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Psychological Thriller Character Development: Avoid Plot-Driven Puppets
How to Keep Psychological Thrillers Grounded in Emotion If your thriller characters only move to serve the plot, readers will feel the strings pulling them – and that disconnect can undercut all your suspense and tension. As an editor, I’m always asking: “Would this character, with this history, really make this choice?” It’s this emotional…
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Fix Plot Holes in Fantasy Magic Systems (Editor Tips)
Complex magic systems are thrilling yet tricky – they demand clear rules, believable costs, and unwavering consistency to avoid plot holes that pull readers out. In this post, we’ll unpack what editors scrutinize to fix plot holes in fantasy magic systems, especially for first-time authors weaving intricate worlds. Hard vs. Soft Magic: Know Your Rules…
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Developmental Edit Preparation: Tips for Debut Authors
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5 Signs You Need a Book Coach: Beat the Messy Middle & Finish Your Draft
You don’t need to be more disciplined – you might just need a book coach. Learn 5 signs you need a book coach: from spinning your wheels in the messy middle, to feeling too close to your own words to see the big picture. Coaching isn’t about judgement; it’s about structured support, clear next steps,…
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Letting Go of Your Manuscript: The Emotional Journey of Handing Off Your Draft
Letting go of your manuscript can feel a little like sending a child to their first day of school – exciting, terrifying, and weirdly quiet afterward. In this blog I am talking honestly about the emotional side of releasing your work to beta readers, editors, or submissions. What part of that process feels hardest for…
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What Every Scene Needs: 7 Essentials for Page-Turning Fiction
When a scene feels “off,” it’s almost always because one ingredient is missing: a clear desire, meaningful stakes, or a real turning point. In this post, I walk through what every scene needs to keep readers turning pages. Is there a scene in your draft that you secretly skip when you reread? That’s often the…
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Who’s the Boss? You Are, Author! Author Control in Publishing
You are the boss of your publishing journey, and author control in publishing is a big part of that. It means you get to choose the path that best fits your goals, your capacity, and your story. Whether you are considering traditional publishing, self-publishing, or hybrid publishing, the right choice is the one that supports…
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Fantasy Worldbuilding Without Overwhelming Readers
How to Build a Believable World Without Overwhelming the Reader As a reader, nothing pulls me out of a fantasy faster than pages of names, histories, and maps before I’ve met a single character I care about. As an editor, I see plenty of drafts that are only one small revision away from being deeply…
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Fantasy Worldbuilding Blueprint: Avoid These 5 Mistakes
Fantasy Worldbuilding Blueprint: Avoid These 5 Mistakes Writers: if your fantasy worldbuilding has turned into a lore avalanche, your readers might be quietly backing away. Worldbuilding is one of the joys of fantasy, but it’s also one of the easiest places to lose your reader’s attention. When a draft lands in the inbox packed with…
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3 Signs You Might Be Too Close to Your Manuscript (and what to do about it)
Are You Too Close to Your Manuscript? You’ve been living inside your manuscript for weeks, maybe months, or even years. You know it inside and out. You’ve rewritten scenes, reshaped chapters, reworked whole sections. And now? You can’t tell if it’s brilliant or a disaster. This moment is completely normal, and a telltale sign that…
