Category: Prose & Editing

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5 Tips for Writing Vivid Descriptions

5 Tips for Writing Vivid Descriptions

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Authors tend to fall into approximately four camps when it comes to description in early drafts.

1) Too little description; everything is dialogue or action.

2) Too much description; we’re overwhelmed by the detail of every blade of grass.

3) There’s the right amount of description… but it just sits there and looks pretty.

4) The magical people who can actually write fantastically vivid descriptions on pretty much the first try. (Believe it or not, I know people who fall into this category.)

I usually fall somewhere between too little description and flat description… which is really frustrating since I know the principles for description and when I’m editing description is one of my strong points. But what are those principles? Continue reading “5 Tips for Writing Vivid Descriptions” →

5 Tips for Writing a Great Montage Sequence

5 Tips for Writing a Great Montage Sequence

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine asked for advice on how to write a montage sequence and I, having no tips off the top of my head but being aware that I’d really admired the montage in 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons, decided to study said montage for some pointers to pass on. So this post is thanks to Maple for the question and thanks to Abbie Emmons for writing a montage sequence well-worth studying. ;) Continue reading “5 Tips for Writing a Great Montage Sequence” →

After Draft 1: What’s the Next Step? – Guest Post by Kellyn Roth

After Draft 1: What’s the Next Step? – Guest Post by Kellyn Roth

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Like on Wednesday, today’s article is a guest post! Kellyn Roth just launched her organization Reveries Co., which is a place for indie authors to find cover design, editing, blog tour hosting, interior formatting, web design, etc. There’s more information after the post, so be sure to stick around and check it out!

Many thanks to Kellyn for this post!

Finishing the first draft of your novel is exhilarating! Oftentimes when I finish my first drafts, I don’t want to put them down. I just want to keep working on them.

However, as you’ve no doubt heard, most professionals recommend taking a break after you finish draft one before diving into rewrites or revisions.

Now, this may seem like a bad idea. When you’re excited about the story, shouldn’t you keep working on it? What if you fervor dies? What if you can’t remember what all was going on when you return to it? Continue reading “After Draft 1: What’s the Next Step? – Guest Post by Kellyn Roth” →

Preptober Prompts Week 2 – 2018

Preptober Prompts Week 2 – 2018

Posted on by R.M. Archer

I intended to do these on the days they were posted, but I forgot so I’m doing all six at once. This past week’s category was description and was hosted by RaeMarie at Ozark Mountain Cailins. (Click on the prompt graphics to go to the original posts.)

I take a walk down an empty street, admiring the colored leaves as they fall. They skitter across the pavement, whisked away with a crisp autumn breeze. Loose hair Continue reading “Preptober Prompts Week 2 – 2018” →

My Editing Process

My Editing Process

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Over the past week I’ve been working on editing The Heart of the Baenor (which I really, really need to come up with a new title for) and figuring out what editing process works for me. This post will be similar to my story binder post, taking you through the system I’ve developed for myself, and hopefully it will help out some of you with your own revisions.

Continue reading “My Editing Process” →