The Chopping Blog

Beyond Shrugged Shoulders: how to write gestures effectively

August 06, 2019

Gesture is one of those things that doesn’t get talked about enough in creative writing workshops or how-to books. I don’t know why. It’s a critical tool of character development and it’s a great way to enhance a scene and break up dialogue. As with most things, when it’s done well, you don’t notice it. When it isn’t, it sticks out like—well, like a shrugged shoulder.

On the craft

Book Broker – An interview with Katelyn Uplinger

August 01, 2019

The most polished projects coming into my inbox usually have had multiple critique partners read them. Make sure you get feedback from other writers instead of friends and family who don’t know much about writing and probably won’t tell you the truth. Feedback will help you improve faster and show you the flaws in your book that you can’t spot yourself.

Agent interviews

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Word-count calculator

July 21, 2019

Enter your daily word-count values to calculate how many days you have left to go before your first draft is finished!

On the craft

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Book Broker – An interview with Matt Belford

July 21, 2019

One of the early warning signs I’ve seen a few times is when authors tell me in their query letter that they’ve “just completed my first draft.” The issue here is that people have a warped view of what writing entails. There’s a reason this industry takes as long as it does to publish books; it requires a lot of editing, rewriting, more editing, etc.

Agent interviews

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#1 New Release on Amazon

July 19, 2019

A huge follow-up congratulations to our client CJ Adrien. His novel THE LORDS OF THE WIND just hit #1 new release on Amazon.

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Book Broker – An interview with Jess Dallow

July 19, 2019

Keep submitting, even if you get rejections. Writing is so subjective and not every agent is going to like your manuscript and request it. It doesn’t mean it’s not good or you’ll never get published. Publishing is also a waiting game. It can take a while to hear back. In the meantime, start working on something new. Always be writing and always be reading.

Agent interviews

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Book Broker – An interview with Dana Newman

July 13, 2019

If it’s a non-fiction project, I’ll work with the writer to polish the proposal and ensure the sample chapters represent their best writing. For fiction, I usually won’t take it on until the writer has already been through several revisions, ideally working with a professional editor, writing critique group, and/or beta readers.

Agent interviews

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First Page Challenge: The prize pool is growing

July 12, 2019

It's only July, and we have already hit 40 entries for the First Page Challenge. That means the first prize pool has filled and is now spilling over. Every additional entry from this point increases the pot!

Contest updates

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Scofield’s Wall: a how-to reflection on outlining a novel

July 08, 2019

I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to planning, every project is different. Some are amenable to the detailed outline. Others are not.

On the craft

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The Lords of the Wind (Congrats to C J Adrien!)

July 06, 2019

It's always an exciting time when one of our clients completes the long journey to publication. A big congratulations to C.J. Adrien for his recent completion of The Lords of the Wind – The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, Book One, which is now available on Amazon and Smashwords.

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How to find inspiration: a guide for novelists

July 03, 2019

Refusing to work until inspiration shows up is not an option. Inspiration won’t put in an appearance if you aren’t there first, trying to get words down on paper. It needs to know where to find you.

On the craft

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Next Generation Indie Book Awards: The House of One Thousand Eyes

June 29, 2019

We are pleased to announce that Michelle Barker, one of our senior editors here at The Darling Axe, has won gold in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the young-adult category, for her novel The House of One Thousand Eyes.

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