
Elise L. Blake
Bio
Elise is a full-time writing coach and novelist. She is a recent college graduate from Southern New Hampshire University where she earned her BA in Creative Writing.
Stories (349)
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Can You Be A Writer If You Don't Read?
The short answer is yes and no. Writing is the only job on the whole that requires no real qualifications. You don't have to have a degree, shake the hands of any managers or complete some lengthy interviewing process to hold the position of writer.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Common Mistakes To Avoid In Your First Chapter
Mistakes happen to both seasoned writers and newbies alike. This is especially true when you don't even realize you're making a mistake. Your readers aren't going to tell you, they're just going to put your book back on the shelf and simply walk away from it onto the next shiny cover that catches their attention.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Does The Perfect ‘Writer’s Space’ Exist?
If you ask any writer I'm sure they can describe to you the very perfect writing space… …for them. Just like each writer is different, each writer's perfect writing space is going to be different, but that doesn't mean that the essentials are that varied.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Self-Publishing your First Book: Expectation vs Reality
You've put in all the hard work are you're already to send your book off to the presses. Fans are going to line up at your local book store demanding your autograph, wearing t-shirts with your characters on them, and Hollywood is on the phone ready to offer you a movie deal with your celebrity crush all ready to tale the leading role. You'll be rolling in money in no time.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Writer's Stop Making This Mistake with your Dialogue Tags
Dialogue tags are sometimes the very bane of a writer's existence. Some "experts" will tell you you should only be using he said, she said, they said and others will tell you that you should never use the words said more than once on a page.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Things NOT To Worry About During Your First Draft
Pressured writing does not make for good writing nor does it help your creative mind work in its best shape. There are too many other things you have to be worrying about on a day to day, and worrying about your writing while your writing should not be one of them.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal
Does Your Novel Need a Prologue?
What is a prologue? A prologue or preface in many cases is an introduction written by the author to their story that includes information that won't be seen within the other pages of the story. Or another way to say that it's the chapter before chapter one.
By Elise L. Blake4 years ago in Journal