Alex Marshall-Waters
alexmarshallwaters.bsky.social
Alex Marshall-Waters
@alexmarshallwaters.bsky.social
Writer, pretty gay, ttrpg GM, and all round nerd.
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”

- Tolkien
(forward to LOTR)
January 26, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
I've had several editors lately tell me 120K is the top limit for debut epic fantasy. Everything else should be fewer words.
#writingcommunity Here’s a #queryingtip for you: with the rare exception, I start to get hives at anything over 100K words. When it hits 120K, I have a full outbreak. By 130K, regardless of genre, it’s a hard no.

Here’s a doc that might help you cut words:
www.tinyurl.com/saveyourdarlings.
Save Your Darlings.docx
Save Your Darlings: Editing Strategies to Reduce Your Word Count Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong, Literary Agent Marsal Lyon Literary Agency Email: cathie@marsallyonliteraryagency.com Queries: querymanager....
www.tinyurl.com
January 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
Motivational advice letter:

Don't let the world grind down your joy of the craft you love so much. Persevere. Find ways to be happy in spite of it all.
January 19, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
Being a writer is...

10% creative freedom, 20% coffee-fueled chaos, and 70% cleaning my room before I can start writing.
January 17, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
Pros: Got offered what is pretty close to my dream job
Cons: The commute means my writing time is severely limited

I reiterate all my arguments in favour of remote work.
January 28, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Alex Marshall-Waters
When I'm editing, I find that, if a manuscript blips nowhere else, it's going to blip right around the story's 60% mark.

My theory? Most genre fiction writers are putting major beats around the 50% mark and again at the 75% mark. Connecting them is a challenge. [1/3] #booksky #writingcommunity
January 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM