A blog on writing, Writers helping writers

Are you still meeting during this pandemic?

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With Covid being what it is, meetings of any kind have been on hold. Some groups have gone virtual, some are on hiatus, while others have still met.

As a writer getting feedback on our works is necessary to get our work in the best shape possible.

Why?

When one submits to a publisher or self-publish, what readers see between the covers will determine its success. There are a lot of parts to any book. But when we edit and revise one’s work, we won’t catch everything. We know our manuscripts the best, and in time we glaze over errors that others might notice, such as loopholes, spelling errors, punctuation, and run-on sentences.

We can’t be our editors and get 100% of it correct. Different eyes are necessary to make our book better.

So, during this pandemic, you need to decide what is the right path for you in being safe in how you go about getting your eyes on your work.

I have had an opportunity to meet IRL with other writers at a new writing group. I am not of the mind to do that just yet.

Ultimately I want you all safe regardless of how you proceed.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing Advice

Is your website easy to maneuver?

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Is your website too hard to figure out? Are viewers able to find what they need readily and easily?

I try to make my site user-friendly by repeatedly trying to improve it. I look for issues that need to be corrected.

It is frustrating to go to a site and spend more time than necessary to find what you are looking for on that page. For the most part, I will move on. The odds of me returning to that site are slim to none.

One needs to make a site welcoming and easy to navigate. It must not be cluttered. Links have to work. What you are trying to promote to show needs to be upfront and prominent.

As someone who makes her site the hub of all she does as an author, I need it to be easy to maneuver. Everything has to be clear when it comes to what I am trying to get across to others.

It is not easy getting people to subscribe to your site. If one does not make their site inviting, not only will new people move on, you might lose those who are already followers.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing thoughts

How important is the dialogue in your book to you?

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Is the dialogue in your manuscript important to you? Do you spend serious time developing this aspect of your work?

Each genre and age group will vary as well as location and time frame in each book. You will have different dialects, slang, and usage of words.

But do you pay attention to that? More importantly, do you expect your readers to notice? To notice and not be concern about it? Or rather, put your book down?

Dialogue is important. It moves your story from section to section. If you don’t give it the time it deserves, your book may go nowhere with your readers.

There are countless amount of books and webinars on this topic alone for a reason.

If you are writing for children, you have to write the dialogue that they will understand, not be over their head or below. Just because they are children doesn’t mean one should not work on it.

There are so many moving parts to a book. Each works together to advance the plot from beginning to end. They all have to work well together, and this includes dialogue.

The Musings of A New Englander