• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer

Standout Books

Publishing Services for Independent Authors

  • About
  • Editing services
    • Manuscript Critique
    • Developmental Editing
    • Comprehensive Editing
  • Gallery
  • Blog
    • Blog index
  • Resources
  • Start your editing journey

Blog

Are You In Danger Of Losing Your Readers’ Suspension Of Disbelief?

August 26, 2020 by Robert Wood 5 Comments

Are You In Danger Of Losing Your Readers’ Suspension Of Disbelief?

By its nature, fiction is imaginary. It may comment on the real world, feel true to life, and even invite strong emotions, but it’s still fiction. Accordingly, few writers expect their readers to truly believe, factually, in their invented story. And yet great fiction still depends on investment – that’s where suspension of disbelief comes in. What is suspension of disbelief? Suspension of …

[Read more...] about Are You In Danger Of Losing Your Readers’ Suspension Of Disbelief?

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Characters, setting, Story settings

I Judge Short Stories: Here Are 5 Ways To Improve Your Chances

July 15, 2020 by Savannah Cordova Leave a Comment

I Judge Short Stories: Here Are 5 Ways To Improve Your Chances

Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a digital marketplace that connects authors with the best resources and professionals to help them self-publish. Savannah works on the Reedsy blog and helps judge the weekly Reedsy short story contest, which means she has read thousands of short stories for nearly 100 contests. Here’s her advice on how to make your story stand out. Despite its pithy …

[Read more...] about I Judge Short Stories: Here Are 5 Ways To Improve Your Chances

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Short stories, Writing competitions

Your Quick And Easy Guide To Editing Dialogue

July 1, 2020 by Robert Wood 2 Comments

Your Quick And Easy Guide To Editing Dialogue

Let’s talk dialogue. Whether you’re writing fiction, non-fiction, or something in-between, it’s likely that, at some point, your characters are going to start talking. That’s your book’s dialogue, and what’s tricky about it is that it comes with its own set of rules, tangential to regular prose. That’s right; if you edit your dialogue as if it’s the same as all the other writing, you’re likely …

[Read more...] about Your Quick And Easy Guide To Editing Dialogue

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Dialogue, Editing

5 Ways Harlan Ellison Can Help You Improve Your Writing

June 24, 2020 by Robert Wood 1 Comment

5 Ways Harlan Ellison Can Help You Improve Your Writing

Harlan Ellison was a giant of speculative fiction. The author of more than 1,800 stories, essays, and articles, dozens of teleplays and movie scripts, and winner of eight Hugo Awards, four Nebula Awards, five Bram Stoker Awards, and two World Fantasy Awards, among others, Ellison is remembered both for his own writing (including the short stories ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ and ‘“Repent, …

[Read more...] about 5 Ways Harlan Ellison Can Help You Improve Your Writing

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Money, Productivity, sci-fi, Short stories, Speculative fiction

5 Things You Should Know If You’re Writing About The Internet

June 17, 2020 by Robert Wood Leave a Comment

5 Things You Should Know If You’re Writing About The Internet

The internet is a huge part of modern life, making it an essential part of our depictions of modern life. But while most of us are familiar with our comfortable corner of the web, the internet as a whole is a vast, complicated space that has changed quite a bit since it entered public consciousness. Some of the ways we used to think about the internet no longer apply, while many realities of …

[Read more...] about 5 Things You Should Know If You’re Writing About The Internet

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Protagonist, setting, Story settings

How To Write Characters Who Actually Like Each Other

June 10, 2020 by Robert Wood Leave a Comment

How To Write Characters Who Actually Like Each Other

In fiction, any kind of relationship is possible. There are stories of forbidden love, undying vengeance, infernal temptation, and life-affirming rivalry. Each studies part of the human condition, finding truth and insight in the way we interact with those around us, but what about when people just… like each other? It’s something we encounter every day, but that doesn’t make it easy to write, …

[Read more...] about How To Write Characters Who Actually Like Each Other

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Characters, Protagonist, Romance

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • …
  • Page 111
  • Next Page »

Footer

Work with us to achieve your publishing goals

Enter your details here for an obligation-free chat about your publishing project.

Click here to get started

Alliance of Independent Authors /

Copyright © 2021 · Standoutbooks · Privacy · About · Contact

Built by us using Studiopress Wordpress Themes

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • Tumblr