by Michelle | Jul 13, 2014 | editing, grammar, writing
Really. I’m totally serious here. If you do these five simple things right now, the flow and readability of your manuscript will improve immediately and exponentially. Guaranteed. 1. Excise all that “just,” “so,” “really,” “very,” “well” fluff. Well, for one...
by Michelle | Feb 18, 2014 | authors, critique groups, editing, my authors, writing
The followed stemmed from a conversation I had with one of my super-amazing authors, Betsy Schow, over pie shakes* during a writers conference last year. Without further ado, I give you Betsy in her infinite wisdom. ***** Allow me to teach you the simple trick of...
by Michelle | Jan 28, 2014 | agenty stuff, authors, editing, grammar, storytelling, writing
Writers are an interesting lot. We’re so full of—and surrounded by—dichotomies, it’s a wonder we don’t second-guess ourselves every moment we spend in front of the computer tip tap typing away. Focus on the story. Well, okay. Maybe we don’t spend every moment...
by Michelle | Aug 18, 2013 | agenty stuff, editing, I like, kidlit, MG, MSWL, publishers, publishing, querying, reading, recent, respect, writing, YA
Publishing is in flux. Anyone who pays attention to the industry knows that. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With change comes opportunity, and some of the smaller independent publishers out there are in a prime position to innovate and try different...
by Michelle | May 9, 2013 | Michelle's books, previous work, publicity, reading, self-promo, writing
In honor of the imminent release of The Faker’s Guide to the Classics: Everything You Need to Know About the Books You Should Have Read (But Didn’t), I will now disembowel some of the greatest of the greats, highlighting their tragic endings with pithy...
by Michelle | Sep 25, 2012 | agenty stuff, authors, editing, my authors, publishers, publishing, respect, writing
For some odd reason, every time I try to come up with a title for blog posts, a related song pops into my head. Today’s edition? Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match . . . Why this song? you might ask. Because I consider one of my most important...
