If you’re new to writing and dreaming of publishing your first book, but you’re staring at "The End" and wondering, now what? —this post is for you. 👋 As a freelance book editor and proofreader, I often work with writers who aren’t sure what the next steps are after getting words on the page. Here’s a practical Q&A to guide you through what comes next. Q: I've finished my first draft. What do I do? A: Step one: Celebrate!  Writing a first draft is a big accomplishment. Then:

One of the biggest challenges some authors face is knowing when they’ve reached the end of their book. The process of wrapping up a book requires careful consideration of the narrative's structure, character arcs, and overall goals. Ask any author how they decided where and how to end their book, and you'll receive many different answers. Some authors know "the end" right from the beginning and plot their story backward. Some "pants" their way through and stop where it feels

Style sheets are a mainstay of the traditional editing and publishing process. Yet many writers and authors don't know what they are or how they can be put to use. In this blog, I'll break down what types of information the style sheet records and ways that authors can use this information to support their writing endeavors. What a style sheet is An editorial style sheet is a record of all editorial decisions made in the editing and proofreading process. It ensures that an ed

In the past, I’ve talked about how freelance editors might charge for their services. There are many ways professionals might do this, but one way I discussed was using the sample edit to determine how many hours a project is estimated to take, applying an hourly rate, and then charging a full project fee. Time is, therefore, money, as the saying goes. Logically, it makes sense then that saving time will also save you money. Now, before anyone objects, let me explain what I m

Writers have a lot to consider when they choose the narrative tense of their novel. Deciding on the right tense for your story has a direct impact on world-building, character development, and creating an immersive story. A well-written story pulls the reader in, avoiding clunky writing or language that keeps readers at just the right level of closeness and intimacy with the characters. Tenses: past, present, and future Nowadays, writers can write in just about any tense they

Sometimes, it can be difficult to keep the stages of editing straight and remember exactly what each one includes. From my experience, copyediting and proofreading seem to cause the most confusion. In the business world, "proofreading" and "copyediting" are often used interchangeably. The differences, however, are distinct, and if you wish to self-publish, knowing the difference between the two is important. Stages of editing The most important part about any discussion of th