Details matter... have a checklist It's all in the details, so they say. Now you have a checklist for that. Checklist for what? The typical reader – we hope – is so engrossed in your book that they race through each page. And they may miss something critical at warp speed. … [Read more...]

Putting it together in an outline I put in a picture of keys today because I firmly believe that the true KEY to writing a killer rough draft is to have a great outline. Drumroll, please. … [Read more...]

Sizing it up with a bit of math... I hate math. Math is one of the world's necessary evils. That being said, it's time to do some. You found the word count/page count for your genre already. So, today I am asking you a very personal question: How … [Read more...]

Go with the flow...in an arc... Outline prep starts with the arc Now that you know the details about your genre, it's time to start the real work on your outline. As you begin to flesh out your book, you are going to start by finding … [Read more...]

By the genre numbers... Before you start actually outlining your book, you need to have a good idea of how long it's going to be. What if you wrote a great first draft, … [Read more...]