by Christine Bode | Jan 27, 2026 | Writing Tips
Readers don’t fall in love with characters because of perfect prose. They care because the characters feel alive. If you want to write compelling characters without overwriting, you must resist the urge to explain everything. Overwriting takes various forms:...
by Christine Bode | Jan 24, 2026 | Editing Tips
Editors rely on The Chicago Manual of Style, so authors don’t have to. One of the primary roles of a professional editor is to apply CMOS consistently behind the scenes, allowing authors to focus on storytelling rather than technical rules. If you’re writing fiction...
by Christine Bode | Jan 20, 2026 | Writing Tips
Every writer wants readers to forget they’re reading and feel like they’re listening. That’s the heart of natural dialogue writing tips—crafting conversations that feel alive rather than constructed. Dialogue that breathes exists where characters speak with purpose,...
by Christine Bode | Jan 17, 2026 | Writing Tips
From your first draft onward, show vs tell writing tips matter more than you might think. Writers everywhere hear “show, don’t tell,” but few stop to ask what that really means. Worse, many feel shame when they don’t do it perfectly. We won’t let that happen....
by Christine Bode | Jan 13, 2026 | Publishing Industry
Ah, the tantalizing dream of self-publishing. It’s the siren call that whispers, You can do this your way. And you can—but let’s not pretend it’s simple. That’s why I’m offering self-publishing success tips for authors who want it done right....
