Experienced fiction editor Kristen Tate will share the concepts and strategies she developed while writing her book Novel Study: Decoding the Secrets and Structures of Contemporary Fiction. At the story level, she’ll show how tools like intensity mapping and tracking story questions can help you diagnose plot problems and identify where a manuscript needs more juice. At the scene level, she’ll explain how breaking down scene components can help you identify why a scene isn’t working. And at the sentence level, she’ll share examples of when authors successfully break writing “rules”—like using passive voice or filter words—and how to recognize these as deliberate craft choices. Finally, she’ll demonstrate how to build your own Novel Study toolkit to sharpen your editorial instincts and better support the authors you work with.

Submit questions for this event here. Questions must be submitted by the Friday before the event!

Kristen Tate has been a freelance book editor for a decade, with hundreds of books under her belt. She has a PhD in English from Columbia University, with a focus on novels and publishing history. She has been thinking about how novels work and how readers experience them for many years and brings this rich experience to her editing. An internship at Chronicle Books, intensive developmental editing courses through the Editorial Freelancers Association, and a Professional Editing Certificate from University of California at Berkeley ensure that the advice you receive is accurate, reliable, and up-to-date.

Kristen serves on the board of directors of The Editorial Freelancers Association and Writeability. She appears frequently as a speaker at writing conferences and on writing-related podcasts.

This event is free to attend and open to all editors, guests, and/or members of related fields. It will be recorded.