Adam Blumer's Blog, page 11

How to Plot Your Novel with a Simple Spreadsheet

Have you ever wondered what a novel looks like in a spreadsheet? The outline, I mean. Maybe you’re wondering what a novel outline even is. When I say outline, what pops in your head? Is it something like this? I. This is the first heading. A. This is a subheading. 1. This is a subsubheading. No, I’m not referring to an outline for a high school English term paper. I’m referring to a novel. When I say outline, I’m merely referring to some kind of organizational structure behind the story—a blueprint, if you will, that shows all the critical ingredients that must work together behind the scenes for the story to work. You may be surprised to learn how many organizational details must work together to make a good story, especially for a suspense novel with multiple characters and settings on a timeline. There are actually lots of ways to…

Write Events in Their Logical Order

I was recently editing a novel and came across a recurring problem I thought would make a good, informative post about fiction writing. Here’s an example of what I want to address. John yelped as Mitch smacked him hard across the jaw while he was watching his baby sister.  This sentence poses several problems for the fiction editor and the reader. Do you see what’s wrong with it? First, way too much is going on in this sentence. 1. John yelps. 2. Mitch smacks John hard across the jaw. 3. And one of the guys is watching his baby sister, but we don’t know which one because “he” is unclear. Who’s the babysitter—John or Mitch? A lot of beginning writers think they can join all sorts of details using the word and as if the word were Scotch tape. Technically, this is true—the sentence may make fine grammatical sense. But if…

Is Working from Home Right for You? Part 3

See Part 1 and Part 2. In previous articles in this series, I addressed various pros and cons of working from home, primarily the social and financial aspects, based on my experience over the last seven-plus year. Today I address … Continue reading →

Priorities and Possibilities in 2014

When 2013 ended, yes, I’d finished a great year of making income for my family, but I’d fallen far short of my writing goals. I’d failed to complete the first draft of my third novel, which I’m tentatively calling Drone. … Continue reading →

Merry Christmas from the Blumers

Dear Family and Friends, As each Christmas approaches, we find ourselves thinking, Wow. The end of another year . . . already? I guess the cliché is true: time really does fly when you’re having fun. Of course, not every … Continue reading →

Need Christmas Gift Ideas?

Is Working from Home Right for You? Part 2

In my last post in this series, I addressed some general pros and cons with an emphasis on “Social Senarios” I’ve observed over the last seven years. These may help you decide whether working from home is right for you. … Continue reading →

Book Review—Edges of Truth: The Mary Weaver Story

In lieu of a Friday post (since I will be out of town for the holidays and unable to respond), I’m posting a book review of my author friend Deb Brammer’s newest book, Edges of Truth: The Mary Weaver Story. … Continue reading →

Sorry, my site was down.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my site was down Nov. 8-25. I’m glad to be up and running again, and I apologize for any inconvenience. I love to connect with my readers and am sorry for the disruption in … Continue reading →

Is Working from Home Right for You? Part 1

In previous articles, I discussed various aspects of what it takes to succeed as a freelance editor. Since working from home is really what makes freelancing work, it only makes sense to have a very frank talk about the realities—the pros … Continue reading →