Great metaphors can set an author’s writing style apart. But metaphorical writing—in which one thing is compared to another—doesn’t come naturally to everyone! That’s why I thought I would share one of my favorite tricks with you today. It’s also in my book Master Lists for Writers. Here are a few examples of metaphorical (or figurative)
Category: Writing Matters
Book release delays, especially last-minute ones, can be rough for printers, publishers, and authors. They can be a heartache for readers, too. Let’s talk about why this can happen! A publisher may have little or no control over a delay. At least, that was my personal experience when I worked in publishing. I’ll never forget the Monday morning in early
You might need to know how to describe a forest setting if you’re writing a fantasy novel…or if you just happen to have a scene that takes place in the woods. I’ve pulled together this post of forest words and phrases, forest sounds, and forest adjectives. Forest Words and Phrases Specific images, sounds, and smells will make your description
For this post, I’ve gathered 50 movie logline examples and 50 book logline examples. The examples of movie loglines span decades, while the novel loglines are from the past twenty years or so. That’s because I used IMDB for the former and Publishers Marketplace deal announcements for the latter. How Long Should a Logline Be? In general, I would
It’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of science fiction and fantasy publishers, so today I’m highlighting some that accept unagented manuscripts. There are way fewer of these than there used to be, so they can be hard to find! I don’t want anyone to get the idea that I am against working with an agent! You do
There are so many romance publishers doing great work in 2024, and it’s a real pleasure to highlight some of the best. I hope it’s encouraging to see how many romance publishers accepting unagented books are out there. All the romance publishers on this list are well-established, with good reputations. I’m not including so-called “hybrid” publishers who ask for money up
As writers, we don’t want to let fear hold us back… Especially as we head into a brand-new year with brand-new goals! Writing comes with enough challenges and obstacles without adding more of our own. But writers have great imaginations… which means they’re great at imagining the worst. And because writing is an inherently vulnerable act, it’s not