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What Is a Sensitivity Read? What It Covers, What It Costs, and When Your Manuscript Needs One
A sensitivity read checks your manuscript for stereotypes and false notes. Here’s what it is, who does it, what it costs, and whether your book needs one.
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Catherine Forrest
2 days ago8 min read


Your First Revision in 4 Steps: How to Revise a Novel Draft Efficiently
Finished a draft? This 4-step first revision process helps you get distance, find the real problems, and fix them in the right order.
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Catherine Forrest
2 days ago10 min read


3 Types of Sneaky Writing Feedback (and What Your Reader Is Really Telling You)
Not every critique sounds like one. Here are 3 sneaky types of writing feedback, from “I didn’t finish it” to “No notes!”, and how to act on each.
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Catherine Forrest
2 days ago8 min read


Which Style Manual Do You Actually Need? A Plain-English Guide for Writers and Editors
CMS, APA, AP, AMA, MLA — choosing the right style manual depends entirely on what you’re writing and who you’re writing it for. Here’s how to find yours.
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Catherine Forrest
Oct 98 min read


Concise Writing: How to Find and Cut Every Word You Don't Need
More words don't mean more meaning. This practical editing guide shows you three types of wordiness to hunt down in any draft—and how to decide whether to cut, condense, or keep.
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Catherine Forrest
Oct 25 min read


The 5 Types of Editing Every Author Needs to Know (And What Each One Actually Does)
Manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading—they're not interchangeable. Here's exactly what each type of editing covers, what you'll receive, and when you need it.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 2510 min read


Adverbs in Writing: A 3-Step System for Knowing When to Cut, Replace, or Keep Them
Everyone says kill your adverbs—but that's lazy advice. This 3-step system shows you exactly which adverbs to cut, which to swap for stronger verbs, and which are doing genuine work worth keeping.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 2510 min read


How to Proofread Like a Professional: A 7-Step Process for Reading Book Proofs
Learn how professional proofreaders read book proofs—from checking front matter and tables of contents to catching widows, orphans, and composition errors. A step-by-step process for authors and editors.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 189 min read


How to Create a Manuscript Style Sheet: A Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
Learn how to create a manuscript style sheet from scratch—and why every author needs one. This step-by-step guide covers what goes on a style sheet, when to start it, and how editors use it throughout the publishing process.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 188 min read


Why Perfectionism Is the Enemy of Good Writing (And What to Do Instead)
Perfectionism doesn't make your writing better — it stops you from finishing. Here's what 21 years in publishing taught me about quality, errors, and knowing when to call it done.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 1110 min read


Proofreading for Authors: How to Proof Your Book Like a Pro
From PDF markup to EPUB errors: a complete proofreading guide for authors working with a pro or flying solo. Know what to catch before your book publishes.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 1110 min read


4 Steps to Tackle Your Novel’s First Revision
Finished your first draft? Here's how to tackle your first revision efficiently—when to start, what to look for, and how to plan your attack.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 1110 min read


How to Write More Concisely: 3 Editing Techniques for Tighter Prose
oncise writing isn't always better — but knowing how to cut is a skill every writer needs. A professional editor shares three practical editing techniques for tightening your prose: finding words that can be replaced by one, cutting nothingburgers, and a sentence-by-sentence brevity exercise.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 45 min read


Five Choices to Make Today for Writing Success
Being a great writer isn't about talent — it's about choices. Here's how reading widely, writing consistently, seeking feedback, and continuing your education will make you the writer you want to be.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 129 min read


Delivering Praise and Criticism
Learn how to give writing criticism that actually helps: deliver praise broadly and criticism precisely, and why the compliment sandwich is doing it wrong.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 127 min read


Be the Best Beta Reader You Can Be
A beta reader who tells you your manuscript is perfect is wasting your time. Here's what good beta feedback actually looks like — and how to ask for it.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 78 min read


Identify Your Beta Readers
Your manuscript has bugs. Beta readers are how you find them before your readers do. Here's how to build the beta reading team that will actually make your book better—and who to use with caution.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 710 min read


The Sunk-Cost Fallacy for Writers
The time you spent on the manuscript that isn't working is already gone whether you quit or not. The only question is what you spend next.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 79 min read


Understanding the Basics of Typesetting for Authors
Your typeset book should go unnoticed. If the reader notices it, you did it wrong. Here's what to know before your manuscript hits the page.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 710 min read


Why a printable on Etsy instead of a book on Amazon?
The flexibility is the value signal. Not the binding. You wondered: Aren’t you selling something less valuable by selling it as a PDF? No. I’m selling something more usable. More reusable. More flexible.
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Catherine Forrest
May 184 min read
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