SRP Editor

The Three Writing Books I Return To Again and Again (And Why You Should, Too)

/ Author Services, Editing, Mark Posey

Writers collect craft books the way other people collect unread classics and half-finished notebooks: with tremendous optimism and the vague sense that owning them counts as progress. But a few books earn their place beside the desk because they’re not just inspiring—they’re useful. In the first of this series, Mark looks at why The Story Grid has become one of the writing books he returns to again and again: because when a manuscript goes sideways, this is the book that explains why.

The Comfortable Manuscript Problem

/ Author Services, Editing, Mark Posey

There’s a point in many manuscripts where the story quietly pulls back. The conflict softens, the dialogue becomes safer, and characters make the reasonable choice instead of the revealing one. The result is a manuscript that is technically good—but often forgettable. The moments readers remember are rarely the comfortable ones.

The #1 Problem I See in Manuscripts Right Now

/ Mark Posey

The most common problem I see in manuscripts right now isn’t bad prose or weak dialogue. It’s stories where the protagonist could simply walk away—and nothing meaningful would happen. If your character can shrug and go home, they probably should. So why don’t they?

Why Stand By Me Still Works (When So Many Stories Don’t)

/ Mark Posey

Why does Stand By Me still hit forty years later when so many stories vanish almost as soon as the credits roll? Because it isn’t built on spectacle or plot twists. It’s built on emotional truth. Four boys, one long walk, and a story that trusts us to care about the people more than the destination. That’s a rare thing. And maybe that’s why it still works.

Five Things People Get Wrong About Small Presses

/ Mark Posey

“Small press” gets used as shorthand for all sorts of assumptions — temporary, amateur, stepping stone. But size isn’t a synonym for casual. A real small press is a business with systems, strategy, and long-term intent. Here are five of the biggest myths people still get wrong — and what actually matters instead.

Anyone Quoting Black-and-White “Rules” About Writing Is Full of Crap

/ Mark Posey

If someone is handing you absolute, black-and-white “rules” about writing, they’re full of crap.
Most of those commandments started life as reasonable cautions… before nuance died somewhere between a conference panel and a poorly edited podcast rant.

Real editors don’t enforce rules.
Real editors ask one question: Is this working for this story, this audience, this moment?

Follow every so-called rule perfectly and you won’t write a great book — you’ll just write a technically correct, emotionally flat one.
Rules can stop you from making mistakes.
They cannot help you make choices.
And writing is nothing but choices.

The Annual Ritual of the Writing Resolution

/ Mark Posey

Writing resolutions fail for remarkably predictable reasons.
Not because writers are lazy or unserious—but because they aim too high, too vaguely, and too emotionally.

The writers who finish books aren’t the ones who promise themselves a perfect year.
They’re the ones who build systems that survive imperfect weeks.

Why Your Scene’s Setting Matters More Than You Think

/ Mark Posey

Setting isn’t wallpaper. It’s the emotional engine under every scene you write. A confession uttered beneath stained-glass saints is a completely different moment than one whispered in the soft half-light of a bedroom — same words, wildly different meaning. If a scene feels limp, nine times out of ten the setting is the culprit. Make the room work just as hard as the characters, and suddenly the whole story sharpens.

Mind Your @#$%& Mouth: Swearing in Fiction (And How Not to Mess It Up)

/ Editing, Mark Posey

Writers love to worry about swearing — usually more than their characters do. The truth? Profanity isn’t “good” or “bad.” It’s a tool. A sharp one. Used well, it cuts cleanly through tension, reveals character, or snaps a moment into focus. Used poorly, it just bleeds all over the page.
In this post, Mark breaks down when swearing works, when it absolutely doesn’t, how genre affects your choices, and why every curse word has to be earned. If your characters are going to swear, make sure they mean it.

Trust Your Readers (They’re Smarter Than You Think—Usually)

/ Mark Posey

Readers aren’t toddlers in need of hand-holding—they’re highly skilled story-decoders who’ve been reading between the lines since grade school. They don’t need your theme underlined, highlighted, and surrounded by interpretive dance. In fact, the moment you over-explain, you kill the magic. Trust them to catch the subtext, feel the tension, and assemble the clues. Not only will your story be stronger for it—your readers will love you for letting them play along.

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