of these writing habits you’ve gotten yourself into, which of these words to cut you think might show up in your work. 

Then, open your manuscript. Let’s take a look at the current status. 

Do an automated search for the first word or phrase in question. In MS Word and Google Docs, you can Find specific words or phrases by pressing CTRL + F (or Command + F on Mac) on your keyboard. When you have the results, record the number of appearances in your notes. 

Search for all the words or phrases, without making any changes. First, you’re just gathering info. 

Making Changes

First, let me say: I do not advise that you use “Find + Replace All”.

I advise that you find all instances of a word or phrase, then examine each to determine the necessary action.

Yes. It is tedious. I understand. I have two points for you to consider: 

  1. Writing the book was tedious. You did that though. You can do this part.
  2. If you don’t do it, you can always pay your editor to edit these out for you. 

The reason I do not advocate that you simply “delete all” uses of a word or phrase, is that it will cause additional unintended effects. Trust me. Especially if what you Find & Replace can sometimes appear as part of another word. 

Instead, work your way through the words and phrases you’d like to cut or revise, search for each individually, then examine each occurrence and make a decision about how to handle each of them.

Some Words to Cut / "Big Offenders"

In the video, Vivian points out some of the biggest offenders that have become littered across contemporary writing. These are words — typically, adverbs — that can easily be removed, and generally when they are, your sentence will lose no meaning. 

Here is my “Big Offenders” list of words to cut. I commonly see each of these, and spend a significant amount of time and energy making sure to reduce their use.

  • very
  • just
  • that
  • “began” or “started”
  • “a bit,” “a little,” “a lot,” and other imprecise amounts
  • “kinda,” “sorta,” “almost,” and other hedging words
In particular, I see “just” frequently used, so I’ll pick on it as an example. Unless you’re discussing the concept of “justice,” limit the use of “just.” Just is just one of those words that just works itself into a sentence just about anywhere.

Bonus Thoughts on Words to Cut from Your Writing

What else do I look at when editing? Two other things I notice frequently that I suggest you examine in your manuscript: 

  1. “Parallel action”: You can find this by searching for the use of ‘as’ in your writing. It usually appears in dialogue tags, as in: she said as she walked or he thought while grabbing his hat. Of course, you will need to use this sometimes. Remember to vary your sentence structure.
  2. “Extreme hyperbole”: Examine your fight or action scenes. Do your characters often overexert themselves? I often see phrasing like as hard as she could or with the last of his strength, only to have the character continue to escalate the action after that phrase. Consider how to build tension Show the exertion, rather than tell about it.

Maybe these aren’t words to “cut,” but they are certainly things you want to be mindful of. 

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