April Davila - Author
In January I blogged about what I thought was the final edit of my forthcoming novel. My editor had sent me some notes, I had my beta-reader do one more pass, and I busted my butt to make a fair number of changes to the doc. Then I handed it off, … [Continue reading] about Finding the Better Word
As writers, I suppose we all hope that readers will be so enthralled with our stories that setting them down is simply unthinkable. But as a reader, I often stop reading books before I'm finished with them. I've noticed my daughter does the same, but … [Continue reading] about Reasons I Stopped Reading Your Book
So you've downloaded Scrivener's free trial and you're not sure where to start? Here's how to get your project set up (and get back to writing) in five minute flat: Open the Scrivener application and go to File -> New Project. Don't worry if … [Continue reading] about Getting Started with Scrivener
I was at my local bookstore the other day and I saw that Austin Kleon has a new book out. I love his work (and first blogged about it way back in 2016). Among many other wonderful works, he's the genius behind this perfect little diagram: If … [Continue reading] about Saving Some For Yourself
A writer I follow on Twitter voiced frustration recently at the idea that debut authors should be expected to collect blurbs for their novels. The tweet had a very woe-is-me vibe, as if it were a straight-up impossible task. But it's not. … [Continue reading] about Debut Authors and Blurbs
Yesterday morning Publisher's Marketplace launched it's winter 2019-2020 edition of their Buzz Books publication and I am so excited to share that my book, 142 Ostriches, was selected to be included. I mean, just look at it there, above the fold and … [Continue reading] about Buzz Books & 142 Ostriches
The best advice I've ever heard in regards to writing the first page of a novel is that you should, counter to all instincts, never try to write it first. The reasons behind this advice make sense. The first page has to do a lot of work. It's … [Continue reading] about The First Page of Your Novel