Nathan Bransford - The Forums

It is said that no book is ever done, it is simply abandoned. That said, one must make it as good as it can be, for it to have a chance of success in the publishing world. It is important that it remain fresh, whatever that takes. This is the guideline for determining if one is overworking it. Setti...

I wonder if you're putting a little too much energy into the fight scene. It's very cinematic, but I was sort of hoping to get a little better look into what was going on with Jaime and Chel. If you can find a graceful way to fast-forward some of the battle and come to the relationship, I'd be inte...

Book: "Braddock's March" by Thomas E. Crocker (non-fiction)

Audio book: "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks (unabridged)

Books on writing are a funny genre. For me, their value is tied to format as much as content. White space is important, as is friendliness. Writer's Digest books tend to be crowded, hence inaccessible. They drone on in small print. The best books on writing can be read in pieces, skipped around in, ...

ouch

Or you could call her JustinDella.

Just sayin'.

I loved the setup, then found it a bit too much action for so soon into it.

I do like the voice a lot. Several minor glitches I don't think will dissuade an editor from appreciating the originality.

I'm going to be radical and suggest that every story requires world building. Less so for present day narratives set in one's own society perhaps, more so for historical fiction, and most for fantasy and science fiction. But yeah, all story-tellers must pick their details and make it authentic. It i...

I don't know what it's about, because I'm not a gamer, but I think your story sounds wild.

That is a pretty exciting and well-written blurb. Very hip and full of interesting ideas. Good going.

Matthew, I admire your grit regarding writing. With gumption like that I don't doubt you will be published. I would call it YA paranormal fantasy but I was told (angrily) by a prominent NY agent that YA encompasses all other genres by definition, so I stopped calling it that. I wouldn't take that as...

Gatoweh—Autumn—1779 by the whiteman’s calendar—midday by the sun’s position, but twilight for the Iroquois people, dusk for a centuries-old way of life.

WINNIE THE POOH and THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. At least four times each.

Bear in mind that I haven't had a television for ten years or more. I do check out DVD episode sets from my local library and watch them on my computer. Best comedies ever: SEINFELD and ALL IN THE FAMILY. Both had top notch ensemble casts and play-quality writing. Both hold up over time. Third place...

Reading HANNAH'S GARDEN by Midori Snyder.

On Audio Book THE RANSOM OF MERCY CARTER by Caroline B. Cooney.

Both YA books. Reading more YA this year to better know my genre.

Is your main story in first person? If so then italicizing may be confusing. If you are writing in third person then I agree, it could work. If you know a copy editor or are willing to pay one, they'd tell you. Or maybe a writing teacher. Edit: Oh wait, maybe you could double indent when it is the l...