by PennyFreeman | Oct 31, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY SHAUNTEL SIMPER DISCLAIMER: If the following advice seems frivolous, awesome. I’m genuinely happy for you! Go out and write and enjoy every moment of it. To the rest of us, consider this: when is the last time you wrote something for you? It’s far too common to get...
by PennyFreeman | Oct 23, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY TERRI WAGNER Usually in most publications, the Mdepartment and the Editorial Departments exist as separate entities, each tasked with a different job. At the trade publication where I worked, Marketing more or less ignored Editorial; and we generally more or less...
by PennyFreeman | Oct 21, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY MERILYN OBLAD ACCURACY IN HISTORICAL FICTION PART ONE: RESEARCH Writing historical fiction can be a tricky thing. Whether it’s a romance, steampunk, fantasy, paranormal, or what have you, if you have elements of real history in your WIPs, you probably know what I’m...
by PennyFreeman | Oct 16, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY PENNY FREEMAN If you follow The X Blog at all, you may have noticed that our editors write about voice a lot. A lot. Why? Because finding your own voice as an author is critical. And, as an editor, respecting that voice is equally important. However, getting to...
by PennyFreeman | Oct 14, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY JESSICA SHEN Here at the X, we have talked a lot about making sure that you set a schedule for yourself, and that you write every day. However, today I want to talk about the importance of taking a break. These days, I’m all about working out, so like in my last...
by PennyFreeman | Oct 9, 2014 | Editor's Notes, Writing
BY KRISTINA HARRIS Editors follow two basic laws when it comes to grammar rules: Enforce all the grammar rules and regulations. After ensuring that everyone is thoroughly tired of being schooled on the rules, allow them to break the rules. Yep, it’s true. In the name...