https://www.crashcrawford.com/blogBLOG RSSTue, 16 Dec 2025 17:46:31 GMTTue, 16 Dec 2025 17:46:31 GMThttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/maintaining-continuityOne of the things that new authors struggle with is maintaining continuity throughout their work.  There should be a character thread that becomes evident in each chapter.  Certainly your main character must grow and improve, but he/she is still the same person (character arc).  Here's an interesting article from a Penguin/Random House editor that I think you will find helpful:https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/maintaining-continuity-tales-from-the-copy-editor/?ref=Email_B2C_2015-11-5Wed, 31 Dec 2025 19:17:40https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/maintaining-continuityhttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/discipline-discipline-disciplineWhen I speak to writers' groups and meet aspiring authors, I frequently hear them complain about not being able to find the time to write. If writing is important enough to you, you must MAKE the time. Period. If you can't find the time to write, then it is certainly not a passion. If it were, you would employ the necessary time management skills to make it happen.I remember reading an article about Texan billionaire, H. L. Hunt. The interviewer asked him to identify the "secret of success."Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:35:30https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/discipline-discipline-disciplinehttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-blog.-of-course-wed-say-thatHere's a great article on what you need to know before you ever have a book published.  I wish I had found an article of this nature in my early years as a writer.https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/842-5-things-writers-need-to-know-before-publishing-their-first-bookFri, 19 Dec 2025 18:30:58https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-blog.-of-course-wed-say-thathttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-itHere's a bit of information that might be of interest to aspiring writers. What is the best way to begin your novel?  One of the most effective ways is to start things off "in medias res," (translated: "in the middle of things").  You don't want your story to begin in the same manner as a fairy tale, "once upon a time."  Avoid filling the first ten pages of your few chapters with exposition.Consider this: begin writing your manuscript.  As soon as things get interesting, (let's say on pageWed, 17 Dec 2025 18:41:49https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-ithttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/why-your-titles-should-be-no-longer-than-thisFor some reason, a lot of readers think that authors simply write a story or manuscript, submit it to their editors, and collect a check. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like that.  What no one ever tells you about are the incessant rewrites that take you from first draft to final draft.In the Charlie Collier, Snoop for Hire series, I have had to do up to FIVE rewrites for a single book.  It's the part of the job that I least enjoy.  As the title suggests, "Writing is great. Rewriting isWed, 17 Dec 2025 18:37:23https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/why-your-titles-should-be-no-longer-than-thishttps://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/6-top-tips-for-a-tip-top-blogWhat are the two toughest words to write?  How about "The End?"  You want so badly to finish your novel.  You want so badly for readers to feel a sense of fulfillment when they've finished reading it.  So how do you know when you can safely write "The End?"Here's an interesting article from the Author News section on the Penguin Random House website.  I hope you find it helpful.https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/how-do-you-know-when-youre-done-writing/?ref=Email_B2C_2015-8-12Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:31:47https://www.crashcrawford.com/blog/6-top-tips-for-a-tip-top-blog