Honor Your Inner Writer During November National Writing Challenge

October 23, 2025October 22, 2025 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Whether you’ve been a writer for some time or you’re just starting out on your writing journey, you likely have heard about National Novel Writing Month, which takes place every November. While the organization that started this event has shut down, the mission still holds true: to encourage writers of all levels of experience to amp up their productivity. The aim is to write 50,000 words during the month, or approximately 1,666 words per day.

That’s a hefty load for any writer. It’s much like aiming to walk 10,000 steps that doctors recommend (or about five miles). Who has time to do that? Both activities require more time than most people have available to them.

The way I see it, the November Writing Challenge can be about any goal you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be about 50,000 words if that goal is too steep. The Challenge is about finding new ways to fit writing into your life, whether that’s writing for one hour per day or writing only 500 words per week. It’s about stretching yourself beyond what you’re used to doing in your writing life. Plus it just feels better knowing other people are going through the challenge too. There’s power in numbers, and it’s empowering when you know you’ve got other writers beside you. Remember, the November Writing Challenge is whatever you want it to be.

Several writing communities offer their own writing challenges and support systems for writers. For example, Story Forge’s challenge is 30,000 words, or about 1000 words per day. That’s a more accessible goal for many people. You can find quite a few others like Reedsy, ProWriting Aid and AutoCrit.

No matter which challenge you follow or if you make up your own like I’m doing, the key point to remember is to stretch yourself. Aim for more words. Longer writing periods. Or do something different. Consider these other possibilities:

* Draft one flash fiction story (about 1500 words) or a short story (up to 15,000 words) per week
* Commit to writing 500 words per day, the equivalent of two pages.
* Write for 30 minutes per day, especially if you’re used to writing sporadically.
* Write your current work-in-progress from a different character’s point of view.
* Write in a different genre than you’re used to. If you’re used to writing fiction, try writing essays.

You might consider some non-writing activities too.

* Read the first draft of your current work-in-progress, noting changes you want to make in the margins. But don’t make the changes just yet.

* Read about the writing craft. If you’re new to writing, this might be a good time to become familiar with the tools you need to craft your story. Learn about plotting, story structure, character development, conflict, etc.

* Got a story dancing in your head? Sketch out several scenes to get your creative juices flowing.

* Do background research. Is there a subject you know nothing about but is imperative to your current project? Spend a few minutes each day researching that topic.

* Spend some time world-building. What do the settings in your story look like? Whether you’re writing a fantasy in a make-believe world or a mystery set in a small town, take time to convert the setting from your imagination to the paper or screen.

* Work on character development. Get to know your characters by writing profiles of the main ones. Describe more than their appearance, but their desires, their personality quirks, their strengths and weaknesses.

The beauty of the November Writing Challenge is to make it whatever you want it to be depending on your goals and what you’re working on. You set the goals and how you’ll measure your success. Just remember to ramp up the activity so you’re challenging yourself to do something different or to improve your productivity.

For example, I plan on using November to draft a holiday romance novella. I’m already prepping by sketching out scenes I plan to write later. My goal is to draft five pages per day, or roughly 1000-1,2000 words. If all goes well, my rough draft should be complete by the end of the month.

If you’re creating your own challenge, it might be helpful to follow these basic rules:

* Establish your goal for November. What do you want to accomplish by month’s end?

* Make sure your goal is measurable. How do you know you’ve achieved success? Set a specific time limit or number. For example, aiming to write 1000 words per day or writing for 15 minutes before bedtime.

* Track your progress. Using a calendar, mark a symbol or star on the days you write or jot down how many words/pages you finished.

* Be sure to ramp up the difficulty. If you’re used to writing three days a week, what can you do to increase that output to five days?

* Reward yourself. When November ends and you can see the progress you’ve made, celebrate your accomplishments. Perhaps treat yourself to a low-cost writing webinar or a book about the writing craft.

You don’t have to target 50,000 words to be successful during November Writing Month. Whether you commit to writing one page per day or 1000 words per day, simply by sitting down to write, you’ve already achieved success.

Why Writers Need to Celebrate Their Failures

October 15, 2025 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

As you might have heard, the Chicago Marathon took place last week, winding its way through the streets of our grand city. Watching the coverage on TV, one comment stood out–that just starting the race is a victory and success in itself.

It’s often said that writing a novel is a lot like running a marathon. The two activities have much in common:

Both require hard work to prepare for the long haul. While a writer’s legs may not be moving as they write, their brains are to conjure up plots and dialogue.
Both require commitment of time and energy to keep training and working toward the end goal.
Both require continuous learning and dedication. Athletes continue to learn about how their bodies respond to the physical demands of running a race, while writers continue to learn about their craft and how their creative minds work.

Perhaps the biggest similarity is this: Success comes by getting to the starting line or by sitting down to write. Because the only true sign of failure is not showing up.

That’s why we must honor our successes AND our failures. After all, failure has a lot to say about our success.

For runners, failure might look like pulling up lame during a race and having to quit, or it might mean an injury or illness sidelines them. For writers, failure might mean never finishing a story you started writing or receiving rejection letters for a story you poured your heart and soul into.

The Rome Business School in Italy outlines several benefits of embracing failure in our work, no matter what kind of work that might be. Failure can help you:

Develop resilience – the ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges.
Encourage creativity – It forces you to consider other solutions to your writing problems and think outside the box.
Foster a growth mindset – It helps us view challenges as opportunities, which we use as a stepping stone toward our main goal
Build confidence – Failure doesn’t have to define you. Instead, it can set the stage for figure efforts.

Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, phonograph, and movie camera, among other things, failed many times. He was noted for saying: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

The lesson to be learned from Edison is this: If we find something that doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean we failed. It simply means that we need to explore other possible solutions.

Since failure can be instrumental in our career growth, it might be worthwhile to celebrate and honor your writing failures as much as your successes. Here are some possible suggestions:

Compile all your rejection letters and save them in a file. Occasionally read them to remind you of how far you’ve come in your writing journey. Seeing the feedback can spur you to keep working toward your goal or to find solutions to some of your nagging writing issues. Some writers even frame their rejection letters so they can see them all the time.
Light a candle and read each rejection letter out loud. Alternatively, if you’re working with beta readers or an editor, read aloud any of their negative feedback. Try not to react viscerally to comments, but allow their meaning to sink in. Maybe they didn’t get the message you were trying to convey in your story, in which case you may need to rewrite the message differently.
Journal your reactions to failure and rejection. As you write, you might discover why rejection makes you feel like a failure or why it has such a strong hold on you.
Rethink the role of failure in your work. Sometimes you have to view it as a stepping stone toward your ultimate goal rather than a dead end. What can you learn from the failed experience? Failure can teach us many things–courage, perseverance, resilience. It can coax you to try new techniques and pull you out of your comfort zone.

Whether you’re an athlete training to run in the next marathon or a writer working on their first (or tenth) novel, it’s okay to embrace failure. It has a lot to teach us if we’re willing to listen to its lesson and learn from it. The only true failure is not trying.

What Is The Best Format for Your Story Idea: Novel, Novella or Short Story?

July 9, 2025July 8, 2025 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Imagine that you’ve come up with a great idea for a story. You haven’t seen it published anywhere else, and you’re sure that people would read it. Only question is: should you write it as a short story, a novella or a novel?

“What’s the difference?” you might ask.

Word counts is the short and easy answer. Depending on the length of your story, it may fall into one of several story categories:

* Novel–70,000 to 100,000 words (although some novels have been less than 70,000 words and others have exceeded the upper limit, depending on genre.)

* Novella–17,500 words to 40,000 words

* Novelette–7,500 words to 17,500 words

* Short story–Less than 7,500 words

With short stories, there’s an economy of words and action. Since you don’t have a lot of space, descriptions, backstory and exposition are limited, and there are no subplots. Full-length novels allow more time and space for exposition and backstory, setting and character development. Short stories are like a weekend getaway while novels are a month-long retreat at a luxury spa. Novellas, which fall in between, are more like your typical one-week vacation.

To learn more about these differences, check out this helpful resource from Reedsy about word counts for different genres.

How do you know where your story idea fits? Should it be a short story, a novella or a novel?.

To answer this question, I recommend fleshing out your story idea as much as you can. Jot down scene ideas, characters, plot points using post-it notes or index cards. The more details you have about your story will determine what type of format you’ll need.

Once you’ve plotted your scenes and made your character list, consider these questions:

1. What is the main problem the characters are trying to resolve? Is it a complex problem with layers of complications? Or is it fairly simple and straightforward?

2. Are there any subplots? A full-length novel might have one or two subplots while a short story and novella won’t have any.

3. How many characters are featured in your story? If there are a few characters, it’ll most likely be a short story. Longer sagas like historical fiction or science fiction/fantasy will likely have a cast of several dozen, while a short story will be limited to a handful of people. Romance novels are roughly a dozen or less.

4. Are you writing this story in multiple POVs? More likely, it’ll fall into the novel category. You won’t see multiple POVs in a short story. You might find one other POV in a novella.

5. What is your story’s genre? Historical fiction and fantasy tend to run longer, around 100,000 words. Romance novels tend to be between 70,000 to 90,000 words. Understanding your genre will help you determine whether your story should be a novel, novella or short story.

If after answering these questions, you’re still not sure what format your story should take, try this exercise. Write the story first as a short story with one point of view, a few essential characters and limited backstory. Keep to the necessary action. Then set it aside for a few weeks. Come back to it later with a fresh eye or have a friend or writing colleague review it with you. Decide what works and what doesn’t.

If the story seems complete as is, then it probably works best as a short story. But if you feel there’s more to the story than what you wrote, rewrite your story, this time as a novella (up to 40,000 words). This time add the elements you think are missing, whether that’s world building, setting or characters. Maybe present a second point of view.

When you’re finished, review it again. Does the story work better? If in doubt, ask a couple of beta readers to review the manuscript and give you feedback. If, based on their feedback, you still want to expand the story, perhaps add a subplot, then you can rewrite it as a full-length novel.

The point is to start small and work your way up, testing out your story idea at each phase to see which format works best.

Here’s another exercise to try: Visit your local bookstore or library, or browse your own collection. Note the size and length of certain genres. Some genres simply work better as shorter pieces. Historical fiction and fantasy tend to be longer while romance works well as a novella. .

Throughout this creative process, trust your instinct. More often than not, your gut will tell you what format will work best for your story idea. When you close your eyes and visualize what the story looks like, sometimes you just know what format your story should be.

Deciding what format your story should be isn’t as difficult as you might think. The magic comes when you begin to see your story come to life on the page.

Best Tips from the Writing Brave Summit

October 9, 2024 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Recently, I attended The Writing Brave Summit, a virtual meeting hosted by Brooke Adams Law. The event featured interviews and webinars by authors, editors and publishing experts who shared insights and tips about writing. The summit covered fiction, non-fiction and memoir writing so participants could pick and choose the sessions that they were most interested in.

As a fiction writer, I walked away armed with renewed enthusiasm for my work. I’ve compiled some of the best tips I heard from these professionals and share them with you below. Hopefully, they can help you as much as they’ve helped me.

Tip 1: If your story is stuck, it may be a problem with your protagonist not the plot. It’s not about raising the temperature in the story or adding a new plot twist, said editor and book coach Daniel David Wallace. What may be needed is to raise the temperature on your protagonist. Make sure your main character is fully engaged with the action, making decisions for good or bad about what to do next. That will keep the story moving forward. Focus on developing the character first, including goals and motivation, then develop the plot.

Tip 2: Write scenes from perspective of one POV character. It’s easier to write a story when you have one Point-of-view character per scene, said Savannah Bilbo, developmental editor and book coach. When you switch POVs within a scene with no defined break, it can be confusing for the reader.

Within each scene, give the POV character a goal, something they want to achieve. That could be getting advice from a friend or gathering some key information or take care of a problem. Also make sure the POV character has agency, that they are the one dealing with the conflict and making decisions. Without that mini-goal and decision-making role, the character isn’t realistic and can’t engage with the action of the story (which piggybacks onto my previous point.)

Tip 3: Use interiority to get into the mind and heart of the POV character. Make sure the POV character reacts internally to everything that happens in the scene, not just what they think and feel, but what they plan to do about the problem they face, said Karyn Fischer with Story and Prose. Interiority matters for several reasons:

It provides context for the action
It’s the inside story
It leads to character transformation.
It allows readers to feel the emotion
It allows readers to follow the logic of the POV character
It connects to the character’s voice

Tip 4: Create conflict between characters by developing opposing personality traits. Writer and book coach Kat Caldwell described the Big 5 personality traits of POV characters: conscientiousness (highly vigilant vs. complacent), agreeableness (People pleaser vs. cranky curmudgeon), Extraversion (outgoing and engaging vs. reserved), neuroticism as a reaction to stress (anxious/worrier vs. laid-back); and openness to new experiences (willing to try anything new vs. fearing change of any kind)

To use the Big 5, Caldwell suggested creating a main POV character who is out of balance with one of these personality traits. Then develop a side character or secondary lead character with the opposite trait. Alternately, you can choose a different imbalance for a side character. For example, a POV character that ranks high in agreeableness and wants to please people while her best friend is more open to change and will try anything new and thus encourage the POV character to try new things.

Tip 5: Try intuitive outlining to plan your story. If you’re not a fan of plotting or using formulas to plan your story, try intuitive outlining. This is a hybrid approach that combines the power of your own innate creativity and intuition with a loose, flexible plotting structure.

Not everyone has the ability to plan their story from scene A to scene B to scene C. Maybe you think of individual scenes but you’re not sure in which order they should be presented. That’s okay, says Lewis Jorstad, The Novel Smithy.

“Our brains have a natural way of telling stories,” he said. Over our lifetimes, our brain has acquired an innate sense of storytelling because it’s been exposed to different stories over the years—through books, movies, TV shows, verbal exchanges, author readings, blogs and social media, podcasts, etc. We’ve all learned how to tell stories. We just may not understand how to put them together.

In intuitive outlining, the focus is on developing scenes as you think of them rather than developing them to fit some kind of pre-ordained formula. You let your intuition guide you.

That leads into Tip 6.

Tip 6: Think and write scenes rather than chapters. Scenes are where the action takes place while chapters are merely arbitrary breaks in the story and can sometimes contain more than one scene, which can make it difficult to work with and reorganize.

Because scenes are smaller, self-contained pieces, that makes them easier to write. They’re like puzzle pieces that can be mixed and matched and moved around. Jorstad suggests writing scenes as you think of them, then arranging them in the order they might appear in your story. Then if you see gaps in the story’s action, write additional scenes as needed, but not to complete some arbitrary formula.

Do any of these tips resonate with you? Have you learned any cool writing techniques that have helped transform your writing?

Tips for Creating a Compelling Opening Chapter

November 2, 2023July 24, 2024 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

I had planned to write a post about what makes a great opening chapter or first 10 pages, then I realized I had already written a post about it several years ago.. I couldn’t think of any way to improve it, so I am repeating it here. The information is especially helpful for those participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

If you’ve ever read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, you probably remember this opening line:

“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love, we find out who we want to be; in war, we find out who we are.”

I’d be hard pressed to find any opening more poignant than this one. From the very start, readers are taken on an emotional journey that doesn’t end until the final sentence.

Writers are tasked with the challenge to create a similar experience with their readers. The start of any novel should accomplish several things: create the tone of the story, provide the point of view, reveal character, and show tension and conflict, among other things. Certainly, the opening line from The Nightingale accomplishes most of these objectives. Does your story do the same?

Why is the opening so critical? Because if it doesn’t grab the reader’s interest and keep it for the first few pages, the reader will likely close the book and set it aside, never getting to the end of it. Ask any published author, editor or agent what makes a strong opening, and you’ll hear a number of answers, which are summarized below. And these suggestions don’t just pertain to fiction, but to short stories, memoir and non-fiction works too. Without a compelling start, readers will dismiss your effort.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), keep the following suggestions in mind as you write the opening of your novel.

1. Skip the prologue. There is ongoing debate about the merits of a prologue. Many editors and agents feel they aren’t necessary. I tend to agree with them. I’ve rarely read a prologue that made a difference in my understanding of the plot. The one exception is Caught by Harlan Coben, which provided sufficient background on one of the main characters to make you second guess the outcome. But if you plan your story well and write the opening pages right, there shouldn’t be a need for a prologue.

2. Create a protagonist that readers will care about. The opening is your opportunity to reveal your protagonist’s character. Is he/she rebellious, angry, ambitious or curious? In the above opening from The Nightingale, the character speaking is introspective and perhaps has gained wisdom from life experience. It makes me care about who she is and what else she (and it is a she, btw) might have to say.

3. Ground your reader in the story’s setting. According to the Write Practice blog, let readers see where the story takes place. Establish early on what the setting is for the story – the time period, the location, the season of the year, etc. When the reader feels grounded in the setting, they feel mentally prepared to experience the events as the characters do.

4. Create conflict and tension. Identify what the inciting incident is – that starting point to your story that changes the status quo. Where is the conflict? Is that conflict with another character, with a situation or within themselves? That conflict is needed to create tension, which helps draw readers in and keep them reading to see how the conflict is resolved.

5. Don’t frontload with dialogue or action. According to Fuse Literary, too much action or dialogue can confuse readers. Sure, you want to start with some sort of action, but an opening chapter heavy on action and dialogue and not enough narrative or backstory can be confusing to readers who may need a point of reference to understand what is happening on the page. You need some action, of course, but balance it with some narrative so you don’t lose readers’ interest.

6. Don’t overload the opening with backstory either. According to recent Reedsy webinar, Crafting a Novel Opening, writers should focus on what the reader needs to know at that moment. There’s plenty of time to reveal backstory and world building as the story progresses, says Shaelin Bishop who led the discussion. Weave in backstory throughout the length of the manuscript, and allow details to breathe between scenes. This approach will help with the pacing too. If readers are overloaded with details up front, they may feel overwhelmed.

7. Hook the reader with an interesting twist. Start where the story gets interesting, which is usually at the point where there’s a change in the status quo. For example, the protagonist gets a letter with good news or bad news, a new person enters the protagonist’s life, or they get into an accident that alters the course of their life. “Show what is interesting rather than focusing on the mundane. It’s okay to show less of the status quo than you think you need to,” says Shaelin Bishop with Reedsy. This approach avoids overloading your opening chapter with too many details that can bore your reader.

8. Every scene should serve several purposes. For example, one scene can establish the tone of the story, reveal something about the character and hint at future conflict. This sounds complex, but it’s necessary to keep the story moving forward and keep readers interested. Don’t waste your first sentence, or any sentence for that matter. Write every scene with a purpose in mind. If it doesn’t serve purpose, and if a character doesn’t serve a purpose, cut them out.

To get into the habit of writing stronger openings, try these two exercises.

Exercise 1: Take 10 minutes and create as many opening sentences as you can think of. It could be for a current work in progress or any other story. Experiment with different perspectives. Here are a couple of examples of intriguing openings that made me keep reading:

“You would think it would be impossible to find anything new in the world, creatures no man has ever seen before, one-of-a-kind oddities in which nature has taken a backseat to the coursing pulse of the fantastical and the marvelous. I can tell you with certainty that such things exists ….”
The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Alice Hoffman

“My name is Serena Frome (rhymes with plume) and almost forty years ago I was sent on a secret mission for the British Security Service. I didn’t return safely. Within eighteen months of joining, I was sacked, having disgraced myself and ruined my lover, though he certainly had a hand in his own undoing.”
Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan

Exercise 2: Select five novels from your collection that you enjoyed reading. Go back and read the first page from each one. What made you turn the page? Why did it grab your interest? Did it reveal anything about the setting, tone or character? Did it create tension and conflict? What can you learn from these first pages that you can adapt to your own work?

Follow these tips to make your opening chapter compelling enough to keep readers engaged to the very end.

Tips for Mastering Multiple Genres

March 2, 2023July 24, 2024 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Stephen King has done it. So has Margaret Atwood and J.K. Rowling. Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Jacqueline Woodson and Isabel Allende have also done it.

These famous authors might be best known for their work in fiction, but did you know they’ve also published works outside of their chosen genre? King might be known for his horror novels, but has also written mysteries and a fantasy novel. Allende has written memoir and Rowling has published non-fiction. You can find more examples at Bustle.

But writing in multiple genres isn’t easy. Experts suggest having some writing experience behind you before tackling a new style of writing.

Why would any writer want to publish in different genres? Naturally, it can help you scratch that creative itch. If all you write is magazine feature articles or press releases, sometimes you get that itch to try something new. Or maybe you get this brilliant idea for a mystery novel and you just have to try to write it.

Other times you don’t want to limit yourself to one style of writing. No one wants to be a one-trick pony. Your writing can get stale and boring that way. Experimenting with a different genre can help you break out of that creative rut.

But how do you begin? Here are a few tips to mastering multiple genres:

Read beyond your selected genre. Most writers I know read a variety of books, everything from mystery and science fiction to non-fiction and memoir. Reading different genres exposes you to different writing styles and different ways to tell stories. You have to understand your chosen genre well before you can begin to write it. How can you write a good mystery if you’ve never read one?
Focus on one genre at a time. Start by focusing your time and energy on mastering one particular genre before you tackle another one. Stephen King became a master in the horror genre before tackling different genres later in his career.
Practice, practice, practice. It can take time and lots of crumpled pieces of paper before you figure out the nuances of your newly selected genre. You might be a strong fiction writer, but writing memoir or a biography requires a different writing skillset.

One of the challenges of writing in multiple genres is managing your time and workload, especially if you’re working on different projects at the same time. Not everyone has the time or inclination to work on several projects at once.

Unless your name is Simon Van Booy, who has published several novels for adults and children, as well as a screenplay and non-fiction. He usually has several projects going at one time. He shares his tips for managing his time and workload with Writer’s Digest.

Booy starts by setting monthly goals for each project. He then breaks down his workload in chunks of time. For example, he writes adult fiction from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Mondays, then edits and adds material to it on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Booy also sets aside time on Tuesday afternoon for reading adult fiction and Thursday afternoon for reading children’s fiction.

With that structure, he says he’s able to meet his monthly writing goals on all three projects. By splitting his time between writing, research and reading, he has built in enough variation of work to avoid boredom.

However, there are some downsides to writing in multiple genres. According to The Author Wheel blog, it can be difficult to market your work because you have more reader groups to appeal to. It can also cause readers to be confused if you use your name for the different genres. Readers may see your name on the shelf and expect it to be one style of book, only to be disappointed that it’s something else entirely.

In these instances, you might consider using a pen name for at least one of the other genres, or a variation of your name or an abbreviation. For example, if you are known for writing non-fiction but want to publish science fiction, it might be beneficial to use a pseudonym to find the right audience for your project.

For every new pen name, however, you may have to create an entirely new author platform, including a separate website, mailing list and social media. That can be rather labor intensive to manage all those channels, and you may not have time for that. Only you can decide if a secondary platform is necessary for your work.

That said, many famous authors stick with their own name when they publish in a different genre. Their name has the cache to attract readers.

Even with all these considerations, writing in multiple genres can be challenging and fun. It can broaden your writing experience and help you find new fans for your work.

Tips for Finding an Editor for Your Manuscript

January 19, 2023 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Whether you’re just starting to write a novel or you’re on your fifth revision, at some point you’ll wonder if you need another pair of eyes to review your work. Perhaps you are stuck with a dead-end plot or you’ve been rejected by numerous editors or agents who weren’t impressed with your manuscript.

Maybe you’re on your tenth attempt at rewriting your current work-in-progress, and the story still isn’t quite coming together the way you imagined. Then it may be time call in an editorial expert to review your work. Having someone else review it and give you feedback might give you insights about where the story has gone astray.

According to writer and editor Susan De Freitas during an online workshop “Maybe It’s Not Your Plot,” there are eight telltale signs that it may be time to consult with a professional editor.

Your novel is overwritten. You’ve written way more words that are required for your genre. For example, you’ve written 140,000 words for a story that should only be 80,000. As much as you love your own story, it’s filled with too many unnecessary scenes that don’t push the plot forward.
Too many drafts or versions of the same story. Most novels typically go through an average of five to seven drafts, but you’re working on the tenth and the story still does not seem finished.
You got lost in the world building. You’ve immersed yourself in a whole new world you created for your characters that you forgot about the plot and the characters.
There’s no clear ending to the story. Every time you think of an appropriate ending, you draw a blank.
The first draft is complete, but you’re not sure how to begin revising it.
You didn’t plot out your story in advance so you “pantsed” your way through the first draft. Now you have to figure out how to structure what you’ve written into a cohesive plot, but you don’t know how or where to start.
You received a lukewarm response from your beta readers or critique partners, but you’re still not sure what’s wrong with the story.
You’ve submitted it to agents and editors who have expressed little interest in publishing your story.

Once you realize that you need an editor, you’re not sure where to find a good editor. It helps to understand the four different types of editing that you might need.

Developmental editing (sometimes called story editing) which looks at the overall structure of your story.
Line editing looks at how the story is presented, such as language, pacing and how chapters end or begin.
Copy editing looks at spelling and grammar as well as the story’s timeline.
Critique/assessment reviews the manuscript and provides feedback about the story arc. It’s not as intensive as a full developmental edit, which can cost more money.

To find an editor for your work-in-progress, begin by asking for referrals. If you belong to a writer’s group or take writing classes, ask fellow writers, classmates and teachers for referrals. You can also search member organizations like the Editorial Freelancers Association to find someone who specializes in your genre. You can try searching the acknowledgment page in your favorite novels where authors usually thank their editorial team, then do a search for that editor’s background and previous work. Most editors have their own website and will describe at length the services they offer and pricing. If none of these ideas work, there’s always Google.

Before hiring an editor

There are several factors to consider when hiring an editor, said romance editor Jessica Snyder during her online workshop “How to Find Your Perfect Editor.” First, consider how much experience they have in your genre. If you’re writing a science fiction novel, your best bet is to hire someone who has edited other sci-fi novels. Someone who typically edits literary novels probably won’t be the best fit.

Ask for a sample edit. Provide the editor with a chapter and see how they review your work. What kind of suggestions do they offer? Are they positive and provide encouragement? Or are they too negative? Consider their communication style to see if it meshes well with your own.

Also ask about the editor’s process. How do they communicate criticism? What kind of timeline do they work with? Most editors require several weeks to review your novel or they may be backlogged with other projects and may not get to your manuscript right away. Pack your patience.

Cost is also a big consideration for many writers, especially those who want to self-publish. Know your budget ahead of time. Does the editor offer payment plans? How do they handle things like refunds and disputes?

If you’re on a tight budget, Snyder said it might be best to opt for a simple story assessment and copy editing pass by two different editors to keep costs down.

After reviewing the editor’s comments

Take a deep breath before reading through your edited manuscript. Feedback can often bring about strong emotional responses. You don’t want to respond to the editor with snarky comments or knee-jerk reactions. Remember, this is only one person’s assessment of your work.

Editors are guides in your writing process. Their suggestions are meant to help you create a better, stronger story structure and improve your ability to meet readers’ expectations in your chosen genre.

Also remember that editors aren’t perfect. Their edits are only suggestions. You don’t have to accept all of them if you feel strongly about something. But do keep an open mind or be willing to change your mind. Most suggestions editors make do make sense in the overall scheme of the story. If an editing comment is unclear, ask for clarification.

Most of all, remember that not all feedback is correct or appropriate. You know your story best, so use your best judgment about what edits will work with your story. I’ve had instructors and fellow writers offer feedback to my work which didn’t fit the story that I imagined. In those situations, I didn’t follow their suggestions because I didn’t feel they understood my story. But I always politely thanked them for their comments. Always respond to critiques from editors with compassion and kindness. The next time you find yourself stuck with an overwritten novel or one that garnered a lukewarm response from readers, a professional editor can steer you on the right track toward publication.

12 Tips to Survive – and Thrive – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

October 24, 2022 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Logo courtesy of NaNoWriMo

Hello readers: This is a repost from two years ago. In advance of NaNoWriMo, I wanted to share tips for getting through this challenge. The tips are just as helpful today as they were then. Enjoy, and good luck.

Have you always wanted to write a novel but weren’t sure how to get started? Maybe you’ve had a story idea swirling inside your brain for the past decade and just never made the time to write it. With November right around the corner, here’s your chance.

National Novel Writing Month is an annual creative writing challenge that takes place every November in which participants aim to write 50,000 words in 30 days toward a completed novel. The event is hosted NaNoWriMo, a nonprofit organization that encourages writing fluency and education for all ages. According to its website, the NaNoWriMo group believes in “the transformational power of creativity.”

Participation in this annual event has escalated from a mere 21 people in 1999 to 306,230 in 2017, according to the Novel Factory. You don’t have to sign up on their website to participate. You can do this in the comfort of your home, which is what I plan to do. While the goal is 50,000 words for the entire month, that is only the goal. If you can only achieve 30,000 words – or 1,000 words a day – that’s fine too. This is a personal challenge to motivate writers to write every day and work toward a larger goal.

Whether this is the first time you take part in the event or the tenth, here are some helpful tips for surviving this 30-day writing challenge. You can find other helpful tips here too.

Outline and research your story ahead of time. Since you’ll be spending your November days writing, you’ll need to know what you’ll be writing about. Plan ahead. Plot your outline in advance. The Novel Factory has some awesome free downloadable tools to help you plan your story.

The same goes for research. If you’re writing historical fiction, do your research ahead of time. If you get to a place in your story where you need to do more research, make a note of what you need to do and come back to that place during the revision phase. Don’t get distracted by the desire to look up something or you will never get back to your writing.

Plan your schedule. With a hefty 50,000 word goal, you’ll need to plan how you will achieve it. That’s roughly 1,667 words a day with no days off, or 2,000 words a day with one day off each week. Those daily word goals can be daunting. So it’s important to plan how much you’ll be able to write. It might mean getting up an hour early each day to write, or doing mini sessions throughout the day. Remember, you don’t have to write in one huge chunk of time.

Try something new. Many writers use NaNoWriMo to experiment with their writing. It might be re-writing a current work-in-progress from an alternate point of view, or trying their hand at writing a different genre – science fiction when they normally write psychological suspense. This approach can be applied to your writing schedule too. For example, try getting up an hour earlier in the morning to start writing rather than waiting until the evening when you may be too tired.

Participate in live write-ins. If you’re looking to stay motivated throughout the month, check out a live write-in in your area. If you sign up at the NaNoWriMo website, you’ll be given locations of write-ins near you. With the pandemic, I imagine there might be virtual write-ins too.

Work with a writing buddy. When you participate with a friend, you can motivate each other and help you through the rough spots. If you’re both competitive, set up your own contest to see who can write more words each day. Try putting a giant thermometer on your wall. As you complete your daily word count, fill in the thermometer with red to see your progress. Then compare your progress with that of your friend’s.

Be prepared to put some activities on the backburner. That may mean less time hanging out on social media, less time watching Netflix or Hulu or shutting off the TV. It could also mean spending less time socializing with your friends and fewer Zoom meetings. You’ll have to decide what you can live without for the short term while you work on your masterpiece.

Silence your inner critic/editor. As you write, turn off the internal critic who tells you that your work isn’t good. It’s easy to get sidetracked by negative thoughts. First drafts usually aren’t very good, so relax and just tell your story without judgment and self-criticism. The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to challenge yourself to write your story. There will always be time for editing later.

Avoid going back to the beginning. If you are ever tempted to read what you’ve already written or rewrite it, don’t. You may decide that your work is terrible and give up. Or you may want to start editing it, which only wastes time. If necessary, read the last page or two that you wrote to remember where you left off, but otherwise, keep a forward focus.

Find your writing rhythm. You may find one week into NaNoWriMo that you’ve hit your stride. That’s great news. If you get to the end of your 2,000 word goal and you still feel motivated to keep going, then by all means, keep writing. That’s one way to build up your word count early on in the challenge so if you feel a bit sluggish by the end of the month, you can slow down without harming your end goal.

Reward yourself when you reach milestones. When you get to the 5,000 word mark, for example, treat yourself to your favorite snack or watch a favorite movie. Set another reward at 10,000 words, 20,000 words and so on. Occasional rewards serve as great motivational tools to keep you writing.

Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet your writing goals. So you only wrote 30,000 words. Congratulate yourself for your accomplishment. That’s better than not writing at all. Remember the purpose of this event is to challenge yourself to make quick, steady progress.

Make time for exercise and fresh air. All work and no play can stifle your creativity. Make sure you get outside if the weather is nice, and go for a walk or a bike ride. It’ll help clear the cobwebs from your brain and you can return to your desk with a fresh perspective.

Most important, have fun with NaNoWriMo. Yes, there will be plenty of hard work involved, but stay positive. Look at how much you will learn and grow as a writer. No matter how many words you eventually put down on the page, you can be proud of your accomplishment as you see your story develop.

Fiction writing–one episode at a time

September 27, 2022September 27, 2022 ~ The Regal Writer ~ 1 Comment

I had never heard of episodic novels until I read a post by Donald Maass on Writer Unboxed recently. Funny thing is, after reading Maass’s article, I realized I had read a few episodic novels. I just didn’t realize they fell under that category. But I did notice how different they were in the way the stories were told.

While traditional novels take a linear approach to storytelling with each scene leading into the next, episodic novels are told as a series of self-contained stories around a central theme, place or character. Think of a TV series in which there is the same cast of characters each week, but each episode centers around a different problem, like Friends, Cheers or Mash. Episodic novels are told in much the same way. Each episode can stand on its own as its own story, but it still propels the overarching plot forward.

Here are a few examples:

* The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien to entertain his children. Each chapter (or episode) could be read to them before bedtime.

* The story of Olive Kittredge is a character study. Each episode of Olive’s life is told from different perspectives, sometimes from a different character who interacts with her. Each story reveals a different side to Kittredge’s character.

* In The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman, the focus is not on a character, but on a thing – a garden that appears to grow from reddish earth beneath it. The story spans several generations featuring the various owners of the garden and their relationship to it.

* Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is another character study of one girl’s unfortunate childhood. The story is never told from her perspective but as accounts from people in her life who interact with her.

Episodic novels can be children’s stories like The Hobbit or Huckleberry Finn. They can be coming-of-age like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or To Kill a Mockingbird. They can be adventure stories, stories of journeys to distant lands, like the Arabian Nights. Or they can be character studies like Olive Kittredge, or an exploration of a time or place, like The Red Garden. Here’s one list of episodic novels but I’m sure you can find other examples.

Note that episodic novels are not the same as a series novel. A series novel consists of several complete books that follow in sequence, such as Harry Potter. Episodes are self-contained scenes within one book, but they are still integral to the plot. Each episode connects to the episode before and after it.

TCK Publishing describes four key elements of episodic plot:

Episodes are distinct but are logically connected.
Each episode contains elements of plot (conflict, rising action, climax, resolution, etc.)
Episodes contribute to the overall plot of the story without impacting any other episodes
The common theme binds the episodes together.

Another common characteristic is that episodic novels tend to be presented in chronological order. So though the episodes might be told by different characters describing the same incident, the story is never out of sequence.

I admit this might seem a bit confusing. After all, episodic novels seem to break all the basic rules of storytelling, and it does not follow a linear structure. Try reading a few of these stories to see how they are different from traditional novels. Think of it as one more way to tell your story.

Then if you feel brave enough, pick up your pen and try writing one. Remember to focus on one specific character, place, or moment in time. Then like a TV screen writer, create individual episodes that can stand on their own while moving the overall story forward to a satisfying conclusion. Writing an episodic novel (or making a valid attempt to do so) may be the most challenging thing you ever do.

Why Writers Need an Editor

April 27, 2022April 27, 2022 ~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

Many writers say getting a novel’s first draft down on the page is the easy part. It’s the rewriting and editing afterward that presents the biggest challenge, especially for beginning writers. Even after rewriting and editing it several, you may feel there’s something lacking in your manuscript. Most editors agree it’s at this point that writers may need to hire a professional editor.

Recently I attended a webinar called “Maybe It’s Not Your Plot” presented by author and book coach Susan DeFreitas. She says the problem with most manuscripts isn’t about what happens (the plot) but about WHY it happens, which is tied to character arc. She explains the role of character arc best on her blog.

DeFreitas outlines the six steps of a character arc, which I have shared below:

The protagonist has an internal issue to overcome, a mistaken belief about their world that will be challenged as the story unfolds.
Connected to this internal issue is the protagonist’s backstory, which explains how the misbelief originated.
There are conflicts and challenges that push the protagonist to view their misbelief in a different light.
The protagonist resists making necessary behavioral changes that fit the new belief. They want to go back to the way things were when the story began.
Change occurs incrementally to show how the protagonist fights against themselves.
The moment of truth occurs around the climax. The protagonist must face a hard truth, discover what’s been missing or didn’t understand.

Character arc is what drives the story and provides the emotional quotient that readers want to experience. But it’s also where most writers struggle with their story. This is when they tend to reach out to professional editors for advice on how to move forward.

According to DeFreitas, writers might need to hire an editor because:

The story is overwritten. There are too many words. A well-crafted novel should contain roughly 80,000 to 100,000 words. Romance novels require less than that while some science fiction or fantasy novels can run more than 100,000. Generally speaking, if your novel is too long, you’ll need to cut word count and scenes. Since you might be reluctant to do the cutting yourself, an editor can help you sort through the extra copy to determine what to keep and what to discard.
You have a million drafts. Perhaps after working a story multiple times, it still has not jelled the way you imagined. Or you have so many drafts that the story no longer resembles the one you started out writing.
You’ve gotten lost in world building. This is especially true for speculative fiction and sci-fi novels where alternate world is key to the story. You can get so caught up in the details of this other world that you lose sight of the plot and character development.
You have no clear idea how to end the story. You may have started off strong with your writing but by the middle of the story, you have no idea how to get to the end. I’ve found it helpful to write the ending before I begin writing the beginning so I know how the story will proceed. An editor can provide tips on how to visualize the ending of your story.
You can’t figure out how to revise your manuscript. This is especially true for pantsers who write their story organically with no initial planning. Once the scenes from inside your head are written, you may realize that the story heads off in different directions. You feel stuck on how to fix things. An editor can help you scale back your ideas and formulate a revision plan moving forward.
You received lukewarm response from beta readers. The good news is you’ve completed your manuscript. The not-so-good news is that your beta readers gave it a lukewarm reception. They politely offered feedback, which you gladly accepted. But you want more than that from them. You want them to feel enthusiastic for your work. A lukewarm response is a warning sign that something is off about your manuscript.
You’re not getting responses from publishers or agents. If you’ve reached this step, congratulations. You’re much further along than most aspiring novelists. Only problem is editors and agents aren’t responding to your novel at all. That should tell you that they either have not gotten around to reading it yet, or that it wasn’t worth their time to respond to you. You want to create excitement for your manuscript, and when a book editor or agent is excited about your novel, they’re more likely to get behind it.

Editing your own manuscript is never easy. But working with a professional book editor can give you a better understanding of the revision process.

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