Writing 101

How to be a Fantastic Beta Reader

Beta Readers
Proofs of each of my novels

Beta Readers help make my novels better. How? They bring another pair of eyes to my writing which can catch:

Spelling errors I can’t see anymore because the text is so familiar to me and my editor.

Structure issues – making sure my story flows and doesn’t feel too rushed or too slow.

Strange wording that doesn’t make sense – either too wordy or phrases a common reader wouldn’t understand. Being a Southern girl, sometimes the phrases common in my life mean nothing to someone not born and raised in the South or even in my family!

Factual errors – I haven’t had EVERY job or experience I write about and Beta Readers can catch mistakes in careers, facts about dogs, or even places I haven’t been.

Consistency mistakes – saying it’s October at the beginning of the chapter and it’s September by the end, or having a character with blue eyes at the beginning of the novel, but brown toward the end.

Beta Readers are an important part of the writing process and I have been blessed with some fantastic beta readers…

But, it can be hard to find good beta readers and it helps to know what you need to look for:

Continue reading “How to be a Fantastic Beta Reader”

Writing 101

Writing 101: Character Questionaire

character sheets

If you’ve done any research about writing a novel, one of the first pieces of advice is to KNOW your characters. Many blogs, websites, how to books offer a variety of character questions that they feel you should answer about EACH of your characters.

These all vary – some list a few questions and some have over 100!

When I first started writing, I tried to answer ALL of those questions for EACH of my characters… and it was difficult even before I injured my wrist and was unable to type/write for over a year.

SO… when I picked back up my writing and started working on two more novels plus my original- I knew I needed a better system.

Continue reading “Writing 101: Character Questionaire”

Restoring Grace, Writing 101

Meet Cole West & Delia Anne Mays

Welcome Back!

In August, my first novel Restoring Grace will be available for purchase. I thought I would include two of my character description sheets I used to help me write my novels. One page of insightful information about each major character that might or might not end up in my novels but still drives character actions.

These type of description character sheets are useful for:

  • Keeping up with my characters’ physical descriptions from book to book
  • To make sure the characters don’t have the same personality and look
  • Information for future characters
  • General organization

Continue reading “Meet Cole West & Delia Anne Mays”