I was recently talking to Brittany Stonestreet, a friend who is finishing up her Masters in Publishing at the prestigious Emerson College in Boston. She mentioned she was just completing the style sheet for her newest YA novel. I
…Fiction
Avoid Character Labels
I read a fiction manuscript last week that described a character as a cripple. I winced when I read the word and stopped to think about why I had such an immediate revulsion. After all, it was historical fiction and …
Getting an Agent to Read Your Entire Query
As a literary agent, I love seeing stacks of queries in my inbox. Like the other agents at Books & Such, I enjoy discovering unique book ideas, moving memoirs and fresh new voices. However, all literary agents must balance limited …
Fiction Giveaway Time!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I was struggling to find a blog topic, but then my eyes fell on a stack of beautiful novels. I have an extra copy of each of these books by my clients …
Story–The Common Ground Between Fiction and Nonfiction
Story–The Common Ground Between Fiction and Nonfiction
By Cynthia Ruchti
In a January 16, 2011 post for Psychology Today, Dr. Pamela B. Rutledge expounded on “The Psychological Power of Storytelling.” She focused on the concept as it relates to changes …
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What’s the Story on Backstory?
Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
One of the biggest challenges for novelists—new and seasoned alike—is avoiding too much backstory in the opening of the book. A lot of people ask me questions about backstory, and often argue with me about it. So …
Engaging Our Culture–Part 2
Blogger: Mary Keeley
As promised in last week’s blog post today I’ll give you Michael Boyle’s last four charges on engaging our culture. The gulf between a Christian worldview and the prevalent views on life, culture, and biblical truth seems …
Controversial Issues: Engage or Avoid?
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Most writers and bloggers are averse to broaching controversial issues. We would prefer to avoid polarizing subjects because we want to be popular, and writers surely don’t want to lose followers, especially readers. But the truth is …
Voice Quiz
Blogger: Mary Keeley
An author’s unique voice is a big part of his or her brand identity. While reviewing a client’s new manuscript this week, I was struck by how well this author has mastered this area of craft. It …
10 Tips for a Clean Manuscript
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writers have so much craft or technique to master. If you are a novelist, you’re consumed with things such as adding more tension or deepening the character development. If you write nonfiction, you’re concerned with organizing your …