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Lindsay Elizabeth

Fantasy/Romance Fiction & Creative Living

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One Resolution That Will Change Your Life Immediately (Any Time of Year)

January 1, 2018

One Resolution That Will Change Your Life Immediately (Any Time of Year)

May 4, 2016

Why Your Creative Process Isn’t Your Enemy

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hey beautiful

I’m Lindsay, an author and creative living blogger. I'm sharing advice on writing, tackling creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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❝⁠You don't find time to write. You make time.

❝⁠You don't find time to write. You make time.❞ — NORA ROBERTS⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴 𝚄𝙿𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴⁠⁣
This is me, writing from a car for a few hours recently because I've been having to squeeze in sessions where I can.⁠ 😅⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Life has been a little hectic. I've been working with a new client in my freelance work, taking care of a few sick fur family members (they're doing better!), and preparing to move.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I've also kicked this second draft of WIP into gear because I've made some decisions that moved up my deadline. I'll be sharing more on that soon.⁠⁣ 😬
⁠⁣
This is also why I haven't been on IG as much lately but I'm going to work on showing up on here more because I miss you guys!⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚄𝙿𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴⁠⁣
My WIP is out to beta readers, and getting feedback has been such a cool, interesting part of this whole process (which I'll do a separate post on soon.)⁠⁣
⁠⁣
It's exhilarating to finally invite others into this world that has solely existed for me, myself, and I up to this point. It makes it feel that much more tangible and real.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
And I'm just really glad to be out of the vacuum of my own thoughts! 😅⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I'll be making more announcements on my next steps for 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 in the coming weeks. I have some exciting things planned that I can't wait to share.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈?

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬?⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I know I have. 🙋🏻‍♀️⁠⁣
⁠⁣
There have been so many times when I've run into blocks, been knee-deep in plot holes, and questioned whether I'd be able to pull off the project I was working on or not.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
As Ashton states, it's natural to hit walls like this:⁠⁣
⁠⁣
❝All writers encounter walls in their writing process. If anything, facing roadblocks just validates the fact that you are a good writer.❞ — ASHTON MATHAI, @her_writerlylife ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
⁠In her guest post on my blog today, she has shared her wisdom and tips on how to overcome defeat in the writing process. Head to the link in my bio to read it! ✨

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐲𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
As a writer, confidence rarely stems from external validation, like accolades or book sales. It starts with our own self-love.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
It comes from the belief that your work is worthy of being in the world simply because you have a story to tell that you are enjoying the process of bringing to life.⁣
⁣
Confidence is not reserved for authors whose books are deemed "great" by professionals. Writing is too subjective for that. How many bestsellers have you read that you think completely suck?⁠⁣
⁣
You can be working on bettering your craft while appreciating where you currently are and enjoying the process. Because you deserve to enjoy it. You deserve to feel good about it no matter where you are in your journey. 🖤⁣
⁠⁣
⁠𝟺 𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙶𝙰𝙸𝙽 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚁⁠⁣
⁠⁣
⇢ Declare that you're a writer. You're a writer simply through the act of writing — nothing else.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
⇢ Own your dreams. Instead of focusing on the fear of disappointment, focus on the fear of regret for never having tried at all.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
⇢ Set your intention. Want to be a bestselling author? Declare it and decide that it's possible! (Because it is.)⁠⁣
⁠⁣
⇢ Write for you. Your only responsibility is to write what you are called to write in a way that feels good to you.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
✨ You can read my whole guest post "4 Ways to Become a More Confident Writer" which goes more in-depth on this topic on @her_writerlylife's blog via the link in her bio!⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒆?

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫) 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬...⁣
⁣
Happy April, friends! Like many of you, I set fresh intentions at the beginning of each month.⁣
⁣
Whenever I do this — whether it’s for my writing goals or general goals — I use the SMART system to plan them out. It makes it a lot easier to really flesh out a goal so it is more focused and tangible.⁣
⁣
If you’ve been struggling to stick to your writing goals, it’s probably because it was too vague or too overwhelming.⁣
⁣
The more specific you are with what you’re working toward, the easier it is to stay on track and make real progress.⁣
⁣
𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝚃𝙾 𝚂𝙴𝚃 "𝚂𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚃" 𝙶𝙾𝙰𝙻𝚂⁣
⁣
Take one of your smaller goals that is leading toward a larger outcome (like finishing the first draft of a novel in order to work towards your big goal of becoming a published author) and break it down into the following:⁣
⁣
SPECIFIC — Define a clear, tangible outcome you desire. (𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.)⁣
⁣
MEASURABLE — Determine how you will measure your progress. (𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵.)⁣
⁣
ATTAINABLE — Make sure it is challenging but realistic to achieve. (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 80,000 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴.)⁣
⁣
RELEVANT — Identify what value it will bring to your life. (𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳.)⁣
⁣
TIME-BOUND — Set a time frame in order to stay focused. (𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴.)⁣
⁣
Now, you’ll have much more clarity on what to do so you can make consistent progress toward your goal.⁣
⁣
Head to the link in my bio to read my latest blog post “How to Set Writing Goals You’ll Actually Stick to” for my complete goal-setting process and a lot more tips! ✨⁣
⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐫

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬...? 🤔⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Let's play: give yourself 10 points for each thing on the following list that you can relate to. (Thank you to the beautiful @thevanessaluisa for the tag!)⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝟷𝟶 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙼𝙴 𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚁⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× I'm a "plantser" (a planner/pantser hybrid). I love to outline my stories but I leave space for discovery and am willing to break away from it in the drafting stage when my characters lead me in new, exciting directions.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× Fantasy is my favorite genre to write in but I'm also interested in pretty much every other genre, too. I'd love to explore the others more in the future. In the meantime, I pull elements from various genres and mix them with fantasy.⁠⁣
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× All of my stories have a heavy dose of romance in them. It makes everything more exciting, in my opinion. 😅⁠⁣
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× I absolutely love reading and writing books but my ultimate dream is to develop TV series/films. I've always been obsessed with filmmaking.⁠⁣
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× Whenever I start developing a new project, two of my first steps are to create a mood board on Pinterest and a playlist on Spotify. Then, I pretty much have my mood board open and my playlist on every time I work on it to help me step into the world of the story.⁠⁣
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× If I'm not listening to my WIP's playlist while writing, I'm usually listening to movie scores or ambient sounds.⁠⁣
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× When we're not in a global panini, I love to write at coffee shops, cafes, and hotels. Bonus points if I can sit outside and there's a beautiful view.⁠⁣
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× ⁠When writing fiction at home, I usually prefer to sit on the sofa under a blanket than at my desk.⁠⁣
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× ⁠I work through plot holes and story ideas best when I'm away from my computer doing a simple activity that allows my mind to wander, like taking a walk or driving.⁠⁣
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× ⁠I've always planned on self-publishing because I love the idea of retaining creative control over my works and being able to connect directly with readers.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒆𝒕? 𝑰𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕?

𝐌𝐞: 𝐌𝐦𝐦... 𝐍𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?⁠⁣
⁠⁣
This has been one of my reoccurring thoughts while working on the second draft of my WIP, 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙹𝙴𝙲𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴, to make the story stronger.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Sorry in advance to my characters who are getting significantly less joy from this process than I am. I promise, I love you. 😬⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕?

𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢

𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲.⁠⁣
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⁠Now, more than ever, it's easy for me to get stuck in my head. When the noise or negative energy (like anxiety) starts to build up, I've found that interrupting it with an inspired action helps me move through it.⁠⁣
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It can be something as simple as putting on some music, going for a walk, or changing up my atmosphere. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
With all of the monotony and stress of this past year, I use this technique a lot to get me in the right mindset to write when I'm feeling restless or distracted, or even when I'm feeling creatively stuck.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙵𝚃 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙶𝚈:⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× Take a walk⁠⁣
× Go for a drive⁠⁣
× Put on a great song & dance around for a few minutes⁠⁣
× Change up your atmosphere (move to a different room, go outside, put on an ambient video, light a candle, etc)⁠⁣
× Brew some tea (or coffee)⁠⁣
× Read something inspiring⁠⁣
× Watch something funny⁠⁣
× Look at beautiful art⁠⁣
× Do a brain dump — journal for 5 minutes or 3 pages⁠⁣
⁠⁣
It's one of those things that sounds too easy to work but somehow, it does. I do this all the time, especially when I'm experiencing anxiety.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
We may not have control over our feelings but we do have control over where our attention is going, and that can affect how we feel.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Your power and choices are abundant. Exercise them. 🖤⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐-𝒕𝒐'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚?⁠

𝐀𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞...⁣
⁠⁣
When I used to feel resistance, I’d follow its lead and automatically recoil from whatever was causing it. I wouldn’t question it.⁠⁣
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Now, I approach it with curiosity. What is it trying to tell me?⁠⁣
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Usually, resistance is coming from either fear or your instincts telling you something isn't right. There is a lot of important information buried in it.⁠⁣
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If it’s fear — what are you afraid of? Keep digging and pulling back the onion. Once you recognize what the deeper fear is, you can start a dialogue with yourself and decide whether or not that fear is useful, or whether it’s even valid. Without identifying what the fear is, you’ll just blindly follow your automatic reaction to the perceived threat.⁠⁣
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If it’s your intuition telling you something isn’t right — explore what isn’t working. Maybe the project you’ve taken on doesn’t align with your goals anymore or there’s a better method you could be using to get the results you want.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Whenever I feel resistance around my writing, for example, I know it’s due to fear (self-doubt, overwhelm, etc) or something about the project that doesn’t feel right, like when I’m forcing myself to follow a certain creative process that isn’t working for me.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Resistance is always trying to tell you something. Don’t be afraid of it; ask it questions. In my experience, there is always a wealth of insight to be found there.⁣
⁣
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡?

𝐀 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮

𝐀 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 👌🏻⁠⁣
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I saw this book recommended a few times so as soon as I went into Second Draft Mode, I ordered a copy and binge-read it as prep for editing.⁠⁣
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I was immediately glad that I did.⁠ This book is a GOLD MINE for taking your manuscript to the next level.⁠⁣
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The authors — two highly experienced professional editors — walk you through the process they use when editing their clients' manuscripts to create the best possible reader experience.⁠⁣
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Once you've written your story, this book gives you the techniques that will help you analyze your writing to make sure that it captures and communicates what you set out to accomplish.⁠⁣
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𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙻𝚄𝙳𝙴𝚂⁠⁣
⇢ Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and more⁠⁣
⇢ Lots of examples⁠ in every lesson⁠⁣
⇢ Exercises to help you internalize what you've learned⁠⁣
⇢ Helpful checklists you can use for each stage of the editing process⁠⁣
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I definitely recommend adding this to your author toolbox. It's been a great companion to my editing process.⁠⁣
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Head to the link in my bio and click on 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃 for this book as well as all my other recommendations.⁠⁣
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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅?

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