How to come back to a manuscript after months away
Picking up a book you set down: read the plan before the draft, write a short where-we-are note, start with a small scene and set a goal for a bad week.
· 5 min read
Blog
Notes for people writing a book
Practical posts on the questions that come up between the first line and the finished file, and now and then a note on how Author Sweets is made. For the step-by-step how-tos, see the guides.
Follow the blog by RSSWriting life Planning Planning a series: keeping names, places and facts straight
Keep a series consistent from book one: what to record as you write, a chronology in story time, names that never collide and recaps without info dumps.
· 5 min read
Craft What to do when the middle of your novel sags
Why the middle of a novel goes slack, how to find the scene where it starts, and six fixes: a real midpoint, a new question, a plan for the antagonist and more.
· 5 min read
Planning How to keep research notes you can find again
For nonfiction, memoir and historical fiction: one place for notes, a source on every fact, tags by where you will use it, and checks marked in the draft.
· 5 min read
Craft Choosing point of view and tense before you draft
First person or third, past tense or present: what each choice gives a story and costs it, and a one-page test to settle the question before chapter one.
· 5 min read
Inside Author Sweets Why we built Author Sweets to be calm
A book is written in quiet sittings, so we built a writing app that stays out of the way: no badges, no pop-ups, no pressure, and your words always yours.
· 5 min read