Today’s guest post follows Crystal Naldi through five major revisions she made while writing A Man’s Fight, a dark underground romance. I especially loved the addition of Patrick’s painted nails. Curious what I’m talking about? Read on to discover how that small detail, along with four other key changes, helped shape the story. Along the way, you’ll pick up novel revision tips you can apply to your own manuscript.
By Crystal Naldi
When I first imagined A Man’s Fight, I knew three things: I wanted underground fighting, dangerous attraction, and a main character who was trying to take back power after feeling powerless. Everything else took a few rounds in the cage.
The earliest version of the story was rawer and a lot messier. It had the bones of the book I eventually published, but not the heart yet, leaning more toward bare-knuckle chaos than emotional consequence. The fights and the heat were there. The bruises were definitely there.
But during revisions, I realized Patrick Boss’s story could not just be about what happened to his body in the ring. It also had to capture what happened to his identity, pride, desire, and sense of self.
Here are five of the biggest changes I made while revising A Man’s Fight.
Change #1: I Cut Back the “Fight, Heat, Repeat” Structure
In the earliest version, the story had a much more episodic setup. Patrick would enter the underground, face different fighters, and each fight was going to lead into a much more sensual encounter.
At the time, that sounded fun, dramatic, and dangerous. Very “what terrible decision will this man make next?”
But the more I worked on the book, the more I realized that structure was sending the story in the wrong direction. Instead of building Patrick’s emotional journey, it risked turning the book into a parade of fights and hookups. That can work for some stories, but this one needed something sharper and more mature.
Patrick is not just chasing danger. I also wanted to show him trying to understand who he becomes when pushed past fear. Angry, wounded, and curious about his own strength, he’s drawn to desire in ways that scare him.
So I scaled back the original structure and made the intimacy more compelling. The book became less about “how much can happen?” and more about “what does this cost him?”
Change #2: I Tied the Romantic Lead More Deeply to the Underground
Originally, the romantic lead was going to discover Patrick’s involvement from the outside. He would see him leaving the underground and realize Patrick had been keeping a secret.
That version worked on a basic plot level, but it lacked bite.
The better version came when I tied the romantic lead more directly into the danger, secrecy, and temptation of the underground itself. Suddenly, the romance was happening inside the main plot rather than adjacent to it. Every look, confrontation, and charged moment had more impact because the attraction was tangled up with the same world Patrick was struggling to survive.
Instead of one character just reacting to Patrick’s secret, the romance became part of the secret, making the relationship feel more dangerous and intimate.
That reminded me how romance shouldn’t feel pasted onto the story. In a strong romance, the love interest should complicate the hero’s deepest problem and make the plot worse in the best possible way.
Change #3: The Underground Became a Whole World, Not Just a Place to Fight
At first, the underground was much simpler. I pictured something closer to a gritty open-floor fight club: shirtless guys, bare knuckles, blood, sweat, and a crowd hungry for violence.
It had atmosphere, but it did not have mythology yet. During revisions, I started asking myself what would make this underground feel unforgettable. Why would people come here? Why would fighters risk themselves here? What would make Patrick feel like he had stepped into a place with its own rules, symbols, and rituals?
That is when the world became more theatrical. The fights moved away from a plain open-floor setup and became more structured, stylized, and dangerous. Masks and fighter identities became important, and the space itself evolved into a stage where men were not just fighting, but performing versions of themselves.
That revision changed the tone of the entire book, turning the underground into a place where Patrick could be watched, judged, desired, hurt, and transformed. I used the setting to seduce the characters and dare them to become someone they’re not sure they are ready to be.
Change #4: I Added a Stronger Power Structure
In the earliest version, I did not really have one central figure controlling the underground. The story had fighters, spectators, and danger, but it lacked a strong sense of who was benefiting from all that chaos.
Once I started building a clearer power structure behind the underground, the book gained more tension. No longer random events, the fights were part of a system where someone had control. Someone was watching and understood how to turn violence, secrecy, and spectacle into power.
Patrick was not just walking into a dangerous room anymore; he was walking into someone else’s game.
It also gave Patrick something bigger to push against. Rather than just fighting other men, he was challenging the world they were all trapped inside.
Change #5: I Gave Smaller Details More Meaning
Some revisions are huge structural changes while others are tiny details that suddenly reveal the character better than a whole paragraph of explanation.
For Patrick, one of those details became his nails.
When I first thought of the story, I did not imagine him painting his nails in pride colors. That came later, but once it appeared, it felt like it had always belonged there.
The nails gave Patrick a visual way to carry defiance on his body. They were vulnerable and bold at the same time. In a world built around fists, blood, and masculine performance, painted nails became a sign of rebellion.
That is the kind of detail I love: something small enough to miss at first glance, but strong enough to tell you who a character is.
Another smaller-but-important revision involved moving a romantic complication from another project into this one. I will keep that vague to avoid spoilers, but it was one of those writer moments where a subplot raises its hand from the wrong story and says, “Actually, I belong over there.”
That subplot raised the emotional stakes around Patrick’s choices, making the romance messier and the longing more complicated. It gave the story another layer of “this would be easier if everyone wanted simple things, but of course they don’t.”
Want to Read the Rest of the Book?
The version of A Man’s Fight I first imagined was rougher, sexier, and much more straightforward. The version I published became something stronger: a dark enemies-to-lovers M/M romance about violence, desire, identity, pride, and the dangerous thrill of being seen by the exact person who could ruin you.
A Man’s Fight is a novella set in an underground fighting world of masks, blood, pride, and dangerous attraction. Patrick Boss is a closeted, sensitive gay man who enters the underground searching for power after feeling powerless. What he finds is a world built on violence, secrets, and desire — and a man who makes the fight feel personal in ways Patrick is not ready for.
The book is available now in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats.
Readers can learn more about A Man’s Fight, watch the trailer and short film, and find purchase links here:
Crystal Naldi writes gritty M/M romance with blood, bruises, big feelings, and men who probably need therapy before they start kissing each other — but where would the fun be in that?
She is the author of A Man’s Fight and the creator of the You Fight Like a Girl series, a dark romance/fighting saga about survival, identity, and love in violent worlds. Her work often blends cinematic action, emotional intensity, queer romance, and a little bit of chaos.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Spellcheck is a useful first step, but it’s far from the final one. While it can catch many typos, it can’t recognize context, continuity, character consistency, or the subtle issues that affect a reader’s experience. That’s why polishing a manuscript takes more than running your document through a spelling and grammar checker.
In this guest post, professional copy editor and proofreader Tracy Finistrella explains what spellcheck misses and why human editing still plays an essential role in preparing a novel for publication. Her practical examples show why the strongest manuscripts benefit from both technology and a careful human eye.
By Tracy Finistrella
If I had a dollar for every time a romance author has said to me, “Don’t worry, I ran spellcheck,” I’d have a bookshelf full of special-edition romance hardcovers by now.
Don’t get me wrong; spellcheck can be helpful. You can do a quick scan to check for errors, but you should only think of it as a safety net or a tiny digital pat on the shoulder when your fingers move faster than your brain. But…here’s the truth every romance (fiction) author eventually learns:
Spellcheck is not an editor. It’s not even close to being one. Many authors assume that running spellcheck is the final step before publication, but the reality is that spellcheck vs proofreading isn’t much of a contest.
Spellcheck can catch typos and the occasional missing letter, but it can’t understand your story, your characters, your tone, or your intention. It doesn’t know when a sentence is technically correct but emotionally flat. It doesn’t know when your hero’s eyes changed color or when your pacing slips.
That’s where human editing comes in. Proofreading and copyediting catch the mistakes that can damage a reader’s experience.
Below are a few of the biggest things spellcheck misses, along with some reasons copyediting and proofreading matter so much for romance authors.
Real Words Used Wrong: Common Editing Mistakes Writers Miss
Spellcheck only flags words that don’t exist. So if you type “angle” instead of “angel” or “breath” instead of “breathe,” it will smile politely at you and let you publish your work without a care.
And homophones? Spellcheck doesn’t stand a chance. There are many words in the English language that sound alike, but they are spelled differently and have different meanings. Spellcheck won’t know that James was supposed to peek through the keyhole, not peak. It won’t know that they’re house is really their house.
These are some of the most common editing mistakes in novels because the words are technically spelled correctly. A human editor reads for meaning and context, not just spelling. A human editor will catch errors like these immediately.
Missing, Misplaced, or Repeated Words Spellcheck Overlooks
Spellcheck rarely catches dropped words, doubled words, words in the wrong order, or sentences that trail off after revisions. These mistakes fool spellcheck because the words themselves are all spelled correctly. They’re just not the right words.
This usually happens during rewrites. You cut a sentence, restructure a paragraph, or move a scene, and BOOM! somewhere in the shuffle, a word gets left behind or duplicated. Your brain, already familiar with what you meant to write, fills in the gap automatically. You can read the same passage ten times and never notice the error.
This is one reason authors who rely only on spellcheck often overlook errors that a professional proofreader would notice immediately.
A human editor with fresh eyes doesn’t have that same mental shortcut. They see what’s actually on the page, not what you intended to put there. That’s a distinction no automated tool can replicate.
Continuity Errors Spellcheck Misses
Spellcheck doesn’t track your story world. It doesn’t know your hero’s eyes were green in chapter two and blue in chapter 8. It doesn’t know that a side character’s name is spelled three different ways in three different chapters. And it certainly doesn’t know if you switch from past tense to present tense in the middle of chapter 4 and don’t go back to past tense until near the end of chapter 6.
Continuity is one of the biggest immersion killers in fiction. And it’s one of the most common issues I fix for romance authors.
Tone, Voice, and Emotional Accuracy
Automated tools like spellcheck don’t understand when a sentence sounds unintentionally formal. This is one of the biggest differences between a human editor vs spellcheck. Software can identify patterns, but it can’t evaluate emotional impact. It also doesn’t know if dialogue feels stiff or when pacing undercuts tension. And it certainly can’t tell when a phrase doesn’t match a character’s personality.
Romance readers connect deeply with voice.
A human editor helps you keep that voice consistent, warm, and emotionally resonant.
Why Romance Authors Need More Than Spellcheck
Many writers ask, “Do authors need an editor if they’ve already used spellcheck and grammar software?” The answer depends on their goals, but authors who want a professional-quality manuscript usually benefit from copyediting, proofreading, or both.
Romance readers are loyal, passionate, and detail-oriented. They notice when something feels off. Even if they can’t articulate why.
A polished manuscript builds trust. It keeps readers immersed in the story instead of distracted by errors.
Spellcheck is a tool.
Copyediting is a craft.
Proofreading is the final polish that makes your story shine.
That’s why the question isn’t whether spellcheck works. It’s whether spellcheck is enough. For most authors, especially those preparing a book for publication, spellcheck vs editing isn’t an either/or decision. The strongest manuscripts benefit from both technology and human expertise.
When all three work together, your book becomes the best version of itself.
Tracy Finistrella, a professional copy editor and proofreader who explains spellcheck vs proofreading.
About the Author
Tracy Finistrella is a professional copy editor and proofreader who works with indie romance authors across a wide range of subgenres. She helps independent authors polish their manuscripts with clarity, consistency, and technical precision while preserving each writer’s unique voice.
Her primary services are copyediting and proofreading, and she offers a free sample edit of the first three chapters of your manuscript. She also provides blurb and newsletter polishing, author bio refinement, and light social media marketing support for indie authors who want their online presence to feel as polished as their books.
Originally from Central New York, Tracy is now based in the western U.S. She brings a thoughtful, detail-driven approach to every project—but when she isn’t knee-deep in a manuscript, you’ll find her on the couch with a hot mug of coffee and her new favorite book.
FAQS
Can spellcheck replace a proofreader?
No. Spellcheck catches many typos but cannot identify context, continuity issues, tone problems, or incorrectly used real words.
What does spellcheck miss?
Spellcheck often misses:
Homophones
Repeated words
Missing words
Continuity errors
Character inconsistencies
Voice and tone issues
Do romance authors need a professional copyeditor or proofreader?
Most romance authors benefit from these services because readers notice inconsistencies, pacing issues, and technical errors that automated tools can’t detect.
What’s the difference between copyediting and proofreading?
Copyediting improves clarity, consistency, grammar, and style, while proofreading catches final errors before publication.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Finishing a novel is a huge milestone, but what happens when your word count spirals far beyond industry expectations? If you’ve ever typed “The End” only to realize your manuscript is too long, you’ll relate to this “Behind the Rewrite” guest post from Bruce Conord. Many writers struggle with cutting words without cutting the heart out of their story.
Bruce shares how he trimmed his thriller without sacrificing tension, voice, or impact. If you’re ready to tighten your manuscript and improve pacing at the same time, you’ll find actionable strategies you can apply right away.
By Bruce Conord
I read the news in horror. I’d just finished writing a thriller novel of 126,000 words when I learned literary agents were unlikely to be interested in a debut novel by a rookie writer if it’s over 100,000. Even worse, their sweet spot was between 85 and 90,000 words. Yikes!
Was there a GLP-1 for losing 30,000 words? Alas, no such pill existed, and my manuscript had already been edited three times! Although my story might be bloated, it was good bloat, and I hated to part with any of it. So, to tackle the problem of runaway words, the first step was to set aside my ego and acknowledge that trimming fat would only improve the novel.
I started with the first page of each chapter. Too many began by building atmosphere, such as describing the ominous weather, perhaps a little backstory, what my character wore, or what a room looked like.
All well-written, I must admit, but did they pass the tests of: “Do all these beginnings add relevant depth to my character (s)? Did they move the plot further along in a meaningful way?” Not so much.
Was there a better place to begin? You bet—85% of the time I cut words, sentences, and paragraphs, and then found an action scene to begin with. And by action, I mean physical movement and dialogue, just not passive writing. Use action verbs to get readers to invest their time in your story.
Next, I applied the same mindset to descriptions. Now I love writers who paint pictures with words, but anything too flowery or unnecessary became ripe for the guillotine. In one case, I even nixed an entire chapter in which my character encounters a corrupt policeman. It decided it was extraneous to the plot, so out came the axe. My thriller novel’s reliance on action highlighted its slower moments, making it easier to cut.
I went to the last paragraph of every chapter to make sure the ending was punchy, short, and dangling—with an ending that left the reader with no choice but to keep going to see what happens. If it didn’t do that, I fixed it. By the time I had finished, the novel was right in the middle of the “sweet spot” word count. And better for it.
About the Book
Come and Get Her:The cartel kidnapped his daughter for ransom. He would make them pay.
Former Special Forces operative Jesse Arroyo thought he’d left the war behind. Then the phone rings—his teenage daughter is missing in Mexico. Within hours, Arroyo is pulled into a brutal world of cartel violence, corrupt power players, and blood-soaked secrets.
To bring her home, he must resurrect the man he swore he’d buried: the relentless warrior who never quits and never forgives. Teamed with a widowed journalist driven by her own desire for justice, Arroyo plunges across the border in a desperate race to save her.
Bruce Conord, an award-winning author of a dozen nonfiction titles, received a Pushcart Prize nomination for his short fiction. He lives in Princeton, NJ, when he’s not in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. His terrorist-themed thriller, Death Watch, will be released later this spring, marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
As artificial intelligence tools become more common in the writing world, the debate around AI vs human writing is heating up. Many authors are asking the same questions:
Can AI write a novel that feels human? Will AI replace writers?
My personal answer is that if we keep reminding readers and publishers what makes human-authored books special, then no, it won’t replace us. Readers will always want meaningful stories, and most won’t be excited about paying for books written by a computer.
That means developing your storytelling craft through stronger characterization, richer world-building, thoughtful research that makes scenes come alive, and most importantly, by honing your voice and writing the stories only you can tell.
To test this in a practical way, Jeremy Esekow, co-founder of Storywise, ran a fascinating experiment: a writing competition where human authors competed against AI-generated chapters.
In this guest post, Jeremy shares what happened when AI vs human writing went head-to-head and the five lessons writers can take from the results.
By Jeremy Esekow
A few months ago, my company, Storywise, launched a writing competition that felt a little reckless—but also necessary. We pitted humans against AI. I approached this experiment from two personal perspectives.
First, as an author. I’ve sent out countless query letters over the years. Most were met with silence. Second, as an entrepreneur and employer. I’ve also sat behind the other side of that inbox, staring at hundreds of job applications I simply didn’t have the capacity to answer. I know what it feels like to wait. And I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed.
And lately, another question has been nagging at me.
AI vs Human Writing: Why We Ran This Storytelling Experiment
If AI can generate entire manuscripts in minutes, what happens when submissions to agents and publishers suddenly multiply? What happens when slush piles triple? Will it become dramatically harder for human authors to stand out? Will original voices be buried under a tidal wave of competent, machine-generated slop?
So instead of wondering, we decided to test it. This allowed us to see how AI vs human writing compared when both were given the same story premise. We created a submission page, established the contest rules, and opened the competition to writers.(including a strict no-AI-assistance policy for the authors). Then we assembled judges, secured prizes (first prize was a publishing contract), designed ads, and got banned by reddit…
The goal wasn’t to declare a winner once and for all, but to see how human storytelling compared with AI-generated writing under the same conditions.
5 Lessons From the AI vs Human Writing Experiment
Each author submitted one entirely human written chapter from a new manuscript. We then took the logline from the authors chapter, fed it into an AI writing tool, and generated an AI chapter.
Our human judges were tasked with two jobs:
For each submission, decide whether the author wrote a better chapter than the AI generated version. We gave the judges specific guidelines.
And from there, choose which were the three best written chapters submitted overall.
The results turned out to be both encouraging and a little unsettling.
We received genuinely wonderful entries. Many chapters were brave and distinctive, feeling undeniably human. In the end, the prizes went to three human authors, leaving me proud. And relieved.
But there were moments when the AI chapter held its own. When they were compelling, mimicking structure and pacing convincingly. And if AI can produce something “good enough” at scale, and submissions grow exponentially, then the challenge for human authors may become insurmountable.
After everything wrapped up, we asked our judges what they had learned. Had the experiment changed their view of AI writing? Were they more optimistic? More concerned?
Their answers were thoughtful. The results of this AI vs human writing test revealed several patterns. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the competition:
1. Human Dialogue Outperforms AI Dialogue
One of the biggest differences in AI vs human writing appeared in dialogue scenes. AI-generated dialogue often lacks human-like emotional nuance and authenticity. Readers often sensed something slightly artificial about the dialogue, and it created distance instead of genuine character interaction. The AI generated chapters consistently underperformed in scenes requiring dialogue. Whether crafting distinctive and believable messaging, original intonations, or mannerisms, a good human author seemed to deliver the goods better.
2. AI Struggles With Story Pacing
We struggled to get an LLM to write even one chapter longer than 2,000 words. And when it did succeed lengthwise, it generally told most of the story, leaving little content for the rest of the book. Pacing is another area where AI tends to struggle. The narrative often moves too quickly.
AI is great when you need to move things along, but as soon as slow burn is required, it collapses. When shocking readers with a terrifying scene, a good author will have you sweating for pages, not just a paragraph.
3. Author Voice Is What Sets Human Writing Apart
When comparing AI vs human writing, one thing the judges kept returning to was voice. Judges repeatedly gravitated toward chapters that carried a distinctive and recognizable author voice. We’ve seen this pattern before.
Many of Storywise’s customers, when setting up their taste profiles, don’t just describe genres or themes. They describe voices, such as sharp, lyrical, commanding, comforting, or intimate. They want to feel theperson behind the page. That truth became even clearer in a competition where we were comparing human writing to AI-generated prose.
AI can produce structure and coherence. It can even produce elegance. But I don’t believe it can produce a voice that feels owned and truly fresh. In several cases, the judges chose the human chapter even when it was less polished or less “publisher-ready.”
4. Editors Need a Reason to Keep Reading
The strongest predictor of a high score was surprisingly simple: did the judge want to keep reading and to know what happens next? Interestingly, authors who tried to pack too much into chapter one often scored lower. Overcrowded openings with too many characters, too many events, too much backstory left judges feeling overwhelmed rather than intrigued.
Some chapters had the opposite problem. They opened brilliantly, with tension and promise, but then wrapped things up a little too neatly by the final page. Judges found themselves enjoying the chapter without feeling compelled to turn the page. Others lingered too long in scene-setting with beautifully drawn worlds but weren’t able to pull the judge into a compelling narrative. Delivering an intriguing opening or creating an unmissable hook at the closing were great ways to leave our judges begging for more.
5. AI Is Improving Rapidly
One of the most surprising aspects of the AI vs human writing experiment was how often judges struggled to tell the difference. At times, it was genuinely difficult to tell which chapter was written by a human and which by AI. We even ran blind tests, presenting the two versions side by side without labels. In more than a few cases, judges guessed wrong. That alone was sobering.
For the anti-AI hardliner, there are clues. One telltale sign of machine-generated prose is over-describing details that don’t carry any narrative significance. Confident writers won’t describe the color and quantity of flowers stuffed into a vase in a corridor that the protagonists briefly passed through. If it’s not important to the story, a good author will know not to waste ink and reader attention on it.
And then there’s the EM-dash. AI adores it. Find me a ChatGPT response that doesn’t include an Em-dash. Sadly, authors are starting to shy away from the EM-dash so as not to have their writing labelled as AI generated.
The bottom line though is that AI is getting very good at creative writing. Not independently and not magically. Especially when it’s guided by a skilled storyteller who knows how to prompt it effectively. Good prompters know what they are doing and how to get the most out of AI assistance and editing tools.
Key Lessons From the AI vs Human Writing Contest
Looking back at the results of this AI vs human writing experiment, human authors ultimately came out ahead. It was close. And we learned five clear lessons that you, as an author, can take with you, as you continue to thrive amidst rapidly changing dynamics:
1. Human dialogue is better than AI-generated dialogue. Invest in your dialogue and give your characters distinctive voices.
2. AI doesn’t do well with pacing. It can’t do slow burn and left to its own devices, rushes through the plot. Master the art of sustaining tension. Learn to draw readers forward without resolving everything too soon and you’ll not only endure in the age of AI, you’ll thrive.
3. Judges want a distinctive authors voice, especially when they are being swamped with AI-generated ‘slop’. Focus on delivering content with the best version of your own unique style.
4. Keep your reader wanting more with a great hook. Get the reader invested in your characters right out of the blocks, or build towards a heart-stopping cliffhanger. Otherwise, you risk your readers not wanting to turn to the next chapter.
5. And finally, AI is getting very good at creative writing. It still has blind spots, struggling with originality, lived emotional complexity, and the unexpected twists that make a story powerful. But as a tool for researching, drafting, refining, and editing, it is improving quickly.
FAQs About AI Vs Human Writing
Can AI write a novel as well as a human? AI can generate structured stories, but it still struggles with emotional depth, distinctive voice, and long-form pacing. Human writers bring lived experience and storytelling instinct that machines can’t easily replicate.
Will AI replace fiction writers? Writers who develop strong voice, character development, and storytelling craft will continue to stand out.
What is the biggest difference between AI writing and human writing? The biggest difference is voice and emotional nuance. AI can mimic structure and style, but human authors bring originality, perspective, emotion, and lived experience.
About the Author
Jeremy is a self-published author, born in South Africa. He earned his master’s degree in business and PhD in philosophy from the University of Cape Town. He has worked in the high-tech sector for the past fifteen years, most recently co-founding Storywise, a software platform for publishers, agents, and authors. Prior to that, he worked in tourism, spending time in huts and hotels all over Southern Africa.
About Storywise
Storywise was founded in 2023 to address a challenge familiar to writers and publishers alike: giving promising authors a better shot at publishing successfully and providing publishers and agents with a better way to discover stories that fit the wishlist. Learn more about it here.
The Writer’s Biz Crew
Thanks, Jeremy, for that intriguing post. If this experiment shows anything, it’s that writing craft matters more than ever. Strong dialogue, pacing, and voice help human writers stand out in a world where AI can produce competent but generic prose.
I’m not a fan of using AI to write or edit your book. It can be helpful for brainstorming or light polishing, but rely on it too much and you’ll lose the very voice that makes your work special.
Where I do think AI shines is helping with the behind-the-scenes grunt work of being an author—things like drafting social media captions, coming up with newsletter ideas, planning book launches, scheduling writing time, and organizing your street team.
You’ll get 10 custom GPT assistants that will help you do all of the above and learn how to use them wisely. Check out this extensive book marketing course here.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Christmas always brings a little extra magic into the world, and it’s no surprise that many writers dream about writing a Christmas story of their own. If that’s you, you’ll love today’s guest post from G.R. Saunders, a former teacher and lifelong storyteller who beautifully captures the wonder of the season in her book Edgar’s Christmas Wish.
G.R. shares simple, practical tips to help you shape your own holiday story—whether you’re writing for your kids or hoping to publish.
Christmas is that wonderful time of the year when magic seems to abound everywhere. We are bombarded with advertisements of all kinds, showing us the lights and sounds of this most festive of seasons. We see dancing reindeer and polar bears sharing joy and good wishes with each other, trees covered in sparkling ornaments, and lights, elves and Santa Claus.
You may have thought about writing a Christmas story to read to your children, and maybe trying to get it published, too. You would not be alone with that thought. In fact, you might be surprised at how many famous authors have also written a Christmas book!
A few things you might want to consider: Christmas stories run the gamut from very serious to a complete frolic.
If you are writing for an adult audience, you can write about anything from wartime Christmas stories to nostalgic memories of childhood days, and almost anything else. Many magazines are always on the lookout for feel-good stories of “the good old days” that they feature in their holiday issues.
However, if you want to write a children’s Christmas book, there are a few things you need to know.
TIP #1: Decide the Age Level of Your Christmas Story
First, you need to be certain what grade level you are writing for. There is a huge gap between age groups as children grow. Picture books, which are very popular, are usually designed to be read aloud by a grownup, while chapter books are aimed at older children able to read for themselves. If you want to get your children’s book published, you need to be very clear which group you are writing for.
There are six categories of children’s books. They are:
Board books – Average age is from ages 0-to-3
Picture books – Average age is from ages 3-to-8
Early readers – Average age is from ages 5-to-8
Chapter books – Average age is roughly 6-to-10
Middle grade novels – Average age is roughly 8-to-12
YA (or young adult) novels – Average age is roughly 12-to-18
TIP #2: Know Word Counts for Children’s Christmas Books
Word count is critical for writing a children’s book. You may have the best story idea ever thought of, but if your word count is too high, you will need to cut it down to fit the category you are aiming for.
If you look at children’s books that are already out there, you will notice that some of them may only have one or two words on an entire page! Here are some other typical word counts:
Board books – 0-to-100 words maximum
Picture books – Typically 500words,maximum 1,000 words
Early readers – Typically 1,000-to-2,500 words
Chapter books – Commonly 4,000-to-15,000 words
Middle grade novels – Commonly 25,000-to-50,000 words (sometimes 60,000+)
YA novels – Commonly 50,000-to-90,000+ words depending on genre
TIP #3: Choose a Unique Angle When Writing a Christmas Story
Now, what will you write about?
Christmas magic is all-powerful in most children’s books. This is a time when even the thought of reindeer that fly is perfectly acceptable. With that in mind, you want to present a different take on such holiday themes. This is important because there is a LOT of competition. How can you make YOUR story stand out from all the others out there? Think about an elf’s Christmas experience.
Remember Hermey, the elf who really wants to be a dentist instead of a toymaker? We remember Hermey because we can all relate to having a dream that may or may not come true. Hermey’s struggle draws us in and makes us care about him, even if he is a fictitious character.
In my Christmas children’s book, “Edgar’s Christmas Wish,” the main character is a tree who wants more than anything to be a Christmas tree and celebrate the holiday with a family. Edgar is very aware that he is not as tall as the other trees, and he hopes he will be chosen, anyway. Children can identify with Edgar because his situation is like hoping to be chosen for a sports team at school. This element makes Edgar’s story stand out from other stories about Christmas.
TIP #4: Lessons You Can Learn From Popular Christmas Books
Study popular titles in your category. Take the time to visit the “kid lit” section of your local library or bookstore to see what is already out there. Is there a place where your book would fit?
If you are writing a picture book, you can look at one of the versions of the classic “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore. Even though it was first published in 1823, this familiar Christmas tale still sells copies, year after year.
If you want a more serious tone, check out Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” a nonfiction account of a boy’s Christmas with a beloved elderly cousin during the Great Depression.
A more modern nonfiction story is “The Christmas Owl” by Gideon Sterer and Ellen Kalish. This is the true story of a little owl who was trapped in the bindings of a tree selected for the Rockefeller Center in New York City and would especially appeal to children interested in the natural world.
And from across the pond, check out the nostalgic “An Irish Country Christmas” by the beloved Irish writer Alice Taylor. This novel would be a wonderful read-aloud selection for older children.
If you are looking for simple, joyful frolic of a book, look no further than “Snowmen at Night” by Carolyn Buehner.
TIP #5: Understanding the Role of Illustrations in Picture Books
A word about illustrations.
Thinking about “Snowmen at Night” brings up something absolutely critical to any children’s book–illustrations.
This is one area that is completely different from novel writing. With a novel, you need to be concerned with an appealing cover and back blurb. With a children’s book, you need to think about illustrations throughout the book. If you are writing a picture book, you will need an illustration on every page. Every Single Page.
Today’s picture books are not like in the old days, when an illustration was on one page, and the story text was on the other. Modern picture books have illustrations on every page, combined with the text. This requires some critical planning as to where to position the text, so it works with the illustrations. This means that sometimes the text should appear at the top of a page, sometimes on the bottom, or anywhere else where it would fit with the illustration. You may need to enlist the talents of a layout artist to help with this.
With all of this to think about, one more thing you must consider: Unless you are a gifted artist, it would be wise to hire a professional illustrator/graphic artist if you are self-publishing. If you are working with an established publishing house, they will match you with an artist of their choosing.
You need to remember this cardinal rule of children’s books: Your illustrations can make or break the success of your book!
I’m sure we have all seen children’s books that had a great story, but the cover and illustrations screamed “amateur!” If you are writing for friends and family and/or a local audience, this may not be a problem, but if you want your book to be competitive with books in bookstores and libraries, a poorly done cover and illustrations will practically guarantee that your book will be passed over in favor of another with artwork that grabs attention.
Let’s use “Snowmen at Night” as an example.
Starting with the cover, the “double life” of snowmen is suggested by a daytime view of snowmen standing in front of houses, but the bottom half of the cover suggests that these same snowmen have a secret life after dark.
This theme is perfectly continued inside the book, wherein the ordinary daytime snowmen are transformed after dark into happy beings that frolic down the street into the park, meet and play games and go sledding with other snowmen, and then drag themselves back home before the sun comes up the next day.
You will notice that the text varies throughout the book, even cascading downhill with snowmen sledding down the hill on their sleds. The bright, cheerful colors, happy illustrations, and expressive faces of the snowmen completely support the story.
That’s what you want–all parts of the book work together to form a complete story experience for your readers.
Final Thoughts: Why Writing a Christmas Story Matters More Than Ever
You may have concluded from reading all of this that writing for children is a whole lot of trouble, and maybe it is. But what an important work it is!
Some writers may think that writing stories for children is beneath them, but I beg to differ. Of course, it is grand to think of writing the “Great American Novel”, and yes, it is.
While it is also wonderful to write history, biographies, romance (who doesn’t love a good love story?), think for a moment of the impact a good child’s book has on helping to form the child into a future adult.
Think of children’s stories as cultural builders for children that reinforce the values of society. Children’s books can help parents and teachers show children the importance of such ideas as kindness, sharing, or patience, not by lecturing the child, but by letting the child see for himself/herself these qualities through a story. That is why these ideas stay with a child and become part of who he/she grows up to be. Think of the lesson of “The Little Engine That Could” which reinforces the idea that “I think I can, I think I can, I know I can…”
So, if you have dreams of writing for children, go for it! A noble calling indeed.
I wish you luck.
About the Author
G.R. Saunders is a former teacher who grew up in a house filled with books and music. She has been reading and writing stories since she was a child. She believes that childhood should be a special time filled with wonder, discovery, and learning; a time for dreaming and enjoying the world of imagination; where animals can talk, sing and dance. A time for hopes and dreams.
In addition to writing, she enjoys sewing and design, knitting, and traveling. She is also active in animal welfare causes. She would love to hear from you!
Meet Edgar, the little tree with a big heart! Edgar’s greatest wish is to become a Christmas tree and celebrate Christmas with a family.
Will he ever see his wish come true?
In this classic Christmas story for children of all ages, Edgar must learn that Christmas is more than magic or fancy decorations and lights. It’s a simple beauty that shines from the inside out. It’s all about love, and love comes from the heart.
If you’re looking for more holiday-themed inspiration, you might enjoy my children’s bookThe Flag Keeper, a patriotic story that’s perfect for teaching kids about respect and responsibility around national holidays.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Finding your writing voice can feel like a struggle, but sometimes it’s about uncovering what’s already inside you. That’s why I’m thrilled to share this guest post from Dani Fankhauser, a writing coach and energy healer who helps writers tap into their authentic voice and creativity.
In this article, Dani introduces five energy healing practices that can calm your mind, clear away doubt, and make it easier to write with confidence and flow. If you’ve gone through my courses on oracle cardsand vision boards for writers, then you’ll know I’m fascinated by out-of-the-box ways to boost your creativity. I think you’ll love Dani’s gentle, practical approach.
***
Writers often think that a unique voice is something that needs to be created, but your most compelling and original voice is already inside of you. The work is in releasing the pressure of criticism so you can write freely—as the real you.
Energy healing is a meditative practice. It helps to balance the nervous system, bringing your mind into clarity and calm that’s ideal for writing. Because it soothes the stress response, I find energy healing to be uniquely beneficial for writers seeking to express themselves authentically.
Even if you’re new to energy healing, it is not new to you. If you’ve ever said you’re energized, drained, or need to recharge, you’re sensing your own energy levels. Many daily activities, from exercise to walking in nature, help shift your energy. As a professional energy healer, I lead sessions for individuals and groups to boost their creative output.
For writers getting started with energy healing, the following are simple practices you can do at home to enhance your creativity and authentic voice.
Chakra Clearing for a Stronger Writing Voice
The ancient mystics of India discovered that the main channel of energy moves up and down the spine, from the tailbone through the crown of the head. Along this central channel are seven energy centers called chakras.
If you feel low energy or are having trouble brainstorming the next step in your writing, then clearing the chakras will help you connect all parts of your intellect and bring your intuition fully online.
To clear the chakras, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then, bring your attention to the physical location of each chakra, take a deep breath in, and on the breath out, imagine you’re dusting off the chakra so it’s gleaming once again. The chakras are: crown (top of head), third eye (center of skull), throat (back of neck), heart (at spine behind heart organ), solar plexus (right under ribs), sacral (low back at sacrum bone), and root (near tailbone). Once you’ve taken a breath at each chakra, take a few more breaths, imagining each breath rising up past all seven chakras on the inhale, and then rinsing out the spine like a pipe on the exhale.
Bubble Visualization to Guard Your Creative Energy
We often accumulate energy from the people around us, which is why being in public places or around people with chaotic emotions can feel tiring. When we’re writing, we can also start to predict how readers will respond to our work, and this projected criticism can slow down the writing process.
To protect your writing energy from the energy of others, you can create energetic boundaries by visualizing a bubble around your body. You can choose any color for the bubble that you want, but I like to use red, because it symbolizes safety. First, on an inhale, imagine the color rising up along your spine to the crown of your head. Then, on the exhale, imagine the color spilling outward like a water fountain, creating a translucent bubble around your body. Once this bubble is established in your mind, imagine other people’s opinions coming at you like rocks, and simply bouncing off the bubble. Then, imagine your ideal readers’ compliments coming to you and the bubble is able to allow them through.
Heart Coherence to Write With Authenticity
While modern culture considers the intellect to reside in the brain, many ancient cultures considered wisdom to be located in the heart. The brain is good at linear and logical tasks, but the heart actually has neurons in it and thinks for itself—albeit more emotionally.
Most writing is nonlinear. To get free of the limitations of the brain and access your full creative power, shift your attention from the brain to the heart. Bringing your focus to your heart brings it into coherence so it can work more effectively.
Close your eyes, and breathe into your heart space to a count of four, then exhale to a count of four. Repeat for about one minute. Then, bring to mind an image that makes you happy. It could be the face of a loved one, or pet, or a favorite place. Keep breathing as you visualize this happy image. Let your heart fill with power.
With greater access to your own emotions, you’ll be able to better capture the depth of your characters.
Intuitive Download Technique for Fresh Writing Ideas
If you feel you’re out of ideas, this energetic practice will help you to welcome some in. Ideas don’t only come by chance; we can choose to be open to inspiration.
Imagine a funnel shape at the top of your head. Then, imagine it spinning and the mouth getting wider and wider. As it opens, visualize light from the stars and sun radiating and rinsing down into this funnel, entering your mind. You can also make specific requests, like an idea for how to deal with a plot hole, or how to end your book.
Humming to Boost Self-Expression
Most writers deal with the written word, but if we trace storytelling back to its origin, it began with oral tradition. The spoken voice and the writing voice are innately connected.
In energetic anatomy, self-expression and the voice are both connected to the throat chakra. If you want to develop your writing voice, clearing the throat chakra will help you write more freely.
Try this humming practice to clear your throat chakra before you write.
Each chakra has a single syllable sound associated with it called a Bija mantra. The Bija mantra for the throat chakra is HAM, pronounced “hum.” To get started, breathe in through your nose. On the exhale, stretch out the sound “hum” for the entire out breath. It will sound very similar to chanting “om” in a yoga class. You can repeat the Bija mantra three times, or even continuously for up to one minute, before beginning your writing practice.
About Dani
Dani Fankhauser is a writing coach and energy healer. Her fiction has appeared in HAD, Sheepshead Review, and NonBinary Review. Join her membership community for intuitive writers, Vocal Oracles.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Writers are often told to “show, don’t tell,” but what does that really mean? When Alina Adams revised a pivotal scene in her upcoming novel Go On Pretending, you can see firsthand how turning exposition into action and dialogue made the emotions more powerful, the stakes higher, and the characters more vivid. Thanks to an insightful editorial suggestion, what was once an internal monologue transformed into a dynamic exchange that pulled readers deeper into the world of her characters. Below, Alina shares a look at that transformation and why “show, don’t tell” is more than just a writing cliché.
My 15th traditionally published novel, Go On Pretending, comes out on May, 1, 2025. (It is partially set in the Soviet Union. Yes, the choice of date is deliberate.) You would think that, after 15 traditionally published novels (and four books of nonfiction), I would know what I was doing. Granted, I sometimes do know what I am doing. But, then again, I don’t always know what I am doing.
For instance, below is a scene as it originally appeared in the first draft of Go On Pretending. (Obviously, the first draft is not actually the first draft. It is the 112th draft, which I have gone over obsessively, changing a word here, deleting a sentence there, moving around paragraphs, and then deciding none of it works and I should start all over again. But you know what I mean.)
Background: The year is 1957. Rose Janowitz is a radio soap-opera writer romantically involved with her show’s African-American leading man, Jonas Cain. It was one thing to hide his identity on the radio. But now that the program is about to make the big move to television, the pair of them have a problem. A big problem….
Wearing an engagement ring should have made Rose feel safer. She and Jonas were a legitimate couple now. Interracial marriage was legitimately legal in New York state. Instead, it made her feel like more of a target. Whenever they stepped out together, Rose wriggled with an itch between her shoulder-blades which suggested she was being watched. Jonas assured it was her imagination. This was New York City. Nobody cared about anybody else’s business. They were all too busy concentrating on their own lives to hone in on whether Rose wore an engagement ring or wonder if the colored man next to her was the lucky groom-to-be. Yet Rose still felt as if a spotlight targeted her hand wherever she went. Sure, some people smiled at her. Most, like Jonas said, ignored her. But how did Rose know what they were really thinking?
Rose couldn’t claim that her paranoia started with Emmet Till, the fourteen year old Negro boy lynched in Mississippi for flirting or smiling or whistling or saying hello – no one was sure, but did it really matter? – to a white woman. He was from Chicago, another Northern city like New York where nobody cared about anyone else’s business, so Emmet didn’t expect Mississippi to be different. The men acquitted of his murder beat Emmet, then shot him, then dropped his body off a bridge into the river where he was eventually found. They used cotton- seeds to soak up the blood left behind. He was fourteen. A child. A child like Jonas had once been. A child like she and Jonas might one day have.
The murder of Emmet Till didn’t kick off Rose’s paranoia. But it inflamed it. Rose didn’t want Jonas to reassure her that no one cared. She wanted him to reassure her that things were getting better. What about Brown v. The Board of Education, integrating public schools? What about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott? What about the Reverend Martin Luther King and the meeting in Atlanta to coordinate non-violent protests across the Southern states?
But all Jonas would say was, “Forty acres and a mule. We’ve heard promises before.”
His cynicism infuriated her. But not as much as her own helplessness.
The world was burning, children were dying, and Rose was… writing a play?
Once upon a time, she’d marched off to war in order to right the world’s wrongs. She’d failed. But at least she’d tried.
Now she was sitting at home, writing, worrying about looks she might engender in the streets, telling herself that words, if she could find the right ones, might make a difference. It wasn’t enough. Merely trying wouldn’t be enough this time either.
This time, Rose would need to succeed.
There was no other option. Not if she and Jonas were to remain together.
They would succeed.
Or they would die trying.
***
When History Through Fiction publisher Colin Mustful read the above, his note to me was: Perhaps this should be a scene? Rose could read it in the paper and it could lead to a discussion about these issues and fears??
Here is how the rewrite will appear in the final version:
Wearing an engagement ring should have made Rose feel safer. She and Jonas were a legitimate couple now. Interracial marriage was legitimately legal in New York state. Instead, it made her feel like more of a target. Whenever they stepped out together, Rose wriggled with an itch between her shoulder-blades which suggested she was being watched. Jonas assured her it was her imagination. This was New York City. Nobody cared about anybody else’s business. They were all too busy concentrating on their own lives to hone in on whether Rose wore an engagement ring or wonder if the colored man next to her was the lucky groom-to-be. Yet Rose still felt as if a spotlight targeted her hand wherever she went. Sure, some people smiled at her. Most, like Jonas said, ignored her. But how did Rose know what they were really thinking?
Rose assured Jonas she wasn’t obsessing over the issue. She swore to him she barely so much as thought about the issue. Jonas pretended to believe her. Until Rose handed him a stack of freshly typed pages for Jonas to read out loud so Rose could hear how they sounded, and a folded newspaper clipping describing the murder of Emmet Till fluttered to the ground.
Till was the fourteen-year-old Negro boy lynched in Mississippi for flirting or smiling or whistling or saying hello—no one was sure, but did it really matter?—to a white woman. He was from Chicago, another Northern city like New York where nobody cared about anyone else’s business, so Emmet didn’t expect Mississippi to be different. The men acquitted of his murder beat Emmet, then shot him, then dropped his body off a bridge into the river where he was eventually found. They used cotton seeds to soak up the blood left behind. He was fourteen. A child. A child like Jonas had once been. A child like she and Jonas might one day have.
Rose scrambled to pick up the detritus, crumpling it in her palm and making a move to pitch it towards the garbage pail. “I must have missed this when taking out the trash.”
“It’s over a year old,” Jonas observed levelly.
“So, I missed it a year ago.” She refused to meet his eyes.
“Rose…”
“Don’t. Please. Please don’t tell me again how nobody cares that we’re together.”
“What do you want me to tell you then?”
Oh, Jonas. Forever the pliant actor, waiting for her to feed him his lines. It was a fantasy, no different than the worlds they created over the radio. Rose understood the daydream of it as surely as she embraced her eagerness to take advantage of it.
“I want you to tell me that things are getting better. Brown versus The Board of Education integrating public schools. Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott. Dr. King coordinating those non-violent protests in Atlanta. Tell me all of that means things are getting better.”
“Forty acres and a mule,” he reminded her. “We’ve heard promises before.”
“Why do you have to be so cynical?”
“Because I’m not the champion you are. I didn’t possess the courage to go charging into Spain, prepared to lay down my life if it meant making the world a better place.”
“What are you talking about? You fought in the European theater!”
“Not by choice. I was drafted. You volunteered.”
“That was over fifteen years ago. What have I championed lately? The world is burning.” She smoothed out the wrinkled newspaper story so they could both, once again, look upon the photograph of poor Emmet in his casket, his swollen face with its missing eyes disfigured past recognition, his grieving mother being pulled away as she sobbed. “Children are dying. And what am I doing to make the world a better place? I’m writing a goddamn play! I’m pretending that words—if I could only find the right words—that words might somehow make a difference.”
“You championed me.” Jonas slid the picture out of Rose’s hands. “You championed us.”
“I will never stop doing that,” she swore.
“Which is why,” he leaned in to kiss her, “that is the one promise I will always believe.”
***
It’s better.
It is undeniably, 100% better.
My very first published book, The Fictitious Marquis, came out from Avon in 1995. Since then, I’ve self-published some non-fiction. But I insist on only traditional publishing for my fiction.
When people ask me why, I explain it’s because I need someone to check my stupidity. With non-fiction, I know I have information people want, and they are happy to get it, even if the prose isn’t sparkling.
For fiction, I have to convey subtlety and nuance and a mood. I can’t just state what I want to say and move on. For that, I can try my literary best. But I need other people to read it and to tell me whether or not it not only makes sense, but whether it delivers what I want it to deliver.
For that I need an editor who will tell me when my work isn’t good enough. That is exactly what Colin did with the above, and, thankfully, he offered a suggestion to make it better. (You don’t know how many editors I’ve had who scribbled notes like: This scene doesn’t work. Make it work.)
Colin forced me to turn thought into action, feeling into conviction. The rewrite made the emotion stronger, it brought the characters into clearer focus, and it shone a spotlight on the specific time, something that is absolutely vital in historical fiction.
I think the rewrite is better. My publisher thinks the rewrite is better. But, of course, in the end, none of it matters. Only the readers’ opinion ultimately counts.
So I’m asking you: What do you think? Which version do you prefer?
Let us all know in the comments!
About the book
Three generations of women battle against the tides of history, from segregated 1950s America to the fall of the USSR and the rise of revolutionary Rojava.
Rose Janowitz is a pioneer in the 1950s golden age of television, as she navigates the transition from radio to TV soap operas. But beneath the glitz and glamor lies a web of secrets. Rose’s radical past and her hidden romance with Jonas Cain, the African-American leading man who made Guiding Light a hit on radio. How long will Rose be able to hide Jonas Cain’s identity-and their romantic relationship-from the public, and from Irna Phillips, the formidable doyenne who invented the soap-opera, a woman who makes-and breaks-professional careers on a whim.
In the 1980s, Rose’s daughter Emma Kagan abandons her privileged life in the USSR as the daughter of high-profile American defectors, to return to the country of her parents’ birth just as Mikhail Gorbachev announces the new openness known as glasnost. In the US, Emma navigates the hypocrisy and inherent contradictions of the political left and the right, as the collapse of the Soviet Union sends her scrambling for survival. Emma’s search for a place to fully belong finds her looking for personal freedom in the strangest of places-with unexpected and often life-threatening results.
In 2012, Libby, Emma’s daughter and Rose’s granddaughter, embarks on a bold journey to Rojava, Syria, joining the Women’s Revolution. Her search for utopia pulls Rose and Emma into the fray, where family secrets long buried are unearthed amid the anarchy of war.
New York Times bestselling author Alina Adams brings her unique perspective as a Soviet immigrant to the US who mastered English through soap operas to this multilayered tale. With a background in broadcast communications and a history of writing compelling narratives, Adams captures the essence of each era with authenticity and emotional depth. From the author of the acclaimed historical novel My Mother’s Secret, Go On Pretending offers a powerful exploration of the struggles for personal freedom and the enduring strength of family bonds.
About Alina Adams
Alina Adams is the NYT-bestselling author of soap opera tie-ins, figure skating mysteries, and romance novels. Her historical fiction includes The Nesting Dolls, My Mother’s Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region, and the upcoming Go on Pretending.
Read Alina’s past articles on the Shortcuts for Writers blog:
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
I’m thrilled to announce that Shortcuts for Writers just got a fresh new makeover. As a writer, editor, and coach, I know how important it is to keep things organized and inspiring—and that includes my website. I wanted to make it even easier for you to navigate my resources for authors and explore everything I offer.
What’s Revamped on the Site:
Home Page – Discover how I guide authors in transforming their stories, from editing services to self-editing courses and productivity tools that help you write with confidence, clarity, and creativity.
About Page– Take a peek at my writing journey, from my early days as a published author to my passion for helping writers achieve their full potential.
Editing Service Page – I now offer expanded editing services, including the Full Story Edit, First Impressions for your opening pages, and the Pitch Perfect package for returning clients.
Shop Page– NEW! This one-stop shop pulls together all my offerings, including my signature courses, quick-win courses, freebies, and even my books.
Contact Page– I also set up a brand-new Contact Page to make it easier for you to get in touch. I’m always happy to connect and answer any questions you might have.
Blog Page – The blog page now has a cleaner look, making it easier than ever to explore past posts. With an updated layout, you can quickly find topics that interest you, from writing tips and self-editing advice to productivity hacks for authors.
As you explore the website, you’ll also see brand-new images from a recent photo shoot that perfectly capture the creative, approachable vibe I wanted for the site.
In addition to Shortcuts for Writers, my author website also received a major overhaul, and I’ve connected the two sites with navigation links so you can easily move between them.
I hope you’ll take a few moments to browse the redesigned site. Whether you’re here for editing services, courses, or just to learn more about my journey, I’m excited to welcome you to Shortcuts for Writers.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Author Nancy Houser-Bluhm, one of my editing clients, shares about her two-year journey writing her time travel romance, The Nickel Loop. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to write faster or wondered if all those research rabbit holes were worth it, you’ll want to read this. Nancy’s story spans three eras—1898, 1938, and present day—and she shares the highs and lows of balancing historical accuracy with storytelling. From digging into old maps and slang to working with museum archivists, Nancy’s experience shows just how rewarding (and occasionally overwhelming) writing historical fiction can be. Whether you’re in the middle of your own project or just curious about the research process, you’ll find plenty of insight—and maybe a few lessons to help streamline your own work!
Well, this process was cathartic! Too much energy has gone to chastising myself for being a slow writer. It took me over two years to write my most recent novel, The Nickel Loop.
Some author friends push out two+ books a year. I see now it was a thoughtful process, and feedback is, I got historical elements correct. I adore historical fiction, so research was a delight most days, enjoying every rabbit hole I went down. TNL is a time travel romance with Nicholas, the male character coming to 1938 from 1898. Emmeline, the main female character arrives in 1938 but from current day. My storyline tasked me with three eras to consider. How would a person transported forward 40 years view 1938 compared to a woman arriving from current day?
Thorough research is key to avoiding later criticism. The 1930s was packed with momentous events; it was important to choose which aspects to incorporate while leaving looming war, the depression and dust bowl for another author to tackle. I chose to address several cultural aspects.
I kept voluminous notes and links to articles and photos. Keeping my reference information better organized would top my list of what to do differently. It was cumbersome trying to remember if a reference was in a notebook, in my phone, or on my desktop.
Reading old newspapers helped with language style and events. Nicholas needed to speak with slang from the 1890s, and checking word origins ensured a term was indeed used in the 1890s. The museum archivist from Glenwood Springs, where TNL is set, was as excited to share as I was to listen. I looked at old plot maps showing town density. Old photos helped me describe houses and kitchens of the era. Librarians went to their basements to locate books, allowing me to dive into minutia such as which roads were paved in 1938, and which cars could travel the mountain roads.
I looked at vintage magazines and era fashion books to get clothing right. Men’s clothing had zippers, but it was unseemly for women. I verified information with authors who write earlier eras into their novels. Several 20-somethings advised this boomer on what a twenty-three year old woman would miss most from 2022, as well as what may be appealing about the 1930s. We all know YouTube is great for how-to videos, but now I know it’s a handy way to experience a train ride from Denver to Glenwood Springs.
The triggers for time travel required research of old coins. A near miss was thinking Buffalo Head Nickels were around in the 1890s. I needed to know prices of meals and hotels in the 1930s as well as 1890s. The Nickel Loop has a thread that follows our food delivery systems. The 1930s were a pivotal era in our food production processes. I researched what refrigeration was like and how grocery stores worked.
Being a discovery author (aka pantser), my research paralleled my scenes. I plan to plot my next novel and it will guide research needed in advance. It’s often advised to look at similar genre blurbs before writing your own. It’s also advised to look at author’s explanations of their historical fiction. I invoked literary license while remaining true to America’s 1930s era even if it wasn’t authentic to Glenwood Springs. I acknowledged this at the beginning while at the end I listed samplings of literary license. That may not save me from some historian’s critique but so far, it’s worked.
More About Nancy Houser-Bluhm
Nancy Houser-Bluhm now hails from Michigan after living in the Colorado foothills for 25 years with her husband, various pets, and many, many trees. When she retired from a full-time career as a speech pathologist, report writing was replaced with creative projects-novels, short stories, and inspired poems. Nancy shifted reader’s thinking about the earth’s soil with her debut novel, Whispers for Terra. She enjoys being carried away by a good story while given cause to ponder some aspect of our existence.
Emmeline, a driven young woman, has withdrawn from friends and family since her adored father died suddenly. Traveling by train to visit her sister in a small Colorado town, she steps from 2022 into 1938. When she meets kind, well-educated Nicholas, she recognizes his panic and disbelief. He just arrived from 1898.
The two struggle to grasp their shattered reality, but blending into 1938 draws them close and love sparks. When a psychic offers hope for returning to their own times, will they forfeit what could be?
Nicholas is astonished by the advances 1938 offers, but Emmeline knows the 1930s hold little opportunity for her as a woman. A discovery intensifies the pull back to her own time. Can her heart exist on two timelines?
Have you ever wished for a second chance at love or wished you could go back and change that one thing? If you have, you will be unable to resist Nicholas and Emmeline’s story of love and choice.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Finding the perfect book cover design concept can be a stressful task. Book covers should give readers a sneak peek of what to expect and set an overall tone for the journey ahead. Without a strong cover, readers may decide against investing their time and money into reading your book.
As a freelance editor, I love it when clients share cover concepts for a manuscript I’ve edited. It’s fun to give my two cents and see how the final cover turns out. Sharon Waters is a longtime client and friend who I’ve worked with on several of her books. I didn’t think the original title and cover design for her latest project did her excellent memoir justice. I’ll let her tell you about her path to finding the perfect book cover and title.
I entered the tech business early in the Internet evolution and when websites entered the picture, I was creating them both as a regular job and as a personal sideline. They were so new I had to talk prospective clients into letting me design a website for them, sometimes for pay or even in exchange for their products or services.
As a new medium, websites quickly became the focus of marketing study. I learned that text and images must capture the prospective audiences’ attention and interest within the first seven seconds of viewing. With so much competition in bookstores and online now, I’m sure those first few seconds are even more important. That’s the job of your title and book cover.
I worked on ideas for my latest book for fifteen years and it morphed from a I’m-not-sure-what-it-is, to a social commentary, to finally, a memoir. The narrative never would have worked until I limited my topic to my own experience. But I blundered by staying stuck with my original title and cover concepts and trying to convince myself they’d work; my content came together, but my title and cover were as vague as the content I started with.
My editor, Stacy, to the rescue! She commented that nudity (the image I had chosen was an illustration, but still, a mostly nude subject) would be rejected by publishers and promoters. The last thing I needed was to begin with that strike against me. Plus, my image choice was arresting, but not indicative of my content.
With my content complete, I went back to the drawing board for my book cover. It was a miracle that I had saved a picture of me that was published in a national magazine when I was eight—it showed me perched precariously atop a post. It was the perfect example to indicate the precarious situations I had faced throughout my life. My title, Tipping the Balance: A Memoir of Life on the Edge, resulted from choosing that image.
I prefer to design my own book covers, and my years designing websites has helped me accomplish that. For a memoir, I wanted the cover image to express something personal, not manufactured or slick. The choice of a faded image from the 1950s expressed it perfectly. A glance conveys that it’s about an individual, a young girl who grew up in those times and early on began to experience the precariousness of her life circumstances. With the pushback to find a better cover and title, I couldn’t have done better with the revision.
About The Author
The variety of themes for her books parallel Ms. Waters’s diverse lifestyles. Raised in a small upper New York state town near the Lake Ontario, she attended a traditional liberal arts college nestled near the Appalachian region. From there, she broadened her constrained world with visits to the creative hubs of New York and Boston and jaunts through Europe, South America and the United States.
She began her adult life as a conventional housewife mirroring her conservative upbringing, then became a single mother of three, returned to school, climbed the corporate ladder in technology, and finally dropped out of everything to become a vagabond wandering the eastern seaboard with her two dogs and a cat. Wherever she journeys, Ms. Waters strives to understand the landscapes, social cultures, and people around her. She has studied her topics in-depth, and her personal experiences enhance her perception of what many others must face. Throughout her shifting locations and lifestyles, animals have been her constant companions, from a goldfish that accompanied her to college to her beloved dogs that populate her books. People who love animals find particular comfort in her life stories.
Ms. Waters is always seeking the next place, the next experience. She explored a variety of interests from keeping an assortment of animals amounting to a petting zoo, to serving as a crew member on a tall ship. She achieved her open water diving certificate at the age of sixty-nine, completing it on a cold, windy day in November on the Atlantic seaboard. But she was just getting started. She had settled near the ocean, but then reduced all her possessions to what could fit in an RV and traveled for three years with just her pets.
Although her topics are varied, she has experienced each one of them profoundly and hopes to connect with her readers through the telling of her adventures, joys and sorrows. Ms. Waters broke through personal boundaries and cultural barriers to find satisfaction in a self-defined life. Through her many transformations, Ms. Waters found strength, confidence, and finally peace. She shows how learning and facing challenges can be successful at any age and in unlikely circumstances. She hopes her readers relate, enjoy, and find their own serenity through her writing.
She has authored books about family relationships (Estrangement of Parents by their Adult Children – first and revised second editions), her three-year odyssey in an RV (Three Years in a Walmart Parking Lot), the deep bond she’s shared with her animal friends (Milo, Fear and Joy in a Magic Dog) and her memoir including social reflections from the 1940s to the present (Tipping the Balance: A Memoir of Life on the Edge).
About The Book
Ms. Waters’s bittersweet memoir reveals an emotionally turbulent life teetering on the edge between anguish and resilience. In this manifesto-turned memoir, she writes of loves and loves lost, survival, forgiveness, and adventures in faraway places. Told in vivid anecdotes, this poignant story spotlights the precarious balance she maintains when her family and the people she meets impact her self-esteem and limit her ambitions in a male-dominated world, all the while examining the events and values from the 1940s to the present.
The author survives ill-fated relationships, being swept out to sea, confronting an anaconda, raising children after divorce, and struggling with alcohol and prescribed drugs. Her recovery follows by crafting a dollhouse depicting good and evil, joining a tall ship crew, escaping on a three-year RV odyssey from New England to Florida with her pets, and befriending a wild bird.
In spite of childhood illnesses and family trauma, summers gardening with her Gramma become a life-long reminder of what health and contented living are like. A zoo of animals, especially her Schipperke dogs, offer Ms. Waters comfort and salvation along her way. Just in time, she discovers that there’s no place like home in a garden of her own making.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
* What the software does with the cover of my book, Dark Before Dawn, in a matter of seconds * Explain the types of designs you can create * Share the pros and cons
I’m an affiliate of this product, so I will receive a commission if you purchase through my link,but I’ve also been a customer for several years. It saves me time, and I think it could save you time, too. Best of all, through my affiliate link, you can grab this tool for $97 rather than the regular $207 price.
I don’t know about you, but I think writing a book is a lot more fun than promoting it! When there are ways to streamline tedious marketing tasks, I’m all for it.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
For just $49, you’ll receive lifetime access to the replay, slides, course materials, and bonus session, all hosted in the Shortcuts for Writers Thrivecart dashboard.
If you haven’t met Beth, she teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books, and find their readers, as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”
To learn more about NLP and the workshop, read my interview with Beth below.
What is NLP and how can it benefit writers? Is it for mindset, motivation, developing your story, or all of the above?
NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming and it can benefit writers in lots of different ways. I primarily use it for mindset, motivation, overcoming writer’s block, dealing with the intrusive editor’s voice, and also to develop characters, refine character arcs, and support the writing process or workflow and enhance creative flow.
When you Google NLP, the types of techniques sound technical. Could you give us a brief overview in layman’s terms about what type of techniques fall under the umbrella of NLP? Are they techniques that people should just do once, or on a regular basis?
Sure, another way to think about NLP is what it can do for us. NLP can help us get clear on our internal habits, so that we can change them. Our habits lead to outcomes. NLP helps us become aware of our internal thought processes that lead to the outcomes we want. NLP uses a talking modality, a sequence of questions and answers to gain insight into how you’re really processing reality, so that you can shift and change toward your goal. You can use the simple techniques and tools all the time on new issues or concerns. The way I was trained is a transformational heart-centered approach helping people change without shaming who you are or were.
The simple tools I teach writers and I use with my clients are about asking questions—asking questions with curiosity, openness, and with a sense that we humans are very resourceful but we don’t always have access to them. NLP helps us have access to more inner resources and create the gentle habits to lead us to the outcome we’d like.
How did you get interested in NLP and how has it helped you with your writing?
I got interested in NLP at a business training years ago. The trainers used NLP to help people get clear on their goals and understand how often the things we think are in our way are not really what’s in our way. NLP is a way of understanding and tracking how humans are wired and how we grow, learn, and change. These business trainers had embedded NLP inside of the business tools they were teaching us. They told us they both trained at NLP Marin, so I checked it out, and then did their practitioner program—over 600 hours of training and practice.
These tools have not only helped me as a writer, but they also have helped me in every area of my business. Now I understand better how humans code reality so I can shape characters with more precision, I can edit with more awareness and can use these tools to get unstuck when I’m stuck with my story. It’s not the only toolkit I use but it is definitely one of the things I use to help me write compelling fiction.
How has learning NLP helped you with developing characters?
One of the benefits of these NLP tools is that once you use them for creating a change in yourself then it’s hard to remember what it was like before the change. I was going through my NLP practitioner certification training while working on books two and three in my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer series, and it made understanding my characters so much easier than I had experienced in book one. But it’s hard to chalk that up to only NLP. It could also have been connected to just growing and learning as a novelist.
Still, one of the things that I do put a lot of attention to when I’m story planning is a character’s change in their sense of self from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. I really got clear from the NLP training that for a character to face the big crisis and overcome it in the climax of the story, usually there has to have been an internal shift in their sense of self or in some primary belief that they held at the beginning of the story. I know I got this learning and this awareness from the NLP training. And now I teach it in my story planning and character development workshops and also part of our NLP for Fiction Writers Workshop.
What do you hope authors will come away with after this workshop?
My hope Is that authors will come away with a few exercises that they can use whenever they are stuck and a few exercises that they can use to craft compelling characters or to edit better characters for their novels.
Do you have anything else to add?
NLP has gotten a bad rap over the years because people have used it to manipulate others. But what is language really? What are we really doing with our novels? We are actually willingly manipulating the emotions of our readers to give them an outcome they desire. So like any tool NLP can be used for good or ill.
ABOUT BETH
Award-winning novelist and international writing teacher, Beth Barany, writes magical tales of romance, mystery, and adventure that empower women and girls to be the heroes of their own lives. She is the award-winning author of the YA fantasy series, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, and the sci-fi mystery space station investigator series, starting with the award-winning, Into The Black, and of the acclaimed sweet paranormal romance Touchstone series.
Beth has also written books for writers, including Plan Your Novel Like A Pro, co-written with her husband, thriller writer Ezra Barany. Beth is currently at work on the fifth Janey McCallister science fiction mystery novel. Also, a Master NLP Practitioner, and certified creativity coach for writers, Beth runs a mastermind program for science fiction and fantasy writers to unleash their story’s potential and transform their draft into a publish-ready masterpiece and find their readers. She also facilitates and consults on Creative Entrepreneurship for fiction writers. A specialist in world building, Beth runs the podcast, How To Write The Future, and helps writers create positive, optimistic stories, because when we vision what is possible, we help make it so.
Learn how NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, boosts writing productivity and writing quality for authors. This approach is a gentle tool fostering self-acceptance while achieving desired outcomes effortlessly.
This workshop empowers writers at all levels to enhance their skills and overcome hurdles. You’re invited to engage curiosity and playfulness to refine your craft and improve your creative process.
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore:
– NLP’s advantages in learning new skills
– How to harness the senses to enrich your storytelling
– How to connect to the readers’ experiences
– A tool to beat procrastination and focus on writing
Perfect for writers seeking to enhance their skills, in this workshop, you’ll gain practical techniques to clarify your creative goals, expand your writer toolkit, and conquer writing challenges.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Tracy Finistrella, a professional copy editor and proofreader who explains spellcheck vs proofreading.
Remember 
A more modern nonfiction story is “
Starting with the cover, the “double life” of snowmen is suggested by a daytime view of snowmen standing in front of houses, but the bottom half of the cover suggests that these same snowmen have a secret life after dark.
As you explore the website, you’ll also see brand-new images from a recent photo shoot that perfectly capture the creative, approachable vibe I wanted for the site.
