I am delighted to share my review today for Editing Your Novel’s Structure – Tips, Tricks and Checklists to get you from Start to Finish by Bethany A Tucker. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the Blog Blitz today and for arranging my e-copy of this book.

Here is more about it…

Editing Your Novel’s Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish

Before it’s time to check for commas and iron out passive voice, fiction writers need to know that their story is strong. Are your beta readers not finishing? Do they have multiple, conflicting complaints? When you ask them questions about how they experience your story, do they give lukewarm responses? Or have you not even asked anyone to read your story, wondering if it’s ready?

If any of the above is true, you may need to refine the structure of your story. What is structure you ask?  Structure is what holds a story together. Does the character arc entrance the reader? Is the world building comprehensive and believable? These questions and more have to be answered by all of us as we turn our drafts into books. 

In this concise handbook, complete with checklists for each section, let a veteran writer walk you through the process of self-assessing your novel, from characters to pacing with lots of compassion and a dash of humor. In easy to follow directions and using adaptable strategies, she shows you how to check yourself for plot holes, settle timeline confusion, and snap character arcs into place. 

Use this handbook for quick help and quick self-editing checklists on:

– Characters and Character Arcs.
– Plot.
– Backstory.
– Point of View.
– A detailed explanation of nearly free self-editing tools and how to apply them to your book to find your own structural problems.
– Beginnings and Ends.
– Editing for sensitive and specialized subject matter.
– Helpful tips on choosing beta readers, when to seek an editor, and a sample questionnaire to give to your first readers. 

Grab your copy of Edit Your Novel’s Structure today! Now is the time to finish that draft and get your story out into the world.

Purchase Links – Amazon UK – US

My review…

As someone who still hopes to one day publish a full length novel, I found this a really interesting book to read. Essentially this is a guide that takes a new author through some of the basics of sorting you work into a better and more readable story.

While the basics of a story having a start, a middle and an end is till relevant, there is more that can be done. Whether it is fleshing or developing your characters or creating back stories, this book gives you tips and advice that is definitely helpful.

The author doesn’t go in-depth but gives pointers. She uses her own experiences from her starting to publish as well as from reading others work. These examples do help to make a point. While some of the information is obvious, there is also a lot more that I hadn’t thought about, but does make perfect sense.

This a book that the author suggests is for those either writing their first book or those that have a couple of books under their belt. It is definitely a handy guide and it’s laid out in a very accessible way. It isn’t a heavy rule book of do’s and dont’s but just a book of no-pressure advice.

A handy guide for helping with structural work for budding authors. One I would recommend.

About the Author…

Bethany Tucker is an author and editor located near Seattle, U.S.A. Story has always been a part of her life. With over twenty years of writing and teaching experience, she’s more than ready to take your hand and pull back the curtain on writing craft and mindset. Last year she edited over a million words for aspiring authors. Her YA fantasy series Adelaide is published wide under the pen name Mustang Rabbit and her dark epic fantasy is releasing in 2021 under Ciara Darren. You can find more about her services for authors at TheArtandScienceofWords.com. 

Social Media Links –   theartandscienceofwords.com, mustangrabbit.com

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx