Before you hit Send

Run a final spelling and grammar check. Make sure your character names are spelled correctly. Cut junk words. Here are 43 to delete. Cut adverbs. Cut even more. Instead, use stronger verbs. Remove unnecessary dialogue tags. Purposeful actions or emotion beats are more powerful and still show readers who is speaking. Do a search in your writing for was or any other verb form of to be (am, are, is, were, was, being, been, and be). This is a hint that you may have slipped into passive voice. Is a person doing an action or is an inanimate object acting upon something or itself? If you’re unsure how to identify passive voice, using the Hemmingway…