Willow Editing, Kaatsheuvel (2025)

01/02/2023

Plot holes are common issues in writing and can frustrate readers. Here are 7 types of plot holes you should watch for on your self-editing journey:

1️⃣ Factual plot holes: These occur when the story contains facts that don't line up with the laws of science, logic, or reality relevant to the setting of the story.

2️⃣ Impossible events: A plot hole can arise when events occur that are impossible in the world/setting the story takes place in.

3️⃣ Unbelievable character choices: Characters in a story can take actions that are against their beliefs or values. This is a tough plot hole to find as an author, as most of your character choices will seem believable to you.

4️⃣ Illogical plot developments: If something happens in the book that couldn't logically happen, the reader will be pulled out of the story.

5️⃣ Contradictions: When two facts contradict each other in a story. Or when an author makes a rule in the story and then breaks it without consequences.

6️⃣Continuity errors: This occurs when details in the story change from one scene to the next.

7️⃣Unresolved storylines: A plot hole can develop when a storyline is introduced but never gets resolved.

Did you find this helpful? Save this important information for when you need it! 🔥

30/01/2023

Does it sometimes feel like everyone around you is becoming a published author except you?

Let’s be honest for a minute. Writing is HARD.

Especially when it seems like everyone around us is making progress and we aren’t.

Sometimes it can seem like we’re the only ones struggling, but guess what? That’s just not true.

Everyone has a tendency to only post the positive on social media, but the truth is that EVERYONE struggles from time to time.

If you’re in a time of struggle, then I want you to remember that a) it will pass, and b) you are not alone.

This is such an important topic to me that I developed a section in the Self-Editing Academy that ONLY focuses on mindset.

In this section, I teach you exercises and strategies to help you develop a positive, growth-oriented mindset that will help you feel in control of your writing and make it easier to keep going when self-doubt, anxiety, and impatience keep you from writing. Head over to the link in my bio to learn more.

What is your go-to strategy when self-doubt creeps in? Let me know in the comments.

27/01/2023

Calling all writers! ✍️

If you know me, you might already know this, but I’ve made it my mission to show as many writers as possible how to turn self-editing into a fun, rewarding experience.

So today, I’m continuing to share my wealth of knowledge by debunking some common misconceptions about self-editing.

1️⃣ Self-editing is an important part of the writing process, but it doesn't have to be perfect. It's okay to overlook things and have areas that you know still need improvement; that's what beta readers and professional editors are for: to help you make your final product the best it can be.

2️⃣ Self-editing doesn't have to be difficult. With the right tools and resources, you can make the process simple and efficient. Try reading your work aloud and brainstorming with writer friends, or DM me to ask about the Self-Editing Academy. You can also ask for specific feedback from mentors or writing groups. With practice, you can become a great self-editing writer.

3️⃣ A common misconception about self-editing is that it’s not meant to be fun. While it can be a laborious process, it can also be a rewarding experience. When you take the time to review and refine your work, it can be a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of your writing, to challenge yourself to think more critically, and to improve the quality of your writing. Self-editing can be an incredibly satisfying process, so don’t let the misconception that it isn’t meant to be fun stop you from spending quality time with your work!

Which of these misconceptions surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments. 👇

23/01/2023

How incredible would it be to call yourself a published author and…

👉 Defy everyone's expectations and make your husband or wife, your parents and your friends proud relations of a bestselling author

👉 Get butterflies in your stomach as you unpack a box of your very own books

👉 Feel in control of the quality of your writing, knowing you're doing everything you can to make your book as good as possible

Pretty darn good, right?

The Self-Editing Academy can help make these dreams come true!

In the Self-Editing Academy, we'll give you exercises and strategies to help you develop a positive, growth-oriented mindset that makes it easier to keep going when you're feeling self-doubt, anxiety, or Impostor Syndrome.

Plus give you instructions on how to use ProWritingAid to your advantage when you're self-editing, ideas for character development, advice on how to use breaks to your advantage, and how to make the most of each editing session.

Interested in learning more? Head over to the link in my bio.

20/01/2023

Self-care is an essential part of improving your writing. It’s easy to get so caught up in the writing process we forget to take care of ourselves.

Here are three ways self-care can help your writing:

1️⃣ When your mind is foggy or frazzled, it’s difficult to read and process what you’ve written. Relaxing and focusing on yourself can help you clear your head, so you can read and edit your work from a fresh perspective.

2️⃣ A peaceful mind is more creative and open to new ideas. If you’re constantly stressed and overwhelmed, it’s difficult to come up with original thoughts and ideas. Relaxing and practicing self-care can help you come up with fresh, creative ideas.

3️⃣ By taking care of yourself, you take control. You can choose to spend your time and energy in healthier ways, such as exercising, journaling, and meditating. These activities can help you gain clarity and focus on writing.

Overall, taking time for self-care can help you elevate your writing in several ways. Set aside some time for yourself and focus on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It’s an important part of becoming a better writer.

17/01/2023

As some of you may know, one of my favorite parts of the self-editing process is getting to know your characters on an insanely deep level. That’s why the is so important to me.

This week, we will be diving into your character's past. The question is:

“What advice would your character give their younger self?”

This is a heavy question that may help bring up significant elements of your character's wounds, so pay attention to what comes up when answering this question.

Keep following me for weekly character development questions.

Share your answers in the comments or post to your stories and tag . I can’t wait to read them all

16/01/2023

As writers, we all want the same thing: for our stories to resonate with our readers.

How do we do this?

We create unforgettable characters.

To create characters who are truly unforgettable, it’s important ti focus on character development in your editing process.

Here are the 3 key things your character needs to capture your reader's attention and their heart.

1️⃣ Your character must have powerful motivation. What does your character want? The right motivation will push your character and the story forward; it will help to create dramatic conflict for your character and give the reader a reason to relate to your character.

2️⃣ Your character must evolve. How does your character change? No matter what happens in your story, it’s essential that your characters go through a personal journey. Within this personal journey, your characters should overcome their flaw(s) and change for the better. This transformation is also called a character arc.

3️⃣ Your character should do something unexpected. What does your character do that is surprising? The most interesting characters will surprise your readers. They will be more engaged when a character does something out of their normal. Just make sure it aligns with who they are or is part of their character arc.

The easiest way to write characters that are compelling and unforgettable is to get to know them on a deep level. You should know them so well, that you know how they would act in any given situation, no matter how absurd or unrealistic.

That’s why character development is such a crucial part of the editing process. Just like real people, characters should have hobbies, pets, and a history. These characteristics affect how your character acts and how your readers will feel about them.

To learn more about character development when self-editing, take a look at the free Self-Editing Checklist at the link in my bio.

Did you find this helpful? Keep following me for more educational self-editing content.

13/01/2023

Could you be making this huge editing mistake without realizing it? 😲

The number one mistake I see writers make at the beta reader stage is asking only one or two people to read their story.

When you have only two beta readers to rely on and one of the two ends up unable to find the time, you’ll only have one beta reader left. Which is still SUPER valuable, but it can be really hard to stay objective when it comes to their feedback.

Instead, I suggest you have as many as 10 beta readers. That way, if you ask 10 people, at least 5 will likely follow through.

Pro tip: I recommend looking for people who are excited about your genre and enjoy reading it on a regular basis. Fervent readers tend to make better beta readers than writers, since the aim of a beta reading round is to find out how readers will react to your story as it is.

Interested in learning more about the beta reader stage of editing? Have a look at The Self-Editing Academy at the link in my bio.

What are your favorite spots to find beta readers? Let me know in the comments.

10/01/2023

From Nancy Drew to Hermione Granger, you’ve probably fallen in love with many a hero in your lifetime.

But now that you’re writing your story, you may be asking yourself: “What makes a great hero?”

They must go beyond what most people would do. These are some of the characteristics of a great hero:

1️⃣ Idealistic—Heroes see their ideals as a force of good in the world. They draw strength from these ideals and will stand up for them in the face of many obstacles.

2️⃣ Courageous—One of the most commonly known characteristics of heroism is courage. However, courage doesn’t simply mean being fearless: it means standing up to obstacles in the face of their own fears. What is courageous for one person, would not be for another.

3️⃣ Empathic—Another quality of a hero is caring about others, or empathy. Heroes will feel the distress of others and want to help them. They also care about other people's well-being because of this empathy: they can imagine themselves in the situation of others, and want to remedy that situation.

4️⃣ Humility—The best heroes don’t do what they do for the glory or the rewards, they do it because they feel it is their duty.

Which of these characteristics does the hero in your story embody? Let me know in the comments.

09/01/2023

At the beginning of 2022, whether you came up with a list of goals, you probably at least had a feeling of where you wanted to be at the end of the year. Maybe you wanted to finish your rough draft, or finish editing your WIP and release it into the world.

Were you able to meet those goals in 2022?

Meeting your goals isn’t always easy, and sometimes it puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on you, which can interrupt your creativity. To keep that from happening, here are some tips to help you set goals and accomplish them–without the overwhelm.

🗓️ Keep track of your goals— Is it even a goal if you don’t write it down somewhere? One of the keys to accomplishing your goals is to stay organized. Take time to intentionally set goals for 2023, and write them down. Even consider getting yourself a nice new notebook to keep track of your progress in a way that always puts a smile on your face!

🗓️ Review your goals regularly—Make a habit of setting aside time each month to review your goals and see what is still relevant to you and what goals are no longer important to you. If you aren’t making progress, consider what might be holding you back and how you can face these challenges differently.

🗓️ Move deadlines if needed—I am a massive supporter of moving self-made deadlines when necessary. Stress can impact your creativity, so if a deadline is causing you unneeded stress, ask yourself if there is a reason why you MUST hit that deadline and consider changing it if you can.

🗓️ Make sure to schedule time to fill your cup—The age-old saying “You can’t pour from an empty cup” is so true here. If you’re always trying to pour from an empty cup, not only will you lack the creativity to make progress on your goals, but you will likely also lack motivation. Take time to refill your cup as often as needed.

🗓️ Use accountability to your advantage - Find an accountability partner or community who will push you and also support you in your journey toward your goals.

I hope you found this helpful! Let me know in the comments ⤵️

1️⃣ What goal from 2022 are you proud to have met?

2️⃣ What goal from 2022 did you not meet, but do you plan to pursue in 2023?

16/12/2022

Nothing brings me more joy than helping writers develop their stories and grow into their role as author with more and more confidence.⁠

I feel privileged to have known Kirsten from the early stages of both our businesses, and I’ve loved exchanging feedback and experiences along the way.

It’s my honor to now be able to help her with her fiction writing, and I can’t wait to see what the story will grow into

15/12/2022

After you have finished the developmental edits, you get to move on to my favorite part of editing!

*drum roll*

DIGITAL LINE EDITING

When it comes to digital line editing, in my opinion, the best tool to use is ProWritingAid. Here are a few of the great features I suggest you start with.

1️⃣ Spelling and Grammar—When it comes to spelling and grammar, you should be able to go through each issue fairly quickly. If you’re unsure about a suggestion, leave it for now and continue with the rest of the list, then come back to it later.

2️⃣ Overused Words—This highlights any words you overuse, and recommends how many instances to remove. Feel free to remove more if you can do so easily, but don’t feel pressured to.

3️⃣ Consistency—This highlights any inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation, so you can make sure words and names are spelled the same way throughout the entire manuscript. This is something that’s really hard to do when just reading through your manuscript without a tool to help you, and something to always do a final check of when you’ve added new content.

In the Self-Editing Academy, I walk you through step by step how to use ProWritingAid in detail, to make sure you’re putting your best work forward. To learn more about the Self-Editing Academy, click the link in my bio.

13/12/2022

This week’s is all about what your character holds near and dear to their hearts.

“What is your character’s most treasured possession?”

Take a moment to consider this question. Consider what this most treasured possession is and why it is so important to your character.

Character development is both for writers who already know their characters quite well and for writers who are just starting to get to know them. It’s the perfect way to discover just how far you’ve gone into your character’s psyche and discover any blind spots with incredible ease.

Feel free to share your answers in the comments or post to your stories and tag . I can’t wait to read them all

09/12/2022

What if I told you that self-care is a crucial part of the self-editing process?🛁

Just like with the writing process, the self-editing process involves creativity and new ideas. And those won’t appear if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

By taking care of yourself, you give yourself a chance to unwind and destress. This helps you feel strong, rejuvenated and empowered when you work on your book.

What are you going to do for self-care this weekend? Let me know in the comments. 👇

07/12/2022

DYK readers connect with emotions because they are what make characters relatable? 📚

While readers can’t directly relate to a character who fights a dragon with a magic wand, they can relate to a character who lost a loved one at a young age.

Creating that emotional connection is what makes the reader want to hug your characters. Doing a deep dive into who your character really is and what makes them tick on a deeper level will help you do this.

To help you with that deep-dive, I’m starting the series . This week, we’re talking about the holidays 🎄

How would your character celebrate the holidays?

Take a few moments to consider the answer to this question. If the holidays as we know them don’t exist in your character’s world, imagine what their preferred way of celebrating would be if they were to visit our world.

Feel free to share your answers in the comments, or post to your stories and tag . I can’t wait to read them all

06/12/2022

Have you recently finishing the first rough draft of your novel, and are now wondering what comes next?

Well first, congratulations! 🎉That is a HUGE accomplishment, and you should be proud of yourself.

Second, I’ve put together a list of things to do after finishing the first draft of your novel.

1️⃣ Let the manuscript rest—You might be riding the high of finishing your first draft, making it tempting to jump straight into revisions.

It’s important to resist that temptation. Instead, put away your book for 4 weeks–at least 2. The longer, the better. This is a critical step in the editing process that many writers underestimate.

Compare it to creating a super tasty stew. It needs time to simmer. Sure, you can put the ingredients together and serve it half an hour later, but it’ll never be as good as it’d be if you left it alone for horse–much longer than you’d like to.

Give yourself and your characters the time you need to rest and develop..

2️⃣ Read books in your genre—If you just finished writing your first draft, this is the perfect time to seek out some new reading material. It’s great to know what else is out there in your genre, especially if you plan to begin pitching your book to agents or publishers.

3️⃣ Set your editing goals—Take the time to sit down and plan your editing process. There are so many steps that it may seem intimidating. Or maybe you don’t know where to start at all, and need to do some research first. Setting small, achievable editing goals is a great way to set yourself up for success.

4️⃣ Let go of your first draft—We tend to be critical of a first draft when we return to it, especially when our mind hasn’t rested long enough. It’s important to remember that there will be times when you don’t like what you wrote, or you’re cursing yourself for using placeholders. In those moments, remember that; this is what the editing process is for: to bring together and ultimately polish your rough draft. That initial draft is MEANT to be a placeholder, just like an artist’s initial sketch isn’t meant to look like the final painting.

Looking for a little more guidance? Get your copy of the Self-Editing Roadmap at the link in my bio.

02/12/2022

Want to know the secret to getting the best self-editing results?

👉 Focusing on one thing at a time.

I know it can seem overwhelming when you have a thousand things on your mind when it comes to your manuscript. That’s why I put together these three tips to help you stay focused.

1️⃣ Whenever you notice your attention shifting, remind yourself of what you’re looking for and that everything will be covered eventually.

2️⃣ If you’re afraid you’ll forget something if you don’t address it right now, write it down to get back to it later. On a post-it or separate piece of paper, AWAY from your manuscript: out of sight, out of mind.

3️⃣ Remind yourself that self-editing is about doing what you can. Nothing more.

Not sure which steps you should be taking in the self-editing process? No problem. Download your free copy of my Self-Editing Checklist at the link in my bio, and you’ll feel confident you’re moving forward in the right direction in no time.

01/12/2022

Be honest… are you kind of a jerk to yourself? 🙈

It’s okay, we all are sometimes.

But here is the thing. You DESERVE better. You wouldn’t talk to someone you love the way you talk to yourself, so why do you keep doing it?

Because practicing self-compassion takes practice.

So, the next time you start down the negative self-talk rabbit hole, interrupt yourself. Take a step back and ask yourself: what would you say to a friend in the same situation? Now say that to yourself and see how it feels.

✨ Remember: Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.

Willow Editing