A Novel Ending Kat Abbott, Joanna Mercer

In this episode, Kat interviews sisters and co-writers of the YA novel Lucy, Uncensored. Mel and Teghan Hammond share the ups and downs of their co-writing process, their thoughts on having an outline, and discuss how their communication changed over the course of co-writing their book. They also offer helpful tips for any writers looking to co-write and list some important qualities you should look for in a potential co-writer.Connect with our guests!melhammondbooks.comTeghan's instagram @te...

Kat interviews librarians Amanda Bosky and Mary Ostrander about what makes for an engaging and page-turning children’s story - what captures the audience when a book is read out loud? Between the two of them, Amanda and Mary have read thousands of picture books, and by page spread three, if not sooner, they can tell if a story will be worth a share or not. Listen in as they discuss different tools an author can use to keep the reader turning the page, how to marry picture book text and illust...

Joanna interviews young adult and picture book writer Liza Wiemer on the importance of doing your homework before you even start writing a project, especially if your project is based off of a real-life event, not to mention real people! Liza shares the various strategies she uses to conduct research, from visiting sites to interviewing subject matter experts. Additionally, Liza talks about why it’s best to use more than one sensitivity reader during all stages of your writing and revising pr...

One of the final passes you (or an editor) will do on a manuscript is a copy edit. It’s important for your grammar, punctuation, and sentences to be correct, clear, and accessible for your readers. But what if you don’t know all the rules or even what to look out for? We chat about common mistakes we see, our favorite comma and punctuation rules, and more!Learn more about our editorial services and what else we offer at anovelending.comFollow us on Instagram: @a_novel_endingMeet Joanna on her...

Are you the kind of writer who drafts a lot of words, or the kind who drafts short? Particularly with debut novels, agents match genres to preferred word counts in order to gauge if a story is underedited or sparse. These expectations can be a great guideline for any author, helping point us in the right direction for revisions. If you’re staring at a bloated manuscript, or are struggling to beef up that word count, join us in this episode where we explore both big picture ways to cut and add...

Clunky descriptions can confuse your reader, going on too long can bog down your scene, and too little can fail to immerse your reader into your character’s world. How then, do you find the right balance? In this continuation of our Revising for Clarity series, we chat about how to make sure your descriptions are clear and effective, and how you can use them to enhance your world building and character development.Learn more about our editorial services and what else we offer at anovelending....