Welcome to another episode of Writing While Distracted, the podcast that guides you from scattered thoughts to literary brilliance. Hosted by Brenda Murphy, your NeuroSpicy writing coach, this episode delves into the intertwined elements of genre conventions, continuity, and research in the revision process.

Brenda begins by demystifying genre conventions, explaining how they serve as helpful guidelines rather than constraints. She encourages blending genres to create unique stories while maintaining key elements that meet reader expectations.

The discussion then moves to story continuity, emphasizing the importance of keeping characters, settings, and events consistent. Brenda shares practical tools like Milanote and Scrivener, as well as the value of attentive beta readers, to help neurodivergent writers maintain continuity in their manuscripts.

Finally, Brenda tackles the challenge of research, offering strategies to balance in-depth exploration with focused writing time. She advises separating research from writing sessions to avoid derailment and maintain productivity.

This episode is packed with actionable tips and insights to help neurodivergent writers harness their unique strengths while navigating common challenges. Tune in to transform your creative process and keep your writing journey on track.

Until next time, keep writing, keep wandering, and embrace the distractions that fuel your creativity.

Show notes Genre Conventions, Continuity, and Research

Free resources for writers:

https://brendalmurphy.com/resources-for-writers/

Sign up for my newsletter and get a free character workbook https://dl.bookfunnel.com/ofxxsx32dj

My podcast about revisions and editing: Mastering Revisions: Turning Rough Drafts into Polished Gems https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-xhk2p-167fa2b

Sandra Gerth’s fantastic book Show Don’t Tell: https://www.amazon.com/Show-Dont-Tell-descriptions-characters-ebook/dp/B01LXFJ0AC/

MIlianote

https://milanote.com

Scrivener

https://www.literatureandlatte.com

Revisions and Editing Steps

To recap the process, I use to get my rough as hell draft to a finished product to send to an editor, publisher, or out on submission is:

• Round1: Revisions: structure, pacing, character arcs, genre conventions, continuity, and attending to items that require research.
• Round 2: Language: word choice, refining prose, pacing, dialogue, scene descriptions, character descriptions, continuity. *At this point I send it to my beta readers.
• Round 3: Proofing: Suggestions from Beta readers, grammar, spelling, punctuation, copy edits, line edits formatting for submission or publication. Copy edits, line edits.
• Round 4: Final proofing read through before submission or publishing.