Alyssa Matesic Profile picture
✏️ book editor helping authors strengthen their stories (prev @randomhouse @thebookgrp) 💌 free writing/publishing tips & insights: https://t.co/oNYD4Fa9Zs
Feb 13 8 tweets 2 min read
Here’s one of my favorite tricks that can help you fix almost any issue in your draft: reverse outlining.

If you haven’t heard of it, it’s when you create a very detailed outline/summary of everything that happens in your novel—AFTER you’ve already finished your draft. A 🧵: Whether you create a bullet list of chapters & scenes in a Word doc or make a detailed spreadsheet, you’ll end up w/ a high-level summary of your book that you can use as a cheat sheet to spot & correct many issues in your WIP.

Here are just a few things it can help you with:
Jan 17 7 tweets 2 min read
It’s one of the most common pieces of writing advice out there: “show, don’t tell.” But it’s not quite that simple. Both “showing” AND “telling” have their place in effective storytelling.

The key is to know how to recognize & use both. A 🧵: This writing “rule” is meant to encourage writers to immerse the reader in a specific, revealing moment (“show”) rather than provide a general summary or a description (“tell”). It’s a means of closing the narrative distance — making the reader feel closer to the story.
Dec 26, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
No writer wants to hear that the story they’ve invested months or years of work in feels unoriginal, overdone or cliché.

But it’s not game over for your story. If this is feedback you’ve gotten or something you’re worried about, keep this in mind (🧵): “Overdone” can be subjective. What feels cliché or overdone to one reader is not necessarily the same for another.

You know what is unique and special about your story. Are you highlighting it in your hook/blurb? Can you bring it more to the forefront?
Oct 26, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
If you’re considering traditional publishing, you’ve probably heard a lot about the “Big Five” publishing houses in the US.

But who are the Big Five, & what do you need to know about them? A #publishing 🧵: The Big Five publishers in the US are the 5 companies responsible for the vast majority of trade publishing. Trade publishing differs from academic publishing, which includes anything that has an educational lens (i.e., textbooks & research journals).
Sep 22, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
It’s a scary step for many writers: Sharing your story w/ others.

I totally get why it feels so vulnerable to let people read your work, but you need to face that fear if you want to grow your skills & reach your writing & publishing goals. An #amwriting 🧵: First, a caveat: If you're writing for personal reasons, such as in a journal to document your life, it’s fine to keep it private! But if you’re reading this, you likely want to get your story published eventually, & in that case, sharing your work is a necessary step.
Sep 20, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
As a developmental editor, I most often work w/ authors on early drafts, and the same issues come up again and again.

Here are the top 3 mistakes I see in 1st drafts, so you can catch & correct them in your own WIP (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. Inappropriate word count. Ideal book length varies, but many 1st drafts are too long/too short. Your novel should be the exact number of words the story warrants & can justify.

If the pace lags, you may want to trim the fat. If it feels rushed, you may want to deepen areas.
Sep 13, 2023 6 tweets 1 min read
It’s a great debate in the #writingcommunity: should you write a prologue or not?

It’s a particular concern for authors who are querying, considering the 1st 10 pages or 1st chapter are typically what you submit to agents. So, to prologue or not to prologue? (an #amwriting 🧵): Many #amquerying authors fear that their MS will be automatically rejected if it includes a prologue. If you have a prologue as part of your sample pgs, you may be wondering if it’s going to be received well or if you should just hack it off (or begin w/ the first chap instead).
Sep 8, 2023 11 tweets 2 min read
When it comes down to it, #amquerying is a numbers game. So, it makes sense for authors to ask, “How many agents should I query?”

To help you optimize your querying process, here are my tips for determining how many agents to reach out to (a 🧵): First, we have to consider how many agents there are. I usually look to QueryTracker for this info, as it’s the most widely used database in the industry.

Currently, they have more than 1,700 listings for agents (mostly based in the US, but also in the UK & elsewhere).
Sep 6, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
Your novel blurb may be the most powerful part of your query. A good blurb makes the agent eager to read your sample pgs & hopefully request your full MS.

Want to nail yours? Here’s what to do — and what to avoid (an #amquerying 🧵): Do: Introduce the protagonist. Usually, you’ll do this in the opening line of your blurb. If you have multiple protags/shifting POVs, try to include them as well.

This sets the expectation for who the agent will meet in the novel & gives a sense of whose story it is.
Sep 5, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
If you’re an #amquerying author, you’re probably familiar w/ the emphasis on choosing good comparable (or comp) titles. But why are comp titles so important? Do you REALLY need them?

I always suggest including comp titles if you can, for a few important reasons (a 🧵): 1. They help agents understand your MS. Comps can immediately paint a more specific picture of what your book is like than genre alone can.

Ex: Wolf Hall & A Gentleman in Moscow are both historical fic, but w/ v different styles & audiences.
Sep 1, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
There’s a reason why so many people start books & never finish them. Writing a book takes time, energy & stamina, & it’s common to run out of steam.

If you’ve been struggling to get to the end, here are a few strategies for FINALLY finishing that WIP (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. Make it a priority. It’s easy for writing time to get pushed out of your day due to work & family responsibilities, but reframing it as something you MUST fit into your schedule can help you reach the finish line. Any time counts, even if it’s just 30 mins before work or bed.
Aug 31, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
Self-editing is a crucial part of the #amwritingprocess — esp. if you want to make your story the best it can be.

I know many writers find it grueling, but there ARE some simple, painless tweaks you can make to your own work before getting external feedback (a 🧵): 1. Check tenses. It’s surprisingly easy to unintentionally switch btwn past & present tense within the same scene, paragraph or page.

You can spot this in your own draft by looking closely @ ea verb used in the scene & making sure it’s the correct tense.
Aug 29, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
It’s a question nearly every writer has asked at some point: Am I a good writer? It’s difficult to answer, not just b/c you are so close to your writing, but also b/c art is subjective. That said, there are some signs you’re on the right track (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. You understand writing vs. storytelling. Good writers can convey a thought thru a string of words, but great writers know that’s only one piece. You also have to have a clear story to tell. Writing allows you to communicate; storytelling is how you touch & move readers.
Aug 24, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
Your opening pages may be the most important in the entire MS. After all, they determine if a reader (or agent) will get invested in your story or put it down. No pressure!

Stressing over your first scene? Here are 3 ways to write an effective opening (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. Use a character detail. Hook readers w/ an interesting bit of backstory, an intriguing personality trait, or an interesting action that your character is taking.

This method works b/c it establishes an emotional connection w/ your char & gets readers invested in their story.
Aug 22, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
Becoming a bestselling author is a dream on many writers’ bucket lists. I won’t sugarcoat it — it’s an extremely tough thing to accomplish. But it IS possible, even for debut authors.

If your goal is to write a bestseller, here are 5 tips to help you get there. An #amwriting 🧵: 1. Read a TON. Reading in your genre is critical. You should know what’s going on in the literary landscape if you want to become a bestseller.

This will help you understand your audience & competition & can spark ideas & strategies for your own books.
Aug 17, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
Getting feedback on your MS is essential to making your book the best it can possibly be. But should you seek feedback from beta readers or a pro book editor?

Both can help you strengthen your story in important ways, but there are a few key differences (an #amediting 🧵): Note: if you plan to query literary agents, it’s not necessary to work formally with someone in an editorial capacity prior to seeking representation. Some authors choose to, while others rigorously self-edit or work with trusted writing partners. Every journey looks different!
Aug 15, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
I’ve worked w/ hundreds of authors over my editing career, and I’ve seen many struggle to spot one tricky issue in their work: unintentional head hopping.

To help, here’s a quick primer on what head hopping is (& how it differs from omniscient POV). An #amwriting 🧵: First, a definition: In short, head hopping occurs when we occupy the interiorities or the headspaces of multiple characters w/in the same scene. Typically, we’re moving between them seemingly at random, w/ no real pattern regarding when we are switching between POVs.
Aug 10, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
For your novel to work, your plot has to hold up from beginning to end. But that’s much easier said than done.

One of the biggest plot issues I see when editing? An overall lack of cohesion btwn different parts of the book (an #amwriting 🧵): When I say a novel lacks cohesion, I mean that the 1st part of the story (say, the 1st third or 1st half) looks nothing like the rest of the book.

This could happen if, for ex., you introduce a second character POV or jump far ahead in time halfway through the novel.
Aug 8, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
Choosing the perfect title can be daunting. You want it to reflect your story well & make readers pick up the book.

If you have an untitled ms, here are 4 strategies to help you finally find that perfect title (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. Create a noun phrase. Many great titles are just an intriguing string of words describing a person, place or thing (ex: The Girl on the Train, The Midnight Library).

They're simply constructed, easy to understand & immediately help us visualize some aspect of the book.
Aug 3, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
So, you have a finished draft of your WIP. You know there’s room for improvement, but you’re just not sure where to start.

I get it — revisions can be daunting! To help you get started, here are 4 tactical improvements to make in your MS (an #amwriting 🧵): 1. Properly introduce characters. If a new character randomly appears in a scene, it can disorient readers.

Any time you introduce an important character for the 1st time, make sure you call proper attention to them & signal their relationship to the other main characters.
Aug 1, 2023 6 tweets 1 min read
As a book editor, I truly believe revisions are where the magic happens and the story blossoms. But many authors get overwhelmed by the process.

If revisions give you the heebie-jeebies, here are 3 methods you can use to get started (an #amediting 🧵): 1. Big to small: My rec! Start w/ big changes, like rearranging scenes, & then work through sentence-level revisions.

This requires more work upfront but can be efficient b/c once you get to the smaller edits, you’ll already have those bigger changes taken care of.