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WRITING TIPS
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Yessica Jain
Feb 24, 2022
Target Audience Age Range: Who is Your Book For?
When writing their first draft, some authors keep their future readers in mind at all times and others only write because they need to...
Yessica Jain
Feb 17, 2022
Plot Twists
SPOILER ALERT: I talk about some famous plot twists below. Most spoilers are for very popular books, which I selected because I assume...
Yessica Jain
Feb 10, 2022
Foreshadowing: Types & Techniques
Why is it that the best plot twists always seem to make sense but you never could have predicted them? Foreshadowing is a literary device...
Yessica Jain
Jan 27, 2022
Adverbs: Are They Evil?
“The road to hell is paved with adverbs,” said Stephen King. Many writers have sworn off adverbs entirely and many others stand by them...
Yessica Jain
Dec 9, 2021
Editing Effectively: Things to Focus on When Self-Editing
The step after revising is the one despised by most writers. It can be tedious and annoying, and it’s often a cause for headaches. It’s...
Yessica Jain
Dec 2, 2021
Revising & Rewriting Your Novel
To those of you who partook in NaNoWriMo last month, congratulations! Even if you didn’t reach your goal, you made considerable progress...
Yessica Jain
Nov 18, 2021
Passive Voice: What It Is & How to Fix It
Writers, publishers, and English teachers have been annoyed by passive voice for years. And yes, I know I just used it. I could have...
Yessica Jain
Nov 4, 2021
Research: Where Does it Fit Into the Writing Process?
Research is one of those parts of the writing process that nobody thinks about. Nobody, that is, except writers. It’s so essential but...
Yessica Jain
Oct 14, 2021
Tropes in Fantasy: Examples & Purposes
The old mentor, the quest, the secret heir… These are all examples of common tropes in fantasy. If you’re an avid fantasy reader, you can...
Yessica Jain
Sep 2, 2021
Finishing a Novel: What Happens When You’re Done
I recently wrapped up final edits on The Prisons of Magic, so I thought this post was in order. From the moment you realize you’re almost...
Yessica Jain
Aug 19, 2021
Formatting a Book Manuscript: Importance & Checklist
Importance As Andrew Grant said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This applies to the manuscript you submit to...
Yessica Jain
Aug 12, 2021
Bending the Rules of Writing
If you’ve been a part of the writing community for any length of time, you’ve probably been told a million rules. Here’s the thing:...
Yessica Jain
Aug 5, 2021
Literary Devices: Examples & Uses
Last week’s post focused on literary elements, the large aspects of a story that come together to form a novel. This week, we look at the...
Yessica Jain
Jul 29, 2021
Literary Elements & How to Make the Most of Them
Literary elements are the foundation of all stories. Plot, characters, setting, theme, and style define a novel. They are what readers...
Yessica Jain
Jul 22, 2021
Fillers: What They Are & How to Get Rid of Them
Fillers are curious things. They don’t add anything to the sentence and getting rid of them doesn’t affect anyone. However, we naturally...
Yessica Jain
Jul 8, 2021
Chapters: Length & Names
For most novels, a chapter is to a book like a word is to a sentence. Chapters are the building block of your novel and can be used to...
Yessica Jain
Jul 1, 2021
Writing Terms & What They Mean
Trying to understand the writing community can be challenging at first. There are so many abbreviations and terms that writers just throw...
Yessica Jain
Jun 24, 2021
Word Count: Importance & How to Adhere to It
No writer likes to think about word count. It can destroy the creativity process, force you to cut out your favorite parts of your story,...
Yessica Jain
Jun 17, 2021
Dialogue, Description, Action, & Narrative
Dialogue, description, action, and narrative—all fiction novels will have some of each, but most writers will use some more than others....
Yessica Jain
Jun 10, 2021
Reverse Outline
If you have finished the first draft of your novel, congratulations! Take a break. You deserve it. One week later, you come back and read...
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