by Erin Brown

March 2014 

You’ve slaved over your manuscript, day and night, year after year, decade after decade (okay, if that’s the case, perhaps you really should call it a day), and now it’s complete. It’s time to throw that baby out into the world, awaiting the ultimate embrace, all the while mentally preparing for the incredibly tough road through Rejection-ville. At this point, you should have a title for your precious tome. Trust me, Working Title, Untitled, and Suck It, Call It Whatever You Want are not viable options, as tempting as they are.

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by Erin Brown

January 2014 

As each year begins, some of us crazy people decide to make resolutions. Usually, they’re all about exercising, spending more time with the family, quitting smoking, or cutting down on those delicious mini Reese’s that come in the king-sized bag. I mean, can someone really give those up? They’re creamy and chocolaty and . . . but I digress.

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by Erin Brown

Decermber 2013 

Self-editing is one of the hardest things for a writer to tackle because he or she is so close to the project and is-rightly so-attached to every word. That's why it's often a great idea to hire an editor; someone who can offer a fresh set of eyes, a new perspective, and can take out all of the unnecessary crap that you insist on keeping in there. Okay, okay, just a joke, but seriously, it's very tempting and common to overwrite a scene (or an entire novel), whether it's a case of an author that is too in love with their writing to see what they need to streamline; or one that does too much telling and showing; or an author that does not give the reader enough credit. I will give examples of these scenarios below so that you, the wordsmith, can better understand why some of the words you are "smithing" should be sacrificed for the greater good of effective storytelling.

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by Erin Brown

November 2013 

You've written an epic novel (The Sound and the Fury, Part Two: The Really Loud and the Really Mad), or the next great self-help book ( You: A Renter's Manual) and you figure, "That's it. Now this puppy will sell itself. Agents and editors will realize the gold mine they have on their desk and the rest is history!" Right? Wrong. You might well have the next best thing since sliced bread and your writing talent could be genuinely brilliant, but if you don't present yourself well to an agent (and an editor!), then you could very well shoot yourself in the foot.

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by Erin Brown

October 2013

You've slaved for months, years-perhaps decades-to finish your manuscript. You've tackled all-nighters, tear-your-hair-out rewrites, grueling self-imposed deadlines; you've grappled with creative juices that either flowed until you were drunk with brilliant narrative or dried up to leave you parched, devoid of inspiration, sobbing onto your keyboard. You get my drift. You've poured your heart and soul into this baby of yours. You've reached the point when you want to start submitting to agents or self-publish.

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by Erin Brown

September 2013

Dialogue can be what makes or breaks your characters, much less your novel. I always tell writers that what counts is not what your characters say; it's how they say it. Mr. Steinbeck encompassed this idea perfectly. And I think he knew just a thing or two about writing dialogue. So how do you write strong dialogue, you ask? What a great question! Here are five pointers so that your readers don't want to stick red hot pokers in their eyes when your characters are conversing.

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by Erin Brown

July 2013

Okay, so hopefully you won’t actually die trying to survive and thrive at a writers’ conference, although if you corner an agent in the bathroom to make a pitch, you’re playing with fire. So how can you make the most of your conference experience so that you walk away at the end with your head held high, with a wealth of new knowledge, and with some key contacts?

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by Erin Brown

June 2013

Last fall, an aspiring writer asked me to give a short speech on editing to members of her local writers group, followed by a Q&A session. “I’d love to help!” I said with a smile, and we scheduled my appearance for three months later. About two months before my scheduled appearance at the neighborhood library, a scheduling conflict arose. I sent her a very nice email with my sincerest apologies, stating that I wouldn’t be able to give the speech on the planned date, but perhaps we could reschedule.

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by Erin Brown

Last month, I was honored to be one of three panelists on the Publishers Weekly SXSW (South by Southwest) panel, “Self-Publishing in the Age of E.”  The other two invited panelists were Hugh Howey, self-publishing phenomenon and author of Wool—which was recently featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal and earned Howey over $1 million before it was bought by Simon & Schuster—and New York agent Kirby Kim, of William Morris Endeavor.

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by Erin Brown 

This month we’re getting back to basics, so buckle up and let’s rock the fundamentals! As I’m sure all of you know, a good story has a beginning, middle, and end. Well, some of you may not know that, which is the problem we want to avoid; because who wants to read a novel in which nothing happens? We’ve all been there—reading something that just goes on and on and on, drifting aimlessly, with no clear structure. Some call it creativity; I call it annoying. Some may argue that the three-act structure is a buncha hooey, but overall, it’s a very effective model to follow when writing.

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by Erin Brown 

There is one important rule that I always recommend to unpublished authors: don’t quit your day job. Of course, the second rule is to learn the difference between their/there/they’re, its/it’s, your/you’re, and affect/effect. But most importantly, don’t give up the money, the cash, the moolah. But why, you ask? I’m going to be rich and famous the second that someone realizes how talented I am.

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by Erin Brown

You've written a manuscript with enough detail to topple Gone with the Wind, a lead character unique enough to give Ignatius Reilly a run for his money, and a plot that out-Christie's Agatha. Who cares if you don't know the difference between "there" and "their" or "your" and "you're?" So what if your plurals take the form of possessives? And really, is anyone going to care if your modifiers are misplaced? The answer is: "YES! YES! YES! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE LEARN ENGLISH!"

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by Erin Brown

The rocky road of the submission process, both for finding an agent and a publisher, is riddled with obstructions—but one of the most difficult things to triumph over is the subjectivity inherent in publishing. As I’m sure you know, agents and editors receive hundreds of submissions every year. I remember myriad instances in which I would absolutely adore a manuscript that came across my editorial desk (a story of girl meets boy meets mobsters crossed with a dash of Fitzgerald meets Jennifer Weiner meets Toni Morrison meets the Civil War mixed with a little Bronte—what’s not to love?).

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by Erin Brown

One of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself and your book is the ability to self-edit. Well, the gift of a big-time agent and six-figure publishing deal would really be worth unwrapping, but let’s stay focused for the moment. As the saying goes, “There is no good writing, only good re-writing.” But why, when you’ve spent months or years letting your genius flow from the pen (or realistically, the computer) would you want to make major cuts to those beautifully crafted sentences?

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by Erin Brown

Not so fast, Ms. Wolf. Over the past fifteen years (wow, I am gettin’ up there, eh?) that I’ve been editing women’s fiction, both at publishing houses and as a freelance editor, I’ve seen publishing trends for female writers come and go and have worked with some incredible female bestselling authors, yet never have I been more excited for my fellow woman than I am right now.

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by Erin Brown

There are a few things that a writer must decide upon before embarking on the journey that I like to call “Writing a Novel.” Okay, most everyone else calls it that too, but I just wanted to sound high and mighty for a brief moment (at least I’m honest). As an editor, I give countless recommendations to writers during the revision process—work on your character arc, tighten the plot, delete this scene, make every line of dialogue count, kill the hero, don’t use 34-point font, make your historical novel longer than 30,000 words, etc. You know, the usual. But there are some issues that you should really decide upon before you ever put pen to paper—or fingers to keys.

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by Erin Brown

Often, when I write these monthly articles, I try to illuminate the realities of finding runaway success in publishing to my readers (“wouldn’t you rather do something easy like cure cancer?”)—not to rain on anyone’s parade, but to honestly clarify how tough it is to get a book in print nowadays through traditional channels. And if you’re a regular follower of this column (yes, I’m talking to you four!), you know how I feel about the very high mountain one must climb in order to find self-publishing success: bring along crampons, an ice axe, and a Sherpa, please.

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by Erin Brown

You’ve slaved over your manuscript, day and night, year after year, decade after decade (okay, if that’s the case, perhaps you really should call it a day), and now it’s complete. It’s time to throw that baby out into the world, awaiting the ultimate embrace, all the while mentally preparing for the incredibly tough road through Rejection-ville. At this point, you should have a title for your precious tome. Trust me, Working Title, Untitled, and Suck It, Call It Whatever You Want are not viable options, as tempting as they are.

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by Erin Brown

I work with incredibly talented writers on a consistent basis (one manuscript per week is scrabbled into tip-top shape, ready to ship out to agents and the literary elite), and every so often, I like to report on writing trends that have come across my desk.

I will compare this article to the very hip Twitter “trending,” but from the much less high-tech command center of Erin Edits (and much less hip; I’m typing right now wearing acid-washed parachute pants).

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by Erin Brown

It’s easy for writers who are seeking publication to get into a rut. Hell, it’s easy for anyone to get into a rut. So for 2012, why not make a resolution to do some truly new things this New Year and see if some incredible changes come your way? Now I’m not talking about the boring, been-there-done-that stuff that everyone promises: go on a diet, exercise more, save money, stop stalking Ryan Gosling, learn how to boil water—you know, the basics.

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