Writers Helping Writers^®

What Killed it For Me

Want a Stronger Manuscript? Read It Aloud

April 8, 2021

Want a Stronger Manuscript? Read It Aloud

April 8, 2021

Editing freaks a lot of people out. Drafting is creative and inspirational, and every writer LIVES for that moment when you get into the groove and the words just flow.…

What Killed It For Me #8: Personal Preferences

April 30, 2014

What Killed It For Me #8: Personal Preferences

April 30, 2014

The reality of being an author is no matter how well-written your books are, certain people will never read them because they don’t fit their personal preferences. Here’s an example:…

What Killed It For Me, #7: Issues with Sequels

April 23, 2014

What Killed It For Me, #7: Issues with Sequels

April 23, 2014

Today’s pet peeve –to do with sequels–is more subjective and looks at why I may finish the first book but not read any of the rest. As a reader, I…

What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

We’ve likely all encountered stories that open with an explosion, plague, car chase, alien abduction, fist fight, or other volatile scene involving a main character that we know virtually nothing…

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

It’s hard to come up with characters who are believable yet don’t sound like every other character out there. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap with certain archetypes,…

What Killed It For Me #3: Too Much Going On

March 27, 2014

What Killed It For Me #3: Too Much Going On

March 27, 2014

The latest book I gave up on was a fantasy that was very promising, but also very confusing. Set in a make-believe world, it was based on a unique and…

What Killed it for Me #2: Characters Who Aren’t Endearing

March 20, 2014

What Killed it for Me #2: Characters Who Aren’t Endearing

March 20, 2014

To better understand why readers stop reading, I’d like to talk about characters who don’t win us over. I was browsing the library shelves and came across a book I’d…

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

I like keeping lists: Books To Read, Books I’ve Finished, Books I Want to Buy, and possibly the most informative one: Books I Didn’t Finish. As a reader, it happens quite…