"Any story that’s going to be any good is usually going to change.” Alice Munro
A Writing Tool
This Thursday, join the six coaches from the Book Coach Collective for a live, online "Ask Us Anything" session where we will answer your questions about writing. Whether you want to know about starting a novel, revising, publishing, mindset, or anything else - we are here to help. The event will be at 2:00 pm Eastern. Click here to join the Zoom conversation.
Craft Tip
Pick up any first draft of a novel and it is likely littered with the verb "to be." There are more powerful and more artful ways to write. Here are three quick tricks to help you banish the word:
Get rid of the passive voice. Instead of she was waiting, try she waited.
Rearrange the phrase. Instead of the sun was orange, try the orange sun.
Pick a more active or descriptive verb. Instead of he was fast, try he sped.
While these examples are simple, they can be used with more complex sentences and will take your writing to the next level.
There's a Story Here: Pyrenees Mountains, Spain, 1999
What story would you write about this photo?
Next Step Book Coach - If you're ready to start your novel, are stuck in the middle, or have finished and need to know what to do next - we can help.