Darling Axe Editing
@darlingaxe.com
Novel development & editing services. Our editors are industry experts and award-winning writers. Take your manuscript to the next level.
DarlingAxe.com
DarlingAxe.com
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The Long Game: Writing a Mystery Series
While most agents and publishers want a first book to stand alone, it’s a bonus if your mystery novel (or any novel) has series potential.
darlingaxe.com
The Long Game: Writing a Mystery Series
While most agents and publishers want a first book to stand alone, it’s a bonus if your mystery novel (or any novel) has series potential.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity #writerslife #booksky
While most agents and publishers want a first book to stand alone, it’s a bonus if your mystery novel (or any novel) has series potential.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity #writerslife #booksky
Awkwardness: The Novelist's Secret Weapon
In our personal lives, we expend a lot of energy trying to avoid awkward situations. In fiction, we should embrace them.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/a...
#writingcommunity
In our personal lives, we expend a lot of energy trying to avoid awkward situations. In fiction, we should embrace them.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/a...
#writingcommunity
Awkwardness: The Novelist's Secret Weapon
In our personal lives, we expend a lot of energy trying to avoid awkward situations. In fiction, we should embrace them.
darlingaxe.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Awkwardness: The Novelist's Secret Weapon
In our personal lives, we expend a lot of energy trying to avoid awkward situations. In fiction, we should embrace them.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/a...
#writingcommunity
In our personal lives, we expend a lot of energy trying to avoid awkward situations. In fiction, we should embrace them.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/a...
#writingcommunity
"Lukewarm" actually has nothing to do with a guy named Luke. It comes from Middle English "lewk" (tepid) + "warm." It's like saying "warm-warm" 😄
#etymology
#etymology
November 25, 2025 at 8:47 AM
"Lukewarm" actually has nothing to do with a guy named Luke. It comes from Middle English "lewk" (tepid) + "warm." It's like saying "warm-warm" 😄
#etymology
#etymology
Not all novels begin with an inciting incident!
Story Structure in The Great Gatsby, part 4 of 4 😁✌️
Story Structure in The Great Gatsby, part 4 of 4 😁✌️
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Not all novels begin with an inciting incident!
Story Structure in The Great Gatsby, part 4 of 4 😁✌️
Story Structure in The Great Gatsby, part 4 of 4 😁✌️
Book Broker — An interview with Kate McKean
"It is and isn't a numbers game, but moreover it's a connection game. You just want to find the agent who is passionate about your work."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"It is and isn't a numbers game, but moreover it's a connection game. You just want to find the agent who is passionate about your work."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
Book Broker – an interview with Kate McKean
It is and isn't a numbers game, but moreover it's a connection game. You just want to find the agent who is passionate about your work. You can't do that unless you query.
darlingaxe.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Book Broker — An interview with Kate McKean
"It is and isn't a numbers game, but moreover it's a connection game. You just want to find the agent who is passionate about your work."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"It is and isn't a numbers game, but moreover it's a connection game. You just want to find the agent who is passionate about your work."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
“Gossip” began as Old English godsibb for a godparent or god-relative. The meaning came to represent the idle talk of family members.
#etymology
#etymology
November 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM
“Gossip” began as Old English godsibb for a godparent or god-relative. The meaning came to represent the idle talk of family members.
#etymology
#etymology
Book Broker—an interview with Patricia Nelson
"The first thing I look for is premise: does this feel like a story that hasn't been told before, or that hasn't been told in this specific way?"
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"The first thing I look for is premise: does this feel like a story that hasn't been told before, or that hasn't been told in this specific way?"
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
Book Broker – an interview with Patricia Nelson
If I get to page fifty and there still hasn't been an inciting incident, or the main character is being pushed along by the events of the plot rather than making choices that drive the action, the…
darlingaxe.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Book Broker—an interview with Patricia Nelson
"The first thing I look for is premise: does this feel like a story that hasn't been told before, or that hasn't been told in this specific way?"
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"The first thing I look for is premise: does this feel like a story that hasn't been told before, or that hasn't been told in this specific way?"
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
Book Broker — an interview with Lindsay Edgecombe
"Publishing must become more diverse, both in terms of what we publish, but also in those of us working in the industry."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"Publishing must become more diverse, both in terms of what we publish, but also in those of us working in the industry."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
Book Broker – an interview with Lindsay Edgecombe
Publishing must become more diverse, both in terms of what we publish, but also in terms of those of us working in the industry.
darlingaxe.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Book Broker — an interview with Lindsay Edgecombe
"Publishing must become more diverse, both in terms of what we publish, but also in those of us working in the industry."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
"Publishing must become more diverse, both in terms of what we publish, but also in those of us working in the industry."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b...
#amquerying #mswl
Should Editors Dissuade Their Clients from Traditional Publishing If It Seems Unrealistic?
"To me, an unpublishable manuscript is simply not publishable yet."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
"To me, an unpublishable manuscript is simply not publishable yet."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
Should Editors Dissuade Their Clients from Traditional Publishing If It Seems Unrealistic?
To me, an unpublishable manuscript is simply not publishable yet.
darlingaxe.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Should Editors Dissuade Their Clients from Traditional Publishing If It Seems Unrealistic?
"To me, an unpublishable manuscript is simply not publishable yet."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
"To me, an unpublishable manuscript is simply not publishable yet."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
Who is your favorite antagonist from a classic novel?
November 21, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Who is your favorite antagonist from a classic novel?
Story Skeleton: The Scarlet Letter
"In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
"In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
Story Skeleton—The Scarlet Letter
In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too. Everything bouncing around inside a character’s head contributes to their complexity and, therefore,…
darlingaxe.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Story Skeleton: The Scarlet Letter
"In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
"In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too."
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t...
#writingcommunity
November 20, 2025 at 8:47 AM
What is a theme you keep returning to?
November 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
What is a theme you keep returning to?
How (and Why) to Structure Your Memoir Like a Bestselling Novel
An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity
An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity
How (and Why) to Structure Your Memoir Like a Bestselling Novel
An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling.
darlingaxe.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:47 AM
How (and Why) to Structure Your Memoir Like a Bestselling Novel
An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity
An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling.
darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m...
#writingcommunity
November 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
Working through my edits, courtesy of the @darlingaxe.com team )
Kara and Davy, my comma lodestars in a sea of doubt.
Kara and Davy, my comma lodestars in a sea of doubt.
November 17, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Working through my edits, courtesy of the @darlingaxe.com team )
Kara and Davy, my comma lodestars in a sea of doubt.
Kara and Davy, my comma lodestars in a sea of doubt.
November 17, 2025 at 5:19 PM
A writing professor once told me,"there is nothing easy or cheap about being clear."
#writingcommunity #booksky
#writingcommunity #booksky
November 16, 2025 at 4:39 PM
A writing professor once told me,"there is nothing easy or cheap about being clear."
#writingcommunity #booksky
#writingcommunity #booksky
Coincidences can work well at the inciting incident or if they make things worse for your protagonist, but otherwise they tend to feel cheap and mechanical.
#creativewriting
#writingtips
#writingcommunity
#writingadvice
#creativewriting
#writingtips
#writingcommunity
#writingadvice
November 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Coincidences can work well at the inciting incident or if they make things worse for your protagonist, but otherwise they tend to feel cheap and mechanical.
#creativewriting
#writingtips
#writingcommunity
#writingadvice
#creativewriting
#writingtips
#writingcommunity
#writingadvice
Explanation vs dramatization is at the heart of the famous (infamous?) craft advice: "show, don't tell."
#amwriting #writerslife
#amwriting #writerslife
November 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Explanation vs dramatization is at the heart of the famous (infamous?) craft advice: "show, don't tell."
#amwriting #writerslife
#amwriting #writerslife
November 13, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
"I had heard of book awards, but I wasn’t confident in two things: the contest fees and the idea of competing against other books. I felt I didn’t stand a chance."
@chitalmehta.bsky.social did, in fact, stand a chance.
@chitalmehta.bsky.social did, in fact, stand a chance.
How Revising My Novel While Querying Helped Me Win a Book Award | Jane Friedman
When agents suggest further revision, we might need time and distance to see our MS through their eyes—but doing the work can pay dividends.
janefriedman.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:21 PM
"I had heard of book awards, but I wasn’t confident in two things: the contest fees and the idea of competing against other books. I felt I didn’t stand a chance."
@chitalmehta.bsky.social did, in fact, stand a chance.
@chitalmehta.bsky.social did, in fact, stand a chance.
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
Emotion isn’t just about characters laughing or crying. What truly defines a character’s emotional depth is not just what they feel, but how they express it.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
What Makes Character Voice Memorable: Emotion | Jane Friedman
This excerpt from a new craft book by Jordan Rosenfeld explores the many ways our fictional characters manifest their internal emotions.
janefriedman.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Emotion isn’t just about characters laughing or crying. What truly defines a character’s emotional depth is not just what they feel, but how they express it.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
Lots of folks on Threads are talking about the staggering amount of scammer emails from people pretending to be book clubs, reviewers, and more.
Seems like the endgame is eventually getting you to pay a good chunk of money for promotions and readers that likely don’t exist.
Be careful out there.
Seems like the endgame is eventually getting you to pay a good chunk of money for promotions and readers that likely don’t exist.
Be careful out there.
November 11, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Lots of folks on Threads are talking about the staggering amount of scammer emails from people pretending to be book clubs, reviewers, and more.
Seems like the endgame is eventually getting you to pay a good chunk of money for promotions and readers that likely don’t exist.
Be careful out there.
Seems like the endgame is eventually getting you to pay a good chunk of money for promotions and readers that likely don’t exist.
Be careful out there.
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
Is The Great Gatsby an example of Passive Protagonist Syndrome? (No.)
A short video 😁
A short video 😁
November 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Is The Great Gatsby an example of Passive Protagonist Syndrome? (No.)
A short video 😁
A short video 😁
Reposted by Darling Axe Editing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"This book is a hilarious mess in the best way possible."
"It was so funny I snorted soda out of my nose."
"A hilarious magical parody of the US-Canada trade war."
mybook.to/dragoneggs
"This book is a hilarious mess in the best way possible."
"It was so funny I snorted soda out of my nose."
"A hilarious magical parody of the US-Canada trade war."
mybook.to/dragoneggs
November 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"This book is a hilarious mess in the best way possible."
"It was so funny I snorted soda out of my nose."
"A hilarious magical parody of the US-Canada trade war."
mybook.to/dragoneggs
"This book is a hilarious mess in the best way possible."
"It was so funny I snorted soda out of my nose."
"A hilarious magical parody of the US-Canada trade war."
mybook.to/dragoneggs