Okay, you’ve made at least one pass through your manuscript, you’ve fixed a few typos, maybe changed a couple details. You’re feeling good. Now it’s time to dig into the big-picture changes.
Whipping Your Wip into Shape, Part 2
Melanie Hooyenga
Whipping Your Wip into Shape, Part 1
You did it. You typed those amazing words The End. You have a NOVEL. But maaaaaaaybe it’s not as polished as you’d like.
You know what that means? It’s time for…
The Dreaded ”E” Word: Editing
YASH (YA Scavenger Hunt) 2017
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt, where you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize—one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours! (That’s this Sunday!)
The End (number 7)
No matter how many times I type those magical words THE END, it never gets old. On Friday—two weeks later than my goal but also 15,000 words past my goal—I finished the first draft of The Trail Rules, book two in the Rules series. (In case you’ve missed it, YES! This is now a series!)
That Time I Won an Award and Forgot to Tell Anyone
Children’s Literary Classics has divisions for over a dozen categories, and THE SLOPE RULES won silver (second) for High School Romance!
Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept It…
I started writing my current novel in April and arbitrarily decided that I’d like to finish it by the time our family arrived at the beginning of August. I quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen, but I still wanted to finish it SOON, so I set a new deadline of our NEXT houseguests. Who are coming at the end of August.
In less than two weeks.
Cool Reads, Hot Nights Giveaway
What do you do when your newest release is a snow-filled winter book but it’s 80+ degrees outside with humidity so high your hair has taken on a new dimension? You host a giveaway of YA winter sports books! I’ve teamed up with Katie Van Ark and Jennifer Comeaux for a giveaway that’s sure to cool you off on even the hottest summer nights.
How to Finish the First Draft: Part 3
Welcome to Part 3 of my series How to Finish the First Draft. You know how to get the words out (no matter how bad they are) and that you need to make writing those sucky words a priority, but there’s still that little voice niggling in the back of your mind, trying to distract you from getting your work done.
How to Finish the First Draft: Part 2
One of the biggest obstacles to finishing a first draft isn’t writer’s block, a lack of ideas, or a general feeling that you suck as a writer (although that last one can really do a number on your self-esteem). The biggest obstacle is not making writing a priority.
I’ll repeat that. You must make writing a priority.
Despite what some people may lead you to believe, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. How you choose to spend those 24 hours is what separates those who plan to write a novel someday and those who write novels. If you truly want to write, it has to come before other things fighting for your time.
How to Finish the First Draft: Part 1
One of the biggest challenges of being a writer is finishing the first draft — especially if you’ve never completed a manuscript. There are as many reasons for not finishing as there are stars in the sky, so I thought I’d share with you things I’ve learned over the years that help me write those magical words, The End.