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Tag: editing

Is your novel too short?

June 6, 2022 cheryl
banner

I asked some members of the #writingcommunity what they’d like me to research for this month’s Writer’s Corner, and this…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: backstory, characters, conflict in novels, dialogue, editing, novel beginnings, novel draft, novel endings, plot structure, secondary characters

Resist the urge to explain: four ‘explanations’

May 4, 2022 cheryl

‘Resist the urge to explain’ is a mantra drummed into us writers. Okay, another rule – but what does it…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: backstory, character emotions, characterisation in novels, editing, imformation dumps in writing, show not tell, story endings

Characters readers love to spend time with

April 2, 2022 cheryl
holding hands

This post first appeared in April 2022 newsletter writer’s corner and updated September 22. For ongoing writing tips, sign up…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: authors, character depth, character emotions, editing, writing characters

Character backstory – the what, when and how

December 8, 2021 cheryl

Character backstory is critical to a reader’s understanding of our characters. But there are ways to do it without bogging…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: character backstory, characters, editing, writing characters

Six scene essentials

November 10, 2021 cheryl
books on shelf

The WHY, WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHAT and HOW of scenes In editing my current WIP, I found I had snippets…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: change in scenes, character change, editing, Keepers, newsletter, point of view, scene beginnings, scene endings, scenes

Four stages of novel editing to make your book shine

September 10, 2021 cheryl 2 Comments
person writing

The draft is done. Yay! Now it’s time for editing. When I read that someone’s manuscript is with their editor,…

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Posted in: self publishing, Writing tips Filed under: copy editing, developmental editing, editing, line editing, proofreading, structural editing

Beta readers – what are they and why do you need them?

September 3, 2021 cheryl
women drinking champagne

Updated October 2022 I’d never heard of beta readers when I (poorly) published my first books, a fantasy trilogy. If…

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Posted in: For the readers among us, self publishing, Writing tips Filed under: authors, beta readers, books, editing, novel draft, writers, writing

Using Deep Point of View to immerse your reader

August 13, 2021 cheryl 4 Comments

Point of View (POV) – a general explanation As writers, we constantly come across explanations of the different kinds of…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: author intervention, character voice, editing, immersive reader experience, voice

Ease Draft One Pain – Critique Partners, and a tool!

November 12, 2020 cheryl

Last night we had a zoom meeting of our local novel group, a sub-group of Dean Writers Circle. Right now,…

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Posted in: self publishing, Writing tips Filed under: draft one, drafting, editing, novel review, writing groups

Show not tell – the best explanation yet

June 12, 2020 cheryl
ballerinas

As a writer, this mantra of show not tell is drummed into you repeatedly and I often find myself the…

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Posted in: Writing tips Filed under: editing, emotions, writing

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  • About the author
  • News
  • Cheryl Burman’s Books
  • Meet Cheryl here
  • Writing tips
  • Blog posts for readers & writers
  • Bits of writing
  • Reviews of what I’m reading
  • Editing services
  • Author guest spots
  • Sammy’s Walks
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