The video description:
This video can help writers who are still in the drafting stage avoid common pitfalls and learn certain techniques to polish their novels, with particular attention paid to how to begin your novel. This video includes tips on characterization, dialogue, providing background information, pacing, story elements, and even punctuation.
I made the video because most of my other ones were about what you do after your book is written and polished. But since some of the people I have done beta reading for or edited for have had books that aren't really ready to query or can't be made publishable by a quick tune-up, I thought I would talk about some guidelines for authors. I give a lot of time in this video to how you should approach the beginning of your novel. Some authors seem to think agents, publishers, and readers are going to just humor them while they muddle through their beginning, and sit still listening to lectures while they set the scene. I talk about why you can't expect us to wait for you to get started--it would be like going to a play and then watching them open the curtain to the stagehands setting up the props and painting the scenery.
Obviously this is sort of long, but I cover a lot of ground here, and even give you some tips on the punctuation I see misused often in the books I've edited at the beta stage. Feel free to ask me if you would like writing advice on anything I don't cover here, too; I may make your question the subject of a future video, though I also am no expert on everything so I may not be qualified to answer. :)
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