Making Conversation: Dialogue Tags and Action Beats
Strong dialogue is essential when writing fiction or creative nonfiction. But dialogue can’t stand alone. It needs to be clear who’s saying what, how they’re speaking, and what’s happening around them as they talk. These details—the who, how, and what of dialogue—are established through dialogue tags and action beats.
Adverbs: Are they really so terribly bad?
When adverbs are mentioned in writing circles, it’s often with the advice to limit or even eliminate them altogether. But what exactly are adverbs? Do they really deserve all the hate? And will it actually make your writing stronger to remove them?
My Beta Reader Hated My Manuscript. Should I Give Up?
This unfortunately is a scenario I’ve seen many times. A new (or experienced) writer sends their manuscript to a beta reader with high hopes, then is absolutely crushed by the response. The beta hated it, couldn’t even get through it, tells the writer they should go back to the drawing board or abandon it completely. What’s a writer to do? Should you follow the beta’s advice? Should you crawl into a hole and never write again? Should you drown your sorrows with a big glass of wine and a tub of Rocky Road?
I think my book is finished. What Level of Editing Do I Need?
You've written your story. You've self-edited. You've worked with a developmental editor or others who've helped you get the plot and overall structure where you want them. Now you need an editor for the detail work. But who do you turn to, and what service do you ask for? Line editing, copyediting, proofreading—what's the difference?