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Is Quillbots the best paraphrase tool? (AI writing & editing software)

Is Quillbots the best paraphrase tool? (AI writing & editing software)

Short answer: Yes, for now. Content respinners, rewording tools and sentence rephrasers have been around for a long time. It was a way for black-hat SEO gurus to steal content and make it unique enough to still rank in google So why is Quillbot blowing up right now? AI Writing Tools are brand new and

Derek Murphy editing, writing, writing tips 211
How to get reliable feedback on your writing (is your writing good enough?)

How to get reliable feedback on your writing (is your writing good enough?)

Today on Reddit I saw a post from a young author who felt unsupported. He was seeking someone to edit his book for free, or give feedback or commentary. I’m sharing my response because I truly sympathize: writing can be hard and isolating. And getting real feedback from a developmental editor is expensive. I charge $5K+ for editing and...

Derek Murphy editing, writing, writing tips 266
The Best Writing Coaches to Hire for your Book

The Best Writing Coaches to Hire for your Book

I started this article ages ago but only recently decided to finish it: in the past I’ve been skeptical of writing coaches in general, and even made an hour long rant in Bali against publishing packages charging high rates. So let me start with that: most books won’t earn money, because most books aren’t written

Derek Murphy editing, writing, writing tips 332
How to edit a book: the five stages of editing your novel needs

How to edit a book: the five stages of editing your novel needs

I made a short video series about my editing and revision process but never added it to my blog, so here it is: The 5 stages of self editing Once I’m done with a first rough draft, I go through a 5-step editing process to make sure my book is as good as it can

Derek Murphy editing, nanowrimo, proofreading 413
Best editing software to proofread your book (ProWritingAid vs Grammarly for authors)

Best editing software to proofread your book (ProWritingAid vs Grammarly for authors)

The short version: Grammarly finds more typos and actual mistakes. In a full manuscript, it found 7 while ProWritingAid only caught 1. However, ProWritingAid sometimes catches things that Grammarly misses, and has very useful more advanced features that can help improve your writing by flagging slow passages, complex paragraphs, or repetition...

Derek Murphy editing, marketing, proofreading 662

Is my writing good enough? How to tell if you have what it takes to be a writer.

If you’re thinking about becoming a writer, you might be asking yourself whether you’re “Good Enough” to go professional. The short answer is YES, because quality doesn’t matter. Let me explain: Readers read for content, not quality.  Yes, it needs to be clean and edited enough not to be distracting. I shoot...

Derek Murphy editing, self editing 514
25 Self-Editing Tips for Indie Authors (and 8 unfortunately common writing mistakes that make you look like an amateur)

25 Self-Editing Tips for Indie Authors (and 8 unfortunately common writing mistakes that make you look like an amateur)

Years of publishing has taught me that a book written and published quickly can be just as good (or better) than one that took ten years to polish. Even though I have a PhD in Literature and spent nearly a decade as a book editor, I’ve seen far too many beautifully edited books fail; I’ve

Derek Murphy editing, how to write a book, proofreading your book, writing 1229
The creative war between writers and editors (and how to call a ceasefire)

The creative war between writers and editors (and how to call a ceasefire)

I recently watched the movie “Genius” – which is about Thomas Wolfe and the editor who got him into print. The topic is a fascinating one, something I’ve discussed in previous posts, but fleshed out in more romantic detail in the movie. In short: “genius” is the pure, uncivilized, manic, raw, passionate...

Derek Murphy editing, writing 356
Why you’re (probably) incapable of editing your own book (and so is everyone else)

Why you’re (probably) incapable of editing your own book (and so is everyone else)

Last week I went through my manuscript one last time and sent it out to beta readers; I’d already gone through it a dozen times, and I thought it was pretty clean. I assumed there’d be a handful of typos (there always are), and that the beta readers would catch them (they usually do). However,

Derek Murphy editing, writing 73
How much does book editing cost? And are you getting ripped off?

How much does book editing cost? And are you getting ripped off?

This is a long post, so I’ve summarized some info near the top for quick answers: Here is a list of book editing services along with an indication of the typical costs associated with each service. Please note that the costs can vary depending on factors such as the length and complexity of the manuscript,

Derek Murphy editing, proofreading 2627
How to REALLY self-edit your novel after Nanowrimo: 8 rookie mistakes to avoid!

How to REALLY self-edit your novel after Nanowrimo: 8 rookie mistakes to avoid!

I used to be a full-time editor. Since then, I don’t often read amateur/mediocre books. I rarely have time to read as it is, so I only read brilliant, perfected writing. Unless I’m helping somebody out with a review, cover, or something else – in which case the book may be suffering from common rookie

Derek Murphy editing, line editing, nanowrimo, self-edit 247
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Book Writing & Publishing Tips from a Creativity Alchemist
From starving artist to creative genius. Marketing tips for artists and writers... so you can create your best work and thrive.

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Mastering the Art of Persuasion: A Deep Dive into Rhetorical Devices
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Free fiction writer’s template to help you plan and structure your novel (24 chapter plotting outline for word, scrivener, G-Docs, plottr)
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