Tiffany Yates MartinTiffany Yates Martin

Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of the bestseller Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing, and leads seminars and workshops for writers around the country. Under the pen name Phoebe Fox, she’s also the author of six novels, including the recently released The Way We Weren’t (Berkley/PRH). Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com.
Why Prologues Get a Bad Rap
Image: the doorway of a decrepit building is piled with bricks, preventing entrance. Above the doorway is a large sign saying "Welcome."
A prologue can open the door to your story and entice the reader in, or throw up a barrier that ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Why Plots Fail
Image: a jumble of loose gears
An elaborately structured plot, without clearly-defined character goals and motivations, is like mapping a trip and calling it a vacation ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
How Suspense and Tension Work Together to Increase Story Impact
Image: through a gap between stairs are visible just the feet of a woman and a man on a train platform.
Skillful authors weave suspense and tension to draw readers through stories on a taut thread of unanswered questions and constant ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Improve Your Own Storytelling by Analyzing Other People’s
Image: a stack of multi-colored Post-It notes
One of the best ways an author can learn their own storytelling craft lies in what we already avidly do: ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Weaving Flashbacks Seamlessly into Story
Image: a playground slide
Flashback is a powerful tool for weaving in important backstory—but as with any power tool, using it well requires knowledge ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
When—and Whether—to Hire a Developmental Editor
Image: fine-point red marker on white background.
A developmental editor is like any tool in your toolbox. Knowing whether and when to use one will help you ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
The Secret to a Tight, Propulsive Plot: The Want, The Action, The Shift
The Secret to a Tight, Propulsive Plot: The Want, The Action, The Shift
Framing the overall story, as well as each scene within it, through these key elements will help create a consistently ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Deepen Characterization by Mining Your Own Reactions
Image: collaged photos of a young man making a range of expressive faces.
Paying attention to your own visceral reactions and thoughts can help you create richly developed characters who leap off the ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Understanding Third-Person Point of View: Omniscient, Limited and Deep
Image: sculptures of human brains, arranged in tiers on circular platforms
Third-person POV dominates the current publishing market, so it’s helpful to learn to navigate its many facets ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
4 Story Weaknesses That Lead to a Sagging Middle
Image: beach scene with palm tree leaning horizontally, staked up by tree branches
If your middle’s lost momentum, check to see if your plot, characters, stakes and suspense consistently propel readers along the ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice
Who Makes It Happen? Giving Your Characters Agency
Image: woman's hand sparking a disposable lighter
Your protagonist must directly influence or engineer her own destiny. If she doesn’t, she isn’t the hero; she’s a passenger ...
Read More
/ Guest Post, Writing Advice