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Christine

@ahelpfuledit

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Fiction editor and grammar nerd.
Manuscript reviews, copyediting and proofreading services.

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The explanation for those who were discombobulated by the cat quiz question!

#grammarforwriters #grammartips #editing #selfediting #editingtips #writing #writersofig #creativewriting #helpingauthors #helpingwriters by @ahelpfuledit

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a month ago

Which is correct?
(Bonus points if you can tell me why 😉)

#grammarforwriters #selfediting by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

Ever read a book where the main character is a little... lacklustre? It's probably because something vital is missing! Read on to find out the four things your MC needs to have in order to be engaging, relatable and, most importantly, readable!

Flaws
These need to be relatable, believable, and (very importantly) they need to inform some of your MC’s behaviour, attitudes and interactions. One or more of them will also need to be something that the MC will overcome or grow through during the narrative. (Unless you’re writing a tragedy or villain origin story, in which case the opposite will apply!)

Aspirations/goals
You need to make it clear from the get-go what your MC wants. It should be something personal to them, or they should have a personal reason for wanting it. This goal might change during the narrative, and they might not actually get what they want in the end, but that’s beside the point. Without a clear goal (even if it’s just ‘don’t die’) your character will be aimless, and your story will lack impetus.

Conflict
This could be in the form of friction with other characters, problems to be overcome, or the internal tension between two opposing goals (e.g. career vs creative fulfilment). It could be all three! Conflict drives a narrative forward, improves pace and keeps us interested in a character’s journey. Without it we have very little reason to want to keep reading.

Agency
Your MC needs to take the initiative and make their own decisions, not just react to circumstances that keep happening to them. If we’re going with ‘hero’s journey’ language, they need to step over their own threshold, not be carried over it.

Now head over to the linked reel and decide what’s missing from the (entirely invented) plot summary! Hint: It has more than one issue!

#novelplotting #editing #selfediting #editingtips #writersofinstagram #writers #writerscommunity #writergram #writer #writing #writingcommunity #writersofig #creativewriting #novel #bookstagram #writingadvice #helpingauthors #helpingwriters by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

This [made-up] plot is... a little lacking, to say the least! How would you improve it? (There are quite a few possible answers!)

#novelplotting #editing #selfediting #editingtips #writersofinstagram #writers #writerscommunity #writergram #writer #writing #writingcommunity #writersofig #creativewriting #novel #bookstagram #writingadvice #helpingauthors #helpingwriters by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

#writingprompt #writingprompts #writersofinstagram #creativewriting #writerscorner #creativewriters by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

Have you ever accidentally written a sentence like this? It's easier than you'd think!

#grammarforwriters #editingtips by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

I'd be lying if I said this week's randomly picked combo didn't make me think of Shrek...

#writersofinstagram #writingprompt #writingchallenge writerscommunity #writergram #writer #writing #writingcommunity #writersofig #creativewriting #helpingauthors #helpingwriters by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

If you'd like a more in-depth explanation of how to use a semicolon (with more examples and practice activities) I wrote a whole blog post about it. Yep. That's how much I love punctuation ;) See the link in my bio!

#grammarforwriters #editingtips by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

This was a tricky one, apparently! If you're a bit stumped, then check out my post on comma splices! #grammarforwriters #grammartips by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

Don't blame me; blame the random name generator! Although I did enter the prompts into it, so I guess you can blame me a little bit...

#writingprompt #writingprompts #writersofinstagram #writers #writerscommunity #writergram #writer #writing #writingcommunity #writersofig #creativewriting #novel #author #helpingauthors #helpingwriters #writersnetwork #writersclub #writerscorner #writerssociety #creativewriters by @ahelpfuledit

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2 months ago

Oh English, you never did like to keep things simple, did you?

#spellingforwriters #grammartips #editing #selfediting #editingtips #writersofinstagram #writers #writerscommunity #writergram #writer #writing #writingcommunity #writersofig #creativewriting #novel #bookstagram #writingadvice #helpingauthors #helpingwriters by @ahelpfuledit

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3 months ago