Tag Archives: writing tips

Speed and Accuracy

Posted on February 18, 2026 by kaitcarson

A Wednesday Writing Tip It’s taken me three years to write my latest novel, and it’s not quite done. Oh, I finished it a year ago, but then a publisher requested edits, so…. Yep, working on it. I expected to … Continue reading →

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Writing Tip Wednesday: Comp Titles? What’s that?

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Allison Keeton

Ok, so Comp Titles, also known as Comparison Titles, are officially used in query letters once you’ve written your book and are seeking a literary agent or a small press. They are needed for the sales pitch, but I hope … Continue reading →

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Weekend Update: November 29-30, 2025

Posted on November 29, 2025 by kaitlynkathy

Next week at Maine Crime Writers there will be posts by Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson (Monday), Kate Flora (Tuesday), Brenda Buchanan (Thursday) and John Clark (Friday), with a Writing Tip from Matt Cost on Wednesday. In the news department, here’s … Continue reading →

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Maine summer and writing and reading stuff

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Maureen Milliken

Not impressed with that title? Well, you can join the club. I had a bunch of great topics, and was going to choose at least one of them to write about today, but I went for a drive instead. Don’t … Continue reading →

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Mystery-writing lessons from ‘Jaws’

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Maureen Milliken

I saw the movie “Jaws” the summer it came out. Over and over and over and over again. There wasn’t a lot to do in Augusta, Maine, in the summer in the 1970s. But I also just couldn’t get enough … Continue reading →

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But What Were They DOING?

Posted on June 2, 2025 by kaitlynkathy

Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here, today thinking about a problem I always encountered between my rough drafts and my finished manuscripts. My earliest versions of many scenes were often straight dialogue—I put my characters on the page and let them … Continue reading →

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Story and Structure

Posted on July 1, 2024 by kaitlynkathy

Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here, today writing as Kathy. As I’ve mentioned before here at Maine Crime Writers, I’m in the process of editing and reissuing my Face Down mystery series, ten novels originally published between 1997 and 2007. They … Continue reading →

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‘Creative’ use of tense by writers makes me … tense

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Maureen Milliken

I’m often accused, even by people who purport to love me, that I’m way too picky about writing when I read. Not everyone was an English major! No one cares! Yeah? Well I care. And, dear reader, you do, too. … Continue reading →

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Making it Better

Posted on February 2, 2023 by kaitlynkathy

Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett here, today as Kathy. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been doing a complete rewrite of one of my earliest published books, Winter Tapestry (1991), switching from multiple points of view to just one and emphasizing the … Continue reading →

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Easy fast and no-brainer top writing tips for all writers

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Maureen Milliken

Hi, all! I was asked just the other day for some “writing tips,” so it seemed like a good time to reprise this classic from a couple years ago. And also, in the spirit of Tip Number 1, I have … Continue reading →

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