02/03/2026
3/2/2026
Every other week I put out a newsletter on editing your work, "The Line Edit." The last two issues discussed third-person limited narration and the pitfalls of the same (Are you doing the dreaded head-hop?).
Tomorrow's issue tackles some tough issues with novels/stories you may write that are not of your place or your time.
Last month I edited a novel written by an Australian author, but set in Philadelphia. Because I lived in Philly for the first half of my life there were things I knew he'd gotten wrong. It was, however, just a happy accident that he'd chosen me. He could have chosen an editor from Miami or Chicago. What kinds of things did he get wrong? Locations (he didn't know the area) and vocabulary (Philly doesn't have car boots, roundabouts, mates, or mums.), plus, just the general Philly attitude, which is a thing of scrappy beauty. I know it was tough to hear about those missteps, but hopefully the book will be better reviewed because of them being repaired.
Tomorrow's issue discusses some pitfalls of placing your writing in the very distant past. This includes historical fiction, and fiction that is not tied to a real event, but is set in the real past.
The newsletter is free. You can have it go directly into your email, or you can visit our site to read some of the archives.
If you want it in your email, and you sign up today, you'll get tomorrow's issue. ALL newsletters have an unsubscribe at the bottom if you change your mind. Writing can be an expensive pursuit, but this is a good and useful freebie.
:)
Dianne
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