What Makes a Good Story? What Makes a Good Story? By Megan Cutler | September 23, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment What makes a good story? Ask twenty different readers and you might get twenty different answers. Patterns usually start to emerge, though. Certain elements tend to draw people to stories, though the most important element will vary among individuals. Readers like stories with interesting characters they can connect to and identify with. They like exciting … Read More Read More
How Studying Plot Structure Makes Editing Smoother How Studying Plot Structure Makes Editing Smoother By Megan Cutler | August 26, 2019 | Comments 3 comments I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the nitty gritty, dirty nitpicking involved with the editing process. One of the first things people think of when they sit down to edit something they’ve written is proofreading and line editing. And it’s true that choosing the right words and making sure you have them in … Read More Read More
The Difference Between Narrative Style and Writing Method The Difference Between Narrative Style and Writing Method By Megan Cutler | May 27, 2019 | Comments 1 comment In the wake of Game of Thrones Season 8 there have been a number of well-reasoned discussions about the differences between plotting and pantsing. And how switching between the two mid-narrative might be a source of trouble. I highly recommend this Twitter thread by Daniel Silvermint. Also this video by Jesse Cox. Both delve into … Read More Read More
Announcing a New and Improved Eternity’s Empire Saga Announcing a New and Improved Eternity’s Empire Saga By Megan Cutler | May 20, 2019 | Comments 3 comments I like to start every year with a list of things I’d like to accomplish. It gives me something to focus on and keeps me on track. I started 2019 with big ambitions. I even included stretch goals in case I knocked it out of the park. Within a month I realized many of those … Read More Read More
Empower Your Writing with these Simple Tricks Empower Your Writing with these Simple Tricks By Megan Cutler | May 6, 2019 | Comments 1 comment Since I started these editing guides, we’ve covered a lot. We started with the basics of grammar and punctuation. We also spent some time on passive voice, character perspective, and how to enhance character voice. Of course, none of this advice can replace having an editor or betas to help pinpoint your mistakes, but the … Read More Read More
Making The Most Of Character Perspective Making The Most Of Character Perspective By Megan Cutler | March 11, 2019 | Comments 2 comments Last week I talked about the different perspectives, or points of view, available to writers. I covered my personal pros and cons for each and touched on the fact that they balance out pretty well, depending on the purpose of your project. But since the chosen point of view often sets the tone and atmosphere … Read More Read More
A Perspective Primer – Which is Best? A Perspective Primer – Which is Best? By Megan Cutler | March 4, 2019 | Comments 1 comment So far my editing guides have covered grammar rules like punctuation and passive voice. Aside from those, my most frequent notes center around perspective. But unlike the other guides I’ve written, perspective can’t be handled with a short paragraph of guidelines. Perspective, or point of view, is a stylistic choice every writer must make in … Read More Read More
3 Reasons I Abandoned the Last Book I Read 3 Reasons I Abandoned the Last Book I Read By Megan Cutler | February 11, 2019 | Comments 4 comments Abandoning books midway through is still new to me. Until recently, I was devoted to seeing a book all the way through to its end. No matter how garbage it turned out to be. But then I realized life is short. There are a million books I want to read, and I don’t get a … Read More Read More
How to Prune Passive Voice How to Prune Passive Voice By Megan Cutler | January 21, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment I’ve been editing for friends for several years now, which is one of the reasons I’ve decided to start editing as a service. As a result, I see a lot of the same errors over and over. As soon as I started noticing them in the work of others, I found them in my own … Read More Read More
An Interview with Zachary Chopchinski An Interview with Zachary Chopchinski By Megan Cutler | December 17, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment Connecting with other authors has become my favorite part of publishing. The indie community is extremely supportive of writers at all levels of their career. They’re spectacularly creative individuals, both when it comes to story crafting and business management. Today, I’m thrilled to host fellow indie Zachary Chopchinski, who has been a guiding light for … Read More Read More