Write Now Editing

Your Guide to Marketing Christian Books by Sarah Bolme (book review)

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The advice and resources you need to promote your Christian books successfully! This updated, award-winning resource is packed with valuable information on promoting Christian books. Chock full of specific resources from launching your book to obtaining media coverage to utilizing social networking, this guide walks you step-by-step through the various aspects of book promotion. It is the perfect resource for authors and publishers.

This is another one of those books that I started reading and kept asking myself, “Why isn’t anyone talking about this book?”

There are a lot of marketing books out there with a lot of good advice, but when I finish reading them I’m still overwhelmed and unsure what to do next–I generally need more hand holding and guidance. What I loved about this book is that Bolme doesn’t just suggest joining a publishing organization then explain why; she lists all of the publishing organizations available, briefly defines them, then give contact info for them.

More than just a book of marketing ideas and suggestions, this is really a resource book full of contacts and specific information to make it easier to follow and implement the author’s suggestions. I would consider this a must-have for self-published authors, but many traditionally published authors will also benefit from her insights.

Get your copy here!

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Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors by Kathy Ide (book review)

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Successful writers spend a lot more time editing than they do writing. They know that first drafts need extensive revisions to ensure their stories or messages come across clearly and effectively.

In this book you’ll find a wealth of suggestions from best-selling authors who have studied editing techniques and implemented them in their books, which have touched the hearts and lives of readers around the world.

If you’re an aspiring, beginning, or intermediate writer, this book will help you polish your manuscript and get it ready for publication. If you’re an established author, these tips can help you edit other writers’ manuscripts, either in a critique group setting or as an editorial freelancer.

For years, the go-to self-editing book for novelists has been “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by King and Browne, but I think this book has supplanted that book and made it my must-have recommendation for writers and editors alike.

“Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors” doesn’t go into as much detail when it comes to self-editing, but it identifies and addresses MANY more issues than appear in King and Browne’s book. Ide’s book also looks at nonfiction editing, as well as identifying different types of editing. In my opinion, if you’re looking for a comprehensive explanation of what’s involved in a self-edit, this is the book for you.

This is also a book I’ll recommend to people wanting to start their editing careers–the detailed lists of what’s involved in the different types of editing for different types of books will give new editors a good idea of the type of work they’ll need to master and provide to their clients.

Without a doubt, this book is on my must-have shelf for writers and editors.

Rated G. Get your copy here!

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Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody (book review)

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SAVE THE CAT!® by Blake Snyder is a popular screenwriting book series and storytelling methodology used by screenwriters, directors, and studio execs across Hollywood. Now, for the first time ever, bestselling author and writing teacher, Jessica Brody, takes the beloved Save the Cat! plotting principals and applies them to the craft of novel writing in this exciting new “workshop style” guide, featuring over 20 full beat sheets from popular novels throughout time.


Whether you’re writing your first novel or your seventeenth, Save the Cat! breaks down plot in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step method so you can write stories that resonate! This book can help you with any of the following:

Outlining a new novel
Revising an existing novel
Breaking out of the dreaded “writer’s block”
Fixing a “broken” novel
Reviewing a completed novel
Fleshing out/test driving a new idea to see if it “has legs”
Implementing feedback from agents and/or editors
Helping give constructive feedback to other writers

But above all else, SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL will help you better understand the fundamentals and mechanics of plot, character transformation, and what makes a story work!

I think this may be my new favorite craft book ever.

As a fan and writer of character-driven fiction, I’ve always struggled to figure out plot structure. I’ve read a lot of books that talk about that and have learned bits from all of them, but this book explained structure in a way that I really understood. It could be that I’m just finally starting to understand structure after all of these years (and multiple craft books), but I really think the format of this book is what I connected with.

First, the author lists out and explains the different beats of every good story. Then she explains the nine different plot types. Finally, she takes the list of beats and applies it to each of the plot types to help the reader see what it looks like. (She also includes a list of the books that use the various plot types.)

If you want to learn how to write a novel and you learn best from lists and examples, I highly recommend this book. I will reference it often.

Get your copy here!

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How I Write: Sally Jo Pitts

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Sally Jo Pitts paid attention when they said, “write what you know.” Wait’ll you find out what she writes! Here’s another fun interview full of great writing tips and ideas.

Thank you so much for talking with me today! What do you write? How/why did you pick your genre?

I write Mystery/Detective because I have worked as a private investigator with my husband in his detective agency for almost thirty years. I also write romance because I enjoy discovering the happily ever after!

I bet you have some amazing perspectives to add to your books! What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

The most difficult part  of writing in both genres is getting the rough draft on the page. I work through my  character and plot idea with dogged determination and attempt to write a scene a day. The first draft is a pretty ugly batch of dialogue, narrative, scene set ups, and notes that I proceed to shift here and there like puzzle pieces throughout the document. I use the Scrivener program which helps me move from scene to  scene and keeps my characters and research notes together in one workspace.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

The length of time to write a book has varied depending on the contractual time given for completion. The last three books in my mystery series took six months each: two months rough draft, one month first rewrite, two month rewrites of the rewrites, one month final edits.

Which was harder to write: the first book or the following books?

The first book, Autumn Vindication, was hardest because I had so much to learn. I knew about being a PI but not how to  portray the story and characters. I actually published two romance books before the first mystery book came out. The main characters totally changed from the original draft.

What’s your favorite book on writing?

The Story Equation by Susan May Warren. The book presents a very practical way to think through your characters and the purpose of the journey you are going to put them on.

What writing book do you want to read next?

Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass. He offers lots of examples of good writing and analyzes why. I am always ready to learn more.

What’s your favorite writers conference?

American Christian Fiction Writers. They offer excellent speakers and agent and editor appointments.

What does your revision process look like?

Here ya’ go. Lots of scribbled notes. This photo was during rewrites of Spring Betrayal and Designed for Love romance book launch going on at the same time.

About the Author: Sally Jo Pitts brings a career as a private investigator, high school guidance counselor and teacher of family and consumer sciences to the fiction page. Tapping into her real-world experiences she writes what she likes to read, faith-based stories, steeped in the mysteries of life’s relationships. She is author of the Hamilton Harbor Legacy romance series and the Seasons of Mystery series. Residing in north Florida with her spunky schnauzer Gibbs, Sally Jo enjoys hot mochas, old movies, and writing scenes from scribbled notes that clutter her house. You can connect with her at  and https://www.facebook.com/sallyjopitts

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson (book review)

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Are you writing a novel, but having trouble getting your first draft written? You’ve heard of “outlining,” but that sounds too rigid for you. You’ve heard of “organic writing,” but that seems a bit squishy to you.

Take a look at the wildly popular Snowflake Method—a battle-tested series of ten steps that jump-start your creativity and help you quickly map out your story. All around the world, novelists are using the Snowflake Method right now to ignite their imaginations and get their first drafts down on paper.

In this book, you’ll follow the story of a fictitious novelist as she learns to tap into the amazing power of the Snowflake Method. Almost magically, she finds her story growing from a simple idea into a deep and powerful novel. And she finds her novel changing her—turning her into a stronger, more courageous person.

Zany, Over the Top, and Just Plain Fun

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method is a “business parable”—a how-to guide written in story form. It’s zany. It’s over the top. It’s just plain fun. Most important, it’s effective, because it shows you, rather than telling you.

You’ll learn by example how to grow your story idea into a sizzling first draft.

You’ll discover:
* How to define your “target audience” the right way, so you know exactly how your ideal readers think and feel. Forget what the experts tell you about “demographics.”
* How to create a dynamite selling tool that will instantly tell people whether they’ll love your story or hate it. And you want them to either love it or hate it.
* How to get inside the skin of every one of your characters—even your villain. Especially your villain.
* How to find a deep, emotively powerful theme for your story. Do you know the one best point in your novel to unveil your theme—when your reader is most eager to hear it?
* How to know when to backtrack, and why backtracking is essential to writing great fiction.
* How to fire-test each scene to guarantee it’ll be high-impact—before you write it.

This was a weird little book, but quite informative. It was weird because it’s actually a story about how to write a novel.

Ingermanson creates a world in which Goldilocks wants to learn to write and Baby Bear teaches her. While she’s learning, Ingermanson utilizes all the steps and strategies he discusses to create a tension-filled story. At the end of the book, he walks you through each step to show you which parts of Goldilocks’s story align with which step so you can see how the process looks.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Goldilocks story technique, but I loved the content in the book and will definitely use it in my own writing. I also found this book to be easy to read and digest; I will definitely recommend it to new authors looking for tips on strengthening their stories. Get your copy here!

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

Editing

Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

Resources

Fiction Editing Classes (via the PEN Institute) Substantive Editing for Fiction 101 In Substantive Fiction Editing 101, we’ll look at the basics of a well-written novel and learn how to … [more]