by Pat Iyer | Jan 18, 2024 | Blog, Book writing
One of the most frequent complaints of my writing students and clients is “I don’t have enough time. How do I fit writing time into my life? I know how you can feel that time is precious and in short supply, and I recommend to those I coach that they make an accurate...
by Pat Iyer | Dec 21, 2023 | Blog, Writing process
At any stage of my writing, I may hear an inner critic, a voice that says things like, “No, that isn’t good. That’s garbage. Delete it and start over.” My voice can also say, “I love that passage. Write more of those.” Do I listen? Do I obey this voice?...
by Pat Iyer | Oct 25, 2023 | Blog, Writing Skills
When I write about errors in manuscripts, I usually focus on punctuation, spelling, and grammar because those are my favorite kinds of errors, meaning that I love correcting them. Literary agents, publishers, and readers notice these errors, and variations in type,...
by Pat Iyer | Sep 7, 2023 | Blog, Writing Skills
I always loved reading more than almost any other activity. It’s no coincidence that my siblings are also avid readers. I believe this habit made us better writers. Our mother instilled the love of reading in us. Whenever any of us complained about boredom, she said,...
by Pat Iyer | Aug 10, 2023 | Blog, Writing Skills
Writers, especially those who are just beginning to write regularly, think that having a good vocabulary means knowing a lot of long, obscure words. What, they rightly ask, is the point of learning words no one will understand? Who wants to read a blog or other piece...