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4 articles
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Five Basic Principles for Polishing Prose
Cut redundant words, prefer active voice and concrete nouns, vary sentence rhythm, read aloud, and run a final pass. Five revision principles for clearer prose, plus a ten-item checklist with concrete examples you can apply on every draft.
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Pre-submission Checklist for Literary Awards
Word counts, formatting, file names, applicant information, double-submission rules, and how to spend the months after sending. A last-minute pass for the format, manuscript, procedure, and self-care issues that take entries out of contention every year, plus an example timeline from submission to result.
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Designing Memorable Characters
Separate the inside from the outside, sum up the motive in one sentence, balance desire against fear, build strength through relationships and voice, and draw a change curve. Six lenses for designing characters readers remember, plus a one-page character sheet template.
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How to Generate Ideas
Add constraints, capture small frictions, ask "what if" twice, take favorite works apart, set up opposites, and let ideas rest. Six practical techniques for breaking through the "I have no ideas" wall, plus a fifteen-minute exercise you can run today.