Three Ways to Prevent a Story from Stagnating Three Ways to Prevent a Story from Stagnating By Megan Cutler | September 6, 2021 | Comments 2 comments It’s hard to let go of a story, especially a long one. You get attached to the characters and the world they live in. As a reader, putting down the final installment of a series feels like losing a friend. As a writer, it’s even harder since you eat, sleep and breathe the details of … Read More Read More
Comma, Comma, Comma Clarification Comma, Comma, Comma Clarification By Megan Cutler | June 1, 2020 | Comments 6 comments Writers have an interesting relationship with their old work. Some writers talk about novels shoved in boxes and pushed under the bed, or locked in desk drawers never to see the light of day again. That’s because writers don’t like to look back at where they came from. It allows them to see all the … Read More Read More
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 1 comment 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
Writing is Editing So Editing is Writing Writing is Editing So Editing is Writing By Megan Cutler | June 10, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment Editing is an inescapable part of the writing process. People might try to debate it, but it can’t be denied. Lots of people think that editing just means going through your manuscript and looking for typos – or hiring someone to do it for you. But that’s only one small part of the editing process. … 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
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
How to Punctuate with Precision – A Helpful Guide for Indies How to Punctuate with Precision – A Helpful Guide for Indies By Megan Cutler | November 26, 2018 | Comments 1 comment Back in September, I put together a quick reference editing guide to help my fellow indies with their editing woes. I wanted to provide tools that would make the editing process easier. But I also wanted to help indies spot a skillful editor – a daunting task considering the wide variety of options. That guide … Read More Read More