Y'all.

I. Am. So. Pumped!

I've been talking about offering a course on editing and story structure for over a year now, and I'm finally in the last stages of fine-tuning!

In a few short weeks (well, it's quarantimes, so maybe the longest weeks of our lives, but still...), I will open up a class on the Six Foundational Elements of Romance Fiction. These are the six core aspects I look for when I'm starting a developmental edit. Like puzzle pieces, these elements lock together to support each other, and as a whole, they create a deeply engaging story that readers love.

If you'd like to learn more about the course - and what exactly these "puzzle pieces" are - sign up for a free download that outlines the six elements and get notifications when the course is available.

There are a million ways to write and revise a romance novel, and using these core aspects to shape your story is just one method. I'll have more for you in the future, but I'm super excited about this framework because it often works for authors who just don't get story beats like "inciting incident" and "dark night of the soul."

When I'm doing developmental edits, I often run into the same issues across manuscripts and authors and even genres, so I wanted to offer a (not at all exhaustive) checklist you can use to help determine if you're ready to submit to an agent or editor yet.

Of course, please be sure to read, understand and follow the submission guidelines listed on the agent's or editor's or publishing house's website - the #1 way to get rejected is to not follow instructions. Below are a few more suggestions to help you avoid that "thanks but no" response.

If you would like some great resources on writing craft, check out Debra Dixon's GMC and Gwen Hayes's Romancing the Beat (specifically for romance authors, obvs). Both books are easy to read, straight to the point, and offer lots of great examples to help you understand the concepts.

Those are affiliate links to Amazon. That means if you click them and buy something from Amazon, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

I was invited to talk about editing as a profitable side job on Chris Guillebeau's Side Hustle School podcast recently. If you'd like to learn more about how I got started in editing and the tips I have for other people interested in this field, give it a listen! 

(It's about ten minutes long.)

https://sidehustleschool.com/episode/808/

Here are some editing graphics you can share...

I made some pretty productivity graphics. Feel free to share them!