lessons in writing

Working with an editor on the latest revision of my novel has been so immensely helpful, and I am learning so much. There are things I was already doing intuitively, but I didn’t know the lingo for it, nor was I conscious enough of what I was doing to be intentional about it.

For example, I learned abut “beats”—those little body movements that help you visualize the characters in motion.

So, in the scene below, instead of adding an ellipsis (…) to show the break in conversation, I highlight the pause in the dialogue as follows:

“That all sounds really noble.” Jason delivered Sage’s green tea, and she poured the steaming hot liquid from the cast iron teapot into the ceramic mug he’d provided. “But you haven’t answered my question as to whether Tina’s been dating.”

For those of you who write: What have you learned in your own writing process? ✍🏼📖✨