On February 12, 2023, I was honored to present this session on copyediting at the three-day Fictionary Loves Writers Conference.
In this session, I addressed the following questions:
Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you with your manuscript!
On April 26, 2023, I was thrilled to welcome fantasy author Marshall J. Moore to the fourth episode of Fictionary‘s Scene It First series, in which we speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.
In this episode, Marshall talks about an encounter with Jackie Chan and his approach to writing fantasy, including his strategy for world-building and his incorporation of setting elements. Later in the episode we look at the first scene from his novel The Pale City and take questions from the audience.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Marshall J. Moore
Marshall J. Moore is a writer and martial artist who was born and raised on Kwajalein, a tiny Pacific island. He has trained a professional mercenary in unarmed combat, sold a thousand dollars’ worth of teapots to Jackie Chan, and was once tracked down by a bounty hunter for owing $300 in overdue fees to the Los Angeles Public Library. An active member of SFWA, Marshall has been published by the Escape Artists podcast network, Air and Nothingness Press, Mysterion, and many others. His short story “Red Lanterns” won second place in the 2022 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Megan, and their two cats.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).
On April 4, 2023, I was pleased to interview authenticity reader Crystal Shelley before a live audience in the Fictionary community. I’ve long benefited from the resources Crystal produces, and I have unending respect for her and for the way she approaches her work.
In this informative interview Crystal sheds light on authenticity reading and her approach to language. We also talk about her Conscious Language Toolkit for writers and editors, and at the end of the presentation we give away a copy of that wonderful resource to one of our lucky attendees.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Crystal Shelley
Crystal Shelley is the owner of Rabbit with a Red Pen, where she provides editing and authenticity reading services to fiction authors. Drawing on her background as a social worker, she unites her love of language and her passion for social justice by advocating conscious language use and inclusive representation in her editorial work. She is the creator of the Conscious Language Toolkit for Editors and Writers and serves on the board of ACES: The Society for Editing.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).
The third episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series welcomed bestselling author Rio Youers on March 22, 2023.
In this episode, Rio talked about his graphic adaptations (Sleeping Beauties, Refrigerator Full of Heads) and novels such as The Forgotten Girl, Halcyon, Lola on Fire, and No Second Chances.
Just before the seven-minute mark, Rio shares his experience writing Westlake Soul, and it absolutely gave me chills. You won’t want to miss it.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Rio Youers
Rio Youers is the British Fantasy and Sunburst Award–nominated author of Westlake Soul and Lola on Fire. His 2017 thriller, The Forgotten Girl, was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. He is the writer of Refrigerator Full of Heads, a new six-issue series from DC Comics, and Sleeping Beauties, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King and Owen King. Rio’s new novel, No Second Chances, is available now from William Morrow.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).
On March 4, 2023, I had the honor of interviewing Ellen Jovin, author of Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian. In this lively discussion we talked about her adventures with the Grammar Table, her approach to language, and the wonders of the English language.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Ellen
Ellen Jovin is a cofounder of Syntaxis, a communication skills training consultancy, and the author of four books on language, most recently Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (HarperCollins, July 2022). She is also the creator of a traveling pop-up grammar advice stand called the Grammar Table, whose adventures serve as the basis of this book. Ellen has a B.A. from Harvard College in German studies and an M.A. from UCLA in comparative literature, and has studied twenty-five languages for fun. She lives with her husband, Brandt Johnson, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).
The second episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series welcomed bestselling romance author Delancey Stewart on February 22, 2023.
In this episode, Delancey talked about all things romance, writing strategies, and her favorite tropes.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).
The first episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series kicked off with my interview of horror author Jonathan Janz on January 25, 2023.
Janz is one of my favorite authors, so it was a true pleasure to speak with him about his celebrated career, his upcoming works, and his insights on scene construction.
Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.
In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.
About Fictionary
Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.
The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.
More information can be found at Fictionary.co.
The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).