When I first joined my critique group, The Hourlings, I read every “getting started” document they had posted. There were several resources explaining how to give a good critique, and I benefitted from reading those resources before diving into critiques. Now that I feel more comfortable in the group, I realize that my critiques have …
Continue reading Six Tips for Giving a Good Writing Critique
It’s amazing how much lighter I feel now that I’ve got my beta draft finished and out to beta readers. I can focus on plotting and writing, which are much more fun than editing. In addition to feeling happy and relieved, I also feel anxious. What if I screwed this book up big time? What …
There are many in the writing community that crank out thousands of words an hour, edit a book in a week, and publish a book every month or two. That is not my production model, and that’s okay. Maybe one day I’ll hit that stride, but for now, all I can do is improve my …
The editing saga continues. If you’re interested in Part 1, here it is. This post will make sense as a stand alone, though, so don’t feel obligated. My next step in editing is something I learned from Liz Hayes, the organizer of my writing group, The Hourlings. This has been one of the most amazing …
Continue reading The Writing Process: Editing a Draft, Part 2
Today’s post might be a bit controversial. It about ghostwriting, and whether it’s a good thing. In my opinion, it depends, though I’m wary of the practice. When I think of ghostwriters, typically, I think of celebrities (or sometimes non-celebrities) who have a personal story or memoir to share, or an expert in a certain …
Editing is a tough, exhausting process. It’s not glamorous like writing is. No one talks about the Editing Muse, though maybe we should, because she’s just as important. You’d think by my third book, I’d have a good idea of my editing process, but alas, like everything in my life, it’s a work in progress. …
Continue reading The Writing Process: Editing a First Draft, Part 1
People talk about completing tasks or learning new skills “when they have time.” I am a firm believer in making the time for things that matter. It’s easy to complete passive activities, like watching Netflix, and it’s important to plan for down time, like reading a book or scrolling through Instagram, but if you’re like …
Continue reading Productivity: How to Utilize Those Spare Moments
I am sitting on a comfy couch in the top floor of a beach house, enjoying the chunk of time that exists between my son’s bedtime and my own. I’ve only been here a day, but I’m already diving into my beach reading. Some people might like to read one book at a time, but …
Last week, I didn’t write a post. It was the end of the school year, I had some family stuff going on, and all of my spare writing moments were put into working on the rough draft of The Island Experiment, Book 3 in The Kepos Chronicles. It was absolutely worth it, because I finished …
Continue reading The Writing Process: Drafting with POV Chapters
With five months behind me, I thought it would be a good time to go back and look at my goals from January to see how things are going, and if I need to make any adjustments. It might make more sense to do this in July, half way through the year, but I'm a …
Erica Rue 