Archive for the 'On High Quality' Category

How to Be Sure You Can Write the Highest Quality Books

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.” – T. E. Lawrence The summer heat already bears down
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Only by Patient Devotion

“I’ll go and I’ll finish this book. I have to. My whole damned life is tied up. Most people would like it tied up. And maybe I do. My many weaknesses are beginning to show their heads. I simply must get this thing out of my system. I’m not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people. I wish
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Link: Top Myths about Editors

Writers I meet at conferences have a lot of great questions about editing. Most of us know we need help but don’t know where to start. I don’t have any money; why are editors so expensive? Do you really need a content editor and a copyeditor? Can you just hire an editor to fix your mistakes? Here’s a really great post clearing up some
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Why editing isn’t just the how but the what  

Whenever I work with new authors, they’re eager and excited. And almost always they want to focus on how they did—whether the structure they used works and how well it “flows.” But what I find almost 100% of the time is that first, they need help hearing what they said. And without exception, it’s surprising to them to realize what
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Your One Power Trick for Great Storytelling

The trick is not easy. But it’s easily understood. How do you know what to reveal when? Writers who know that, and can do it consistently, are unstoppable. And one of the earliest ways we do this is simply getting into the scene. Feel the emotions and desires of your characters and the weight of the situation. And watch when certain connections
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