on Anne R. Allen:

Falling in love is easy. We’re swept away, starry-eyed, giddy with possibility. This time it’s different. Really!

But is it?

The Old Book Blues.

You’ve done it. Again!

You’ve written yourself into a blind alley.

You’re stuck, blocked, out of gas and out of ideas.

• The plot (if there is one) is a mess.
• The characters? You loved them. Way back when. But now you hate them. The hero is too Jack or Jane Righteous. The by-the-numbers cardboard villain wouldn’t scare a three-year-old.
• Info dumps.
• Backstory blahs.
• Pace? What pace? You mean you’re supposed to have pace?
• Cliffhangers? Oh, those. Too hard. I can’t never think of one.
• Your descriptions suck.
• Your dialogue, ditto.
• Plus, the setting is no help.

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