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Oct 11, 2018
2 min

Bloggers, Always Review Your Copy One More Time in a Different Program

I know Innovative Editing has written before about the best ways to edit and proofread one’s self. But considering the human race’s proclivi

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My Problems So Far With “Astrophysics for People In a Hurry”

Jeannette DiLouie

Oct 5, 2018
3 min

My Problems So Far With “Astrophysics for People In a Hurry”

Right now, I’m reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. And since it could just as easily be titled “How to Underst

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The Best Way to Write a Social and Cultural Issues Book

Jeannette DiLouie

Aug 17, 2018
3 min

The Best Way to Write a Social and Cultural Issues Book

There are so many different groups and movements to cover in the social and cultural issues genre. And there are so many different motivatio

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True Crime Writing From a True Crime Writer’s Perspective

Jeannette DiLouie

Aug 3, 2018
3 min

True Crime Writing From a True Crime Writer’s Perspective

For this particular Innovative Editing Writing Rule, we’re going to rely heavily on a Writer’s Digest article from 2015. That’s a bit dated

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Jeannette DiLouie

Jul 5, 2018
2 min

Narrowing It Down From “Too Much”

Because memoirs are technically about just one significant point in their authors’ lives, they do pose an immediate problem. What about eve

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This Major Difference Sets Apart Middle Grade Fiction From Young Adult Fiction

Jeannette DiLouie

Jun 15, 2018
3 min

This Major Difference Sets Apart Middle Grade Fiction From Young Adult Fiction

I’m a big fan of the young adult fiction genre – when it’s done right. Which, judging by the last three young adult fiction books I’ve read,

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The Imperfections of Chick-Lit Protagonists

Jeannette DiLouie

May 18, 2018
3 min

The Imperfections of Chick-Lit Protagonists

If there’s one chick-lit Writing Rule you can count on, it’s going to be that the main character doesn’t have her life in order at story’s b

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One-Size-Fits-All Writing Rules? I Don’t Believe They Exist.

Jeannette DiLouie

May 9, 2018
3 min

One-Size-Fits-All Writing Rules? I Don’t Believe They Exist.

When it comes to writing, there are very, very few one-size-fits-all guidelines or rules to be found. This might seem like a shocking admis

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Contemporary Fantasy Fiction Warning: Rated R?

Jeannette DiLouie

Mar 16, 2018
3 min

Contemporary Fantasy Fiction Warning: Rated R?

What’s the difference between contemporary fantasy fiction and a romance novel? According to certain contemporary fantasy fiction writers’

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Dial Down Your Fantasy Fiction Magic to Deepen the Drama

Jeannette DiLouie

Mar 2, 2018
3 min

Dial Down Your Fantasy Fiction Magic to Deepen the Drama

Fantasy fiction magic is some pretty powerful stuff. It can locate missing persons or items, open portals to whole new worlds, breathe spea

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Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Emotional Seats

Jeannette DiLouie

Feb 2, 2018
3 min

Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Emotional Seats

As we’ve already discussed, thriller fiction is supposed to keep readers on the edge of their emotional seats. It’s supposed to get their he

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This Is One of the Worst Historical Fiction Writing Errors You Can Make

Jeannette DiLouie

Jan 19, 2018
3 min

This Is One of the Worst Historical Fiction Writing Errors You Can Make

We’re addressing a major writing pet peeve of mine today: historical fiction that isn’t historical. Don’t get me wrong. You can classify yo

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The Milk, the Cow and the Back Cover Blurb

Jeannette DiLouie

Dec 22, 2017
3 min

The Milk, the Cow and the Back Cover Blurb

Yesterday, we said that a back cover blurb’s main goal is to intrigue the book’s ideal readers. Doing that requires work, of course: resear

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You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

Jeannette DiLouie

Nov 24, 2017
3 min

You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

Do you know that writers have superpowers? Well, we do. We have the ability to create whole entire worlds and put bad guys away. We can mak

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Plot Holes Are Worth Fixing, No Matter the Cost

Jeannette DiLouie

Oct 13, 2017
3 min

Plot Holes Are Worth Fixing, No Matter the Cost

Okay, creative writer. So you’ve taken my editorial advice and went looking through your manuscript for a plot hole. And you found one. Now

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Jeannette DiLouie

Oct 6, 2017
3 min

Hook! Hook! Where’s the Narrative Hook?

How do you find your narrative hook? Well, it’s probably not in stealing movie lines from Dustin Hoffman films. (And shame on you if you don

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Writing Rule #35: Authors, Know Thy Marketing Targets!

Jeannette DiLouie

Sep 1, 2017
4 min

Writing Rule #35: Authors, Know Thy Marketing Targets!

For today’s Writing Rule, we’re going to delve a little more deeply into something I touched on for yesterday’s writing-related, marketing-f

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Don’t Be Horrified if Your Second Draft Is a (Really) Rough Draft

Jeannette DiLouie

Jul 21, 2017
3 min

Don’t Be Horrified if Your Second Draft Is a (Really) Rough Draft

If you read last week’s Writing Rule #28, then you might be thinking that you recognize the blog post title above. In which case, you’re rig

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Don’t Be Horrified if Your First Draft Is a (Really) Rough Draft

Jeannette DiLouie

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Don’t Be Horrified if Your First Draft Is a (Really) Rough Draft

Well, we’re up to Writing Rule #28 and discussing first drafts, which admittedly can be pretty bad. Here’s a common enough story about the

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Surprise! That Story Ending You Want to Write Might Not Work

Jeannette DiLouie

Jul 7, 2017
2 min

Surprise! That Story Ending You Want to Write Might Not Work

Writing out a surprise story ending can sound like a really great idea in theory, and sometimes it can play out perfectly in practice too.

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