Margaret McNellis, MFA 🏳️‍🌈

this test accurately assesses the quality of AI writing over human writing.

Interesting. It strikes me though that this is focused solely on sentence structure and voice. The passages are too short to think about other things as well, such as the heart of a story. While LLM can pilfer from authors in training so it can create beautifully constructed sentences, I'm not sure

#MotivationMonday #WritersofBluesky #readersofbluesky #Booksky #horrorsky #AuthorsandWriting #FictionWritersandAuthors #writerslife #amwriting #BooksWorthReading #HorrorNovels

Haha I hear you. I refuse to write series anymore. I've fallen for it twice... Finally accepted I'm a one book per story kinda author.

I had a bunch of stuff planned for this weekend. Then... I subscribed to PBS Passport. So I binged all of The Count of Monte Cristo. To my credit it was gross outside most of the weekend and I *did* do chores. But damn, they did such a great job bringing the book to life and Sam Claflin was perfect!

Omg someone recently left me the nicest review on Daughter of the Seven Hills. It made my day! It's always such a joy when something I've created reaches someone and means something to them. I'm always honored and in awe whenever I receive a review like this because people are busy <3

Watched Outlander season 8 episode 1. I’m thinking Young Ian may have missed his calling as a builder. That house, in that amount of time, from plans drawn up by Jamie who is not an architect…

Mine makes me look like I’m being haunted or possessed

What's your favorite time period for stories? Mine is anything ancient up until the Industrial Revolution, but that's not to say I don't read anything that happens later. I've read some really beautiful books that take place after that time.

Character Craft: Wound & Hinge — Margaret McNellis The story usually begins right when life forces the character into a situation where their old 'wounded' way of behaving no longer works. This helps connect the character work directly to the …

Character Craft: Wound & Hinge

margaretmcnellis.com/craft/charac...

Character Craft: Round vs. Flat Characters — Margaret McNellis You may have heard the terms round characters and flat characters. Even if you haven’t, you’ve definitely encountered both of these types of characters. Round characters are often touted as better ,…

Character Craft: Round vs. Flat Characters

margaretmcnellis.com/craft/charac...

This weekend I'm finally blueprinting my new novel project. It's been one I've been working out for weeks now. Once the Blueprint is done, it's time for deep research & occasional drafting... then it will be time for dedicated drafting.

I'm headed to the 1490s Florence... #litfic #writingcommunity

You’re so welcome!

Congrats!!!

Get the pulse check for free: getabookcoach.com

My fave book is HAMNET by Maggie O'Farrell. It's gorgeous & has superb narrative drive. That's the kind of fiction I aim to write & it's what I help others write. That's why I made my Narrative Pulse Check - 5 tests to see if your story is meeting the high bar you've already set. #writingcommunity

It is puzzling! If I learn anything new I will definitely share! Thanks!

Interesting. I hadn’t seen that in scholarly sources yet but I will look into that. Either way, the treatments he was subjected to were nothing short of torture. And no one deserves that, even if they are despotic.

That’s awesome!!!! Way to go!!! 🥳🥳🥳 Thanks for sharing!

My pleasure! I completely understand. Sometimes we just need to feel seen/heard. ❤️ I am on the hunt for ways to help writers with a free resource so if you decide any of those would help, feel free to let me know. I hope you’re able to find a great writers group nearby!

Of actual constructive feedback

2. Pitch/synopsis review

3. A resource on how to write a pitch that grabs attention

4. A VIP day/virtual retreat on working with/through imposter syndrome

Like a total gut punch. Maybe there’s something I can put together as a resource around this. I definitely had some folks in my journey who reacted like your professor. Here are some things that may be helpful—let me know if any sound useful to you:

1. A facilitated writers group with the goal+

To share it with me and I can give actual constructive feedback. The thing about publishing is that yes, rejections are common… but they are really more likely to be a reflection of not the right fit yet. That said, there are ways to bolster yourself for those events without it having to feel+

I totally understand what you mean by writing being like breathing. ❤️ I’m so sorry that you were told your pitch was uninteresting without any helpful feedback. Some people are trained just to put others down so that’s what they do. ❤️ If you’d like to share your pitch with someone, you are welcome+

Omg this is exactly how I was with publishing my novels at first. Epic levels of imposter syndrome. ❤️ There is a way through though—several really but let’s start with this: why do you write? The work you’re hesitant to publish.

Gorgeous! :D

Oh I'm so sorry for your friend. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Oh wow! I'm so glad you got your edits! <3 I hope they're helpful as you continue to work on your story.

You're welcome!

I'm a book coach. I would never do to you what your previous editor did. We can chat if you want, and if we're not a good fit, I work for a company that trains book coaches so I have a vast network of people and can probably refer you to someone. If you want to talk, let me know. No pressure. ❤️