One important feedback step many writers skip is using beta readers. So what are they? Beta readers are people from your target audience that volunteer to read your manuscript, primarily for content feedback. While you can skip this step, I think its something that most authors should consider. Do you really want to find out...
Category: Thoughts on Writing
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Should I Use Name Brands?
To add a sense of reality to fiction, authors sometimes use brand named products, but should they? The short answer is: It depends. We've all found brand names in books, TV shows, and movies. In fact, many viewers become annoyed with obvious branding in movies, so studios have become more circumvent in their product placement....
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Are Sensitivity Readers Really Necessary?
In the search for an all-inclusive (and politically correct) story, some authors are writing from the perspective of “marginalized” characters. While I understand authors tend to be students of human nature, and want to reach outside their experiences, I think writing from a multicultural viewpoint you do not understand is just pandering to the current...
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Thoughts from Steinbeck
Since I spent the last day of 2017 touring the old stomping grounds of John Steinbeck, one of America’s best known novelists, I thought there was no better way to start the New Year than sharing advice from the Pulitzer-prize winning author. If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced...