Perfecting your Craft

Struggling to master the art of writing? Reedsy shares top tips from industry giants on perfecting your craft. Read to find actionable advice on plot, character, storytelling and more!

How to Start a Story: 11 Tips From Top Editors

Apr 19, 2018 – Perfecting your Craft

Are you struggling to write your opening chapter? 11 professional editors share their top tips on how to start a story that gets readers' attentions. Read more →


Writing Young Adult Fiction: An Editor’s Guide to Awesome YA

Apr 12, 2018 – Perfecting your Craft

Editor Kate Angelella reveals her top tips for writing young adult fiction. Her post includes a video webinar replay and examples from bestselling YA. Read more →


How to Revise a Novel: 6 Steps to a Smooth Revision

Nov 07, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Learn the 6 steps needed to smoothly revise a novel, with tips from a professional editor. Read more →


Mastering Chapter Length: How Long Should Your Chapters Be?

Oct 18, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

How long should a chapter be? Discover the sweet spot for your chapter's word count in this post featuring J.K. Rowling, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Henry James. Read more →


How Blending the Past and Present Allowed Me to Ask: "What If?"

Oct 05, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, From our Authors

Writing a novel that mixes history and speculation allowed Finian Black the freedom to ask "what if?" and to bring legends of the past into present-day. Read more →


A Century of Fantasy: How the Genre's Changed Since the 1920s

Oct 03, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

The word "fantasy" comes from Old French's phantasie, or "imagination" — and since the 1900s, writers have taken the genre in very imaginative directions. Read more →


How I Wrote My Novel by Building a Community

Sep 14, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, From our Authors, Book Marketing

Giuseppe Porcaro talks about the number of interactive events he's hosted that helped him during the writing process and built a community around his novel. Read more →


How to Write a Fantasy Novel: Tips From Professional Fantasy Editors

Aug 31, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Top fantasy editors who've worked with George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and more share their best advice for writing fantasy novels. Read more →


Kill Your Darlings: A Guide to Ruthless Editing

Aug 30, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Nervous about killing your darlings? Don't be! Check out this post to learn how you can self-edit with confidence. Read more →


8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3-D Characters

Aug 21, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Try these 8 character development exercises to help you: establish your character's internal motivations, put them into context, and bring them to life. Read more →


What is the Narrative Arc? A Guide to Storytelling Through Story Structure

Jul 18, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Has anyone ever told you that your narrative arc was too weak? Too complex? Find out what that means and how you can fix it in this guide to arcs and plots. Read more →


Six common writing mistakes by first-time authors, and how to fix them!

Jul 10, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

Here are the six most common writing mistakes identified by fiction editors, with simple fixes that can be done in the revision stage. Read more →


How do you choose the right viewpoint and narrator for your novel?

Jul 10, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

From omniscient narrator to limited narrator or objective one, editor Kristen Stieffel goes over the different viewpoints novelists can use. Read more →


The Lightbulb Moment: Turning an Idea Into a Novel

Jun 29, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, From our Authors

Novelist Mt.T. Ellis talks about how the plot of her debut thriller came to hear in a dream — and how authors can go about turning story ideas into novels. Read more →


12 Types of Travel Writing Every Writer Should Know

Jun 21, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

So, you want to be a travel writer? Find out the 12 types of travel writing that you can pitch to magazines, newspapers, and publishers. Read more →


18 Pieces of Publishing Advice From Our Authors

Jun 02, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, From our Authors

We're featuring the 18 best pieces of advice we've received from our authors about writing, design, editing, marketing, and self-publishing in general. Read more →


Netflix & Write: 8 Shows That Will Make You a Better Novelist

Mar 22, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft

What can Walter White and the kids from "Stranger Things" teach you about writing a novel? According to author and editor Andrew Lowe, quite a lot. Read more →


Two Types of Writers: Plotters and Pantsers

Mar 09, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, From our Authors

Children's fiction author Amanda Wills discusses the two types of writers: plotters and pantsers — and the pros and cons of both. Read more →


The 21 Best News Roundups for Self-Publishing Authors

Feb 08, 2017 – Perfecting your Craft, Understanding Publishing, Book Marketing

Don't miss out on the best new articles and tips for self-publishing authors. Add these 21 exceptional roundups to your regular reading rotation! Read more →


14 Unexpected Day Jobs of Bestselling Authors

Sep 07, 2016 – Perfecting your Craft

Most authors weren't born on the Bestsellers list. Find out what writers like Salinger, Murakami, and Harper Lee did before they hit it big. Read more →


Query Boot Camp Vol. 2: Thrillers

Nov 02, 2015 – Perfecting your Craft

The second installment of Query Boot Camp focusing on thriller query letters. If you want free feedback on your query, just read the post and drop us a line! Read more →


Writing memoir: Tips for Finding Your Memoir’s Theme — By Julia Scheeres

Oct 13, 2015 – Perfecting your Craft

[caption id="attachment_644" align="alignleft" width="170"] Julia Scheeres[/caption] A few months ago, we had an interesting piece on our blog from our Reedsy editor and advisor Rebecca Heyman on why authors should think twice before writing a "memoir". We believe that in a subjective industry l... Read more →


Stranger Than Fiction? Probably Not: Why you might want to rethink your memoir

Jun 23, 2015 – Perfecting your Craft

Today, our lovely editor and Reedsy advisor Rebecca Heyman shares her thoughts on writing memoirs. In this lively and informative post, Becca offers some brilliant no-nonsense insights on the competitiveness of the memoir genre and why fiction might be a safer bet. Memoir is everywhere. The genr... Read more →


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