Portrait of C. S. LakinC. S. Lakin

C. S. Lakin is an award-winning author, blogger, copyeditor, and writing coach. She has taught thousands of writers how to improve their craft through her blog, Live Write Thrive, and her online school. She is the author of the Writer’s Toolbox series of books on novel writing and does more than two hundred manuscript critiques a year.
Using Weather to Convey Mood in Fiction
Image: a woman's hand holds a magenta umbrella as she shelters from rain in an urban doorway.
Your writing might soar to new heights when you make weather—and the words describing it—an important element in your characters’ ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
The Secret Ingredient of a Commercially Successful Novel
Image: sealed can labeled "A Vague Sense of Unease"
Masterful writers keep their readers in a constant state of tension. How to get tension on every page? By focusing ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
The 3 Ms of Character Setup
Image: hand holding top hat
For first impressions to occur as quickly on the page as in person, try this basic foundation to help readers ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Masterful Wordsmithing with Metaphor and Imagery
man walking on narrow beach with water on either side
Taking the time to add the skills of creative imagery to your writer's toolbox will help you become a master ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Questions to Consider When Plotting a Scene
writing scenes
Before writing a scene, determine what type of scene it’s going to be. Will it be a narrative scene? High-action ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
The Secret of Great Memoir: The Mature Self
the mature self of memoir
Memoirists have to write their story, the events of their life, from a future perspective. From NOW. Now brings with ...
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/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
How Writers Can Optimize Their Book’s Description on Amazon
Mountains at the Glacier National Park reflected perfectly in a lake
Author and editor C. S. Lakin offers guidelines on crafting your Amazon book description to maximize sales ...
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/ Amazon, Amazon KDP, book marketing and promotion, description, Guest Post, Marketing & Promotion
How to Build a Compelling Novel Concept (Something With a Kicker!)
novel concept
Writers flounder trying to figure out how to make their idea compelling enough to sustain a great novel. Here's how ...
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/ fiction craft, fiction writing, Guest Post, novel writing, plot, structure, Writing Advice
4 Ways to Find the Right Freelance Editor
Local Japan Times / Flickr
Today's guest post is from author and copyeditor C.S. Lakin. Whether you plan to submit your manuscript to an agent ...
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/ copyeditor, editing, Guest Post, proofreading, Writing Advice