Copy of David Corbett’s “The Art of Character”: The 5 Cornerstones of Characterization
David Corbett—New York Times Notable author of many novels including Blood of Paradise (2007), Do They Know I’m running (2010), and The...


Copy of GETTING YOUR BOOK TO AN AGENT
Many writers out there wonder how, in the hell, can they get their book into the worthy and capable hands of a literary agent. Well, it’s...


THE WRITER/EDITOR RELATIONSHIP: PATIENCE
I’d say 95 percent of the clients I work with on book editing projects are filled with impatience. As a writer as well as a book editor,...


The Bend (auto-fiction about freight train hoppin...)
### Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash The Bend My body ripped up at a ninety-degree angle, my eyes popping open, hearing what sounded like...


JOE ROGAN and MATT WALSH
A few things up front. First, I’m more or less neutral on Joe Rogan. If you don’t know who Joe Rogan is: Where have you been living for...
The Secret Sauce to Being a Good Writer (posted on legendary publishing expert JANE FRIEDMAN'S BLOG)
*On October 27, 2022 I was beyond honored to have my essay on writing (The Secret Sauce to Being a Good Writer) published on Jane...


THE TWO PILLARS OF NOVEL STRUCTURE ACCORDING TO JAMES SCOTT BELL
I want to talk briefly about novel structure because, as a novel editor, I see all kinds of basic issues from the majority of the...
CREATING TENSION IN FICTION AND MEMOIR
To read my Substack Writing Newsletter (please subscribe!) CLICK HERE *This is a retread post from 2017 with minor updates. Still a very...

How to Get the Most from Your Book Editing Experience
I’m a published writer and developmental editor; I’ve been doing both for around 14 years. Along the way I successfully edited many books...


HOW TO BE EDITED AS A NEW AUTHOR (OR AT ANY LEVEL, REALLY…)
A-number one advice for new writers especially: Don’t rush the process. Man oh man. How many writers approach me who think they’re going...