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Tips, insights, and guidance from our editorial staff for fiction and nonfiction writers of all genres.

How Jeff Lindsay Introduced Dexter To The World Considering pacing, plot, and story setup in the first 50 pages

[by Ross Browne]

Flap Copy: He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: He only kills bad people.

Ross’s Take: Though Darkly Dreaming Dexter was a book […]

By |2024-01-06T20:17:52+00:00January 16th, 2021|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Jeff Lindsay Introduced Dexter To The World Considering pacing, plot, and story setup in the first 50 pages
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THE CRIME WRITER, by Gregg Hurwitz: A Riveting Novel and a Masterful Lesson in How to Write Mystery/Suspense

[by Ross Browne]

If there were ever a novel that writers and editors could take special pleasure in devouring like candy, The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz is it. Putting aside the clever plot device that makes the book so naturally irresistible to novelists, The Crime Writer is a smartly written novel that stands […]

By |2024-02-13T17:05:45+00:00|Book Reviews|Comments Off on THE CRIME WRITER, by Gregg Hurwitz: A Riveting Novel and a Masterful Lesson in How to Write Mystery/Suspense
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Editor’s Eavesdrop: An Intimate Conversation with Ken Follett and Lee Child Considering writing and publishing perspectives from two masters of their genres

[by Ross Browne]

One silver lining to the challenges of the writing life in 2020 is the growing number of popular authors doing online events with their fans. This gives us the opportunity to get up close and personal (if only virtually) with some of the biggest names in publishing, and in many cases pose questions to […]

By |2024-01-06T20:20:16+00:00December 13th, 2020|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on Editor’s Eavesdrop: An Intimate Conversation with Ken Follett and Lee Child Considering writing and publishing perspectives from two masters of their genres
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How Stephen King and Alexandra Sokoloff Cultivate Willing Suspension of Disbelief in Crime Fiction Tips and techniques based on two hit novels

[by Ross Browne]

A recent article in The New Yorker defines the willing suspension of disbelief as “the reader’s decision to put the argumentative, quibbling part of his mind into neutral and go along for the narrative ride.”

Stephen King is a master at this, and I’m sure I’m not alone in admiring how easy he makes it […]

By |2024-01-22T17:18:16+00:00June 19th, 2020|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Stephen King and Alexandra Sokoloff Cultivate Willing Suspension of Disbelief in Crime Fiction Tips and techniques based on two hit novels
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Revise Your Book, Hollywood-Style A novelist, screenwriter, and editor shares his take on a secret weapon for manuscript revision

[by John Robert Marlow]

Are you an author who

  • Has never tried using an outline?
  • Likes the idea of outlining, but gave up on it because it was too much trouble—or just didn’t work for you?
  • Uses an outline for initial story planning, but not for revisions?
  • Would rather have a root canal than use an outline?

If so, you’re not alone. Let’s […]

By |2024-01-20T16:56:42+00:00|The Writer’s Craft|Comments Off on Revise Your Book, Hollywood-Style A novelist, screenwriter, and editor shares his take on a secret weapon for manuscript revision
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Spotlight on Developmental Editing An overview of why it’s needed, how it works, and what to expect from the process

When many people think of editing, they think of arcane symbols and scribbled margin notes in red or blue pencil – move this paragraph, delete these words, add a hyphen, correct that spelling, capitalize this letter. And while that is an important part of editing, it’s only one part, and it comes last.  So let’s talk about […]

By |2024-01-07T18:07:48+00:00|The Editor’s Craft and Process|Comments Off on Spotlight on Developmental Editing An overview of why it’s needed, how it works, and what to expect from the process
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