Writing a novel shouldn’t feel like throwing darts wearing a blindfold.
Welcome to Writes of Fiction, where I help you get better at the process of writing a novel.
What you’ll find inside
The Writes of Fiction is about writing excellent mainstream fiction. I share the most interesting new ideas and the most helpful advice, resources, and tools I’ve spotted recently, curated for you in digestible bites. It’s definitely not the sort of bland, you can do anything you want schlock you can read on a hundred different writing websites.
This advice is practical. It’s actionable.
Welcome to craft advice you can apply to your writing right now.
The best writing advice, old and new
So why do I spend my time sending you other people's stuff? Because it helps both of us help you make better books. My work as a book coach and editor blends these fresh ideas with classic techniques and best practices. I make it my business to keep up with today's brightest fiction writers, editors, and teachers.
The result: advice grounded in the best of old and new thinking, designed to accelerate your development as a writer.
Exclusive benefits for paid subscribers
Get more from your Writes of Fiction subscription as a paying subscriber. By becoming a paid member, you’re supporting my work and helping spread smart craft advice through the writing world.
As thanks, paid subscribers receive:
A bimonthly Office Hours call with me — Office Hours community coaching calls may be one of the best-kept secrets for new writers on the internet. This is your chance to spend a whole hour talking shop face-to-face with editors and other writers. And because our little group is still small, that means more time for you. We chat about writing and storytelling strategies, and I answer your individual questions about creating fiction.
Early access to my coaching waitlist, classes, and groups—you’ll hear it here first!
Full access to the Writes of Fiction archives and commenting.
Coaching & editing for mainstream fiction
As a classically trained dancer, I approach creative fluency—what I think of as your freedom of movement on the page—through a grounding in structure, form, and technique. My role as a coach and editor is to show you how, in the words of the great Pablo Picasso, to learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.
This is where theory and practice come together. In the process, you’ll discover strategies and technique you’ll use the rest of your writing career.
Over more than thirty years as a writer and editor, I’ve edited and coached developing journalists, content writers, and bloggers. I’ve been in the trenches as a journalist, magazine editor, managing editor, corporate communications manager, content writer, foreign language and j-school tutor, and communications consultant.
Now I work exclusively with emerging authors and publishers of fiction.
Success stories
Every book can benefit from the touch of a gifted editor—even books like ours, written by authors for authors. And that’s where Lisa comes in. She offers suggestions for improvement while considering and respecting the writer’s style, and her edits are neatly organized and easy to work through. We’re stoked to have found the editor for all our future projects.—Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
I love using the Accelerator prior to drafting a book. Based on my experience, it results in faster, cleaner drafting and reduced need for major revisions and edits. Reader reviews of my first Accelerator-planned book are a full star level higher than its predecessor, making it a valuable part of my process.—K.A. Wiggins
Lisa is an incredible coach and editor. Thanks to her Accelerator, I was able to understand the workings of my story structure, its strength and weaknesses, and could make changes with confidence. Her developmental edit took things a step further, diving deep into and providing specific recommendations and ideas on how to improve the story flow. In short, Lisa’s instruction and guidance have shaved months, maybe years, off of my effort to improve my writing.—B.R. Keid
When I look back at the first muddle I handed Lisa and see the awesome story it became under her guidance, it still humbles me. Lisa’s Accelerator is an essential tool that saves an author months by ensuring he or she begins with a solid outline, character arc, motive, stakes, etc. It would be hard to work without her.—M.J. Twomey
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