by Stephanie Dethlefs | Jul 6, 2021 | First Draft, Revision, writing craft
Have you heard the phrase “show, don’t tell”? Have you ever had a reader suggest that you “show” as scene rather than just explain it? And have you wondered what the heck they mean or how in the world to do it? The concept of showing vs. telling is really overused and...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Jun 15, 2021 | First Draft, Planning your book, Revision, writing craft
There are three simple ways that we consider time: present, past, and future. Let’s think for a moment about how these impact the way we tell a story. If we tell a story about something that just happened moments ago, we are really still in the present with it. We...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 25, 2021 | Accountability, Getting feedback, Planning your book, Revision, writing craft, Writing schedule
Writers write, right? Isn’t that all there is to it? If we really look at what will provide growth and improvement in both writing and confidence, there are a few other activities that should be a part of all of our lives. Listen to podcast episode #35: Anatomy...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 18, 2021 | First Draft, Getting feedback, Revision, writing craft, Writing schedule
There is high value in revising along the way. What I mean by this is revising even while you are still writing your first draft. In the last post, where we talked about getting feedback at every stage, I made the point that writing is not a linear process, despite...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 16, 2021 | First Draft, Inner critic, Mindset, Revision
Writing is hard, and it isn’t always fun. In order to get through the hard parts, we have to learn to love the work. Inspiration is easy to love. So are excitement, enthusiasm, and motivation. But sometimes those things are lacking. And we are left with the...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 4, 2021 | Accountability, First Draft, Getting feedback, Planning your book, Revision
I’ve talked before about how important it is to get feedback on your writing at all stages of the writing process. But what does that feedback look like? There are many different types of feedback you can ask for, and many different ways it can be delivered. Listen to...
