THE EDITOR’S BLOG
Learn to edit your novel
with expert articles, audio guides, worksheets, and free resources.
The Editor Life: 5 Days Behind the Scenes with Alice
Ever wondered what an editor actually does all day? Come with me for a behind-the-scenes look at a week in the life of a developmental editor and book coach!
Ask This Question When You’re Overwhelmed by Your Story
Escape analysis paralysis with one powerful question. It’s deceptively simple—and yet it unlocks everything.
How Multiple Layers of Editing Combine to Perfect Your Story (with Cathryn deVries and Kim Kessler)
The best novels combine rock-solid story structure with scenes that are unputdownable on every page. Here’s how one writer and two editors polished a story at every level.
What Is a Manuscript Evaluation? (And Do You Need One?)
The manuscript evaluation is one of the most common services developmental editors offer. Find out what it is, what to expect when you get one, and how to know when you really need one.
Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter One with Cathryn deVries
You get one shot to grab your readers’ attention. Don’t waste it with characters staring off into space.
The Unskippable Process to Create Unputdownable Books
It isn’t popular. We try to find so many ways around it. But if you want to craft your very best stories, it’s essential.
How to Edit Your Novel When Disaster Strikes
Sometimes, your editing—and your life—is interrupted by an emergency. Here are five things to do (and not do) in your editing when you’re in crisis mode.
How Taylor Jenkins Reid Crafts an Exceptional Opening Scene
Want to master writing excellent scenes? Study excellent scenes to find out how they work. Here’s what makes the opening scene of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo stand out—and how you can draw inspiration from it to craft an exceptional scene of your own.
2 “Showing” and “Telling” Ways to Convey Time Passing in Your Novel
Your characters feel time passing in your story. But your readers won’t—unless you tell them how much time is passing and show them why that matters. Use these techniques that blend telling and showing to make time matter to your readers the way it does to your characters.