Anne Morgan Edits

writing tips, editing insights, & Behind the scenes in an editor's life

Hello Reader!

Congratulations everyone! We made it through January! Was it just me or did it feel like a crazy month? Snow in the South, colder than average temperatures other places and those wildfires! My heart goes out to everyone who was touched by the LA fires. Not to mention the recent plane crashes.

As of the end of January I sent my second round of developmental edits back to my fantasy author. I was so excited by her revisions and I can't wait for our next video chat to see where she wants to go from here. I also had a wonderful long talk with my historical mystery writer and we enjoyed digging into characters and their emotional arcs and evolutions, not to mention murder motives (it is a mystery after all!). As much as I like being behind the screen with my edits so that I can get my thoughts in order and my words right before I send them off, I sometimes think it's the talks with writers I love the most. Asking questions and bouncing ideas back and forth can lead to such interesting places in a writer's mind!

I'm happy to report that the updated copy for my new website is finished, and my web designer is now working her magic behind the scenes. I may see the first draft in early February and we're looking right now at early to mid-March for the official launch. Which means you should get to see my new logos in March too. I hope you all like it, because I'm super excited. I think (I hope!) you see more of my personality in it.

I'm also excited to say that this newsletter is launching something new: interviews with editors and other publishing professionals! My goal is to expose authors to both more information on different aspects of the editing and publishing industry and to the community out there willing and able to support writers. I'm also open to interviewing writers about their experience with the publishing process. We'll try it for a few issues and then I'll do a poll to see if you guys like it enough for me to continue. Remember, this newsletter is still relatively new and I'm still feeling out what everyone wants from it! So feedback is always welcome.

Writing Tip: When you're stuck writing dialogue, ask yourself: what is the goal of each charater in the scene? What kind of conflict comes up on the way to their goals? Flirty banter, witty repartee, terse sentences or actual fighting? These can all be fun ways to move your scenes forward and get into your character's mind.

Editing Insights Club

Welcome to the Editing Insights Club! Here I'll introduce you to editors and other professionals from all over the freelance publishing world. You'll see we're all here to be part of the community that supports writers on their journey to success.

Meet: Jessica Andersen

Brand Book Strategist

https://jessicalandersen.lpages.co/shop/

What type of content do you edit or proofread?

My clients are writing Brand Books—my term for marketing/business books. Their goals with this evergreen content are to position themselves as experts, build brand awareness, attract paid keynotes, and invite readers to become clients. I work with them at all stages of creating the content, from strategizing the core message and themes to outlining to writing and editing, all the way to proofreading.

What's your favorite thing about your work?

I love celebrating their wins when they launch their book, like when they attract 5 new clients in just two weeks, or when they sell hundreds of copies despite not having a built-in audience, or when they reach bestseller status in their genre. But the best feeling is when my clients see such incredible success with their first Brand Book that they decide to write another one!

What is one tip you like to share with writers searching for (or working with) an editor?

Make sure you always work with service providers who align with your core values. For example, among the editors you’re considering, do any of them promise “perfection”? Dig into that. Do any of them publicly state their stance on AI-generated content or AI editing tools? If not, ask them. Having a candid conversation upfront before you hire an editor will save everyone from a wrong-fit working relationship.

What are some of your favorite things outside of editing?

Lord of the Rings because I’m a huge nerd. Riding lessons even though I’m a newbie who’s pretty awkward on a horse. My whippet, Blue, who is my #stetpet. Watching cooking competitions and trying new recipes. Also, croissants.

What's a book you're reading for fun right now?

Love On Top which is the new novel from my friend, Honorine Locenay. I also like to keep my finger on the pulse of trends in Brand Books—recently I read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin which I highly recommend, and now I’m diving into Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller.

You can also find Jessica on her LinkedIn page!

2025 Women in Publishing Summit

March 5-8 is the virtual Women in Publishing Summit and you're invited!

Bonus sessions are happening before and after March's main event that ticket holders get exclusive access to. Feb 11 for instance: if you want some inspiration on adding romance to your work you might be interested in Paula Judith Johnson's "Writing Romance Mastery: Adding Romantic Elements to Genre Fiction" session. The summit has some great sounding marketing and writing sessions I'm looking forward to and from Feb 1-16 you'll save $50 if you use the Discount Code LOVEYOURSELF when you register.

This community makes sure we're all stronger together.

Let's Talk Dialogue!

Writing good dialogue is hard for a few reasons. You have to create multiple, unique voices. All the characters can't sound the same- it would be boring and confusing for your readers, and completely unrealistic. Do teenagers and 80 year olds use the same language with their friends? Do people from different parts of the country use the same phrases? You've got to know your characters before you'll know what they sound like: word choices, speech patterns, all kinds of things.

Dialogue should always be doing one of two things (both at the same time is even better!): developing your characters and/or moving your plot along. If things aren't moving forward, ask yourself why the scene is there. If you intend for the scene to highlight one thing, ask yourself if the conversation can do something else at the same time. The answer isn't always going to be yes, but it's always worth looking.

Don't forget body language! We communicate with more than our words, let your characters do that too. Tone, posture, gestures, all of it conveys something- and not all of it says the same thing as our words. Don't let your characters fall into the trap of just being "talking heads"- let them get out on whatever stage you've written for them and use their whole bodies in the conversation.

Reading Update

One of my all time favorite authors, Jayne Ann Krentz, released her new contemporary romance in January and I was excited to get my hands on that as soon as it was out! Jill Shalvis also kept me going in the contemporary romance world with her new Sunrise Cove book. And I went a little different in my nonfiction with some aerial Arctic explorations in Buddy Levy's newest book.