Terms every writer should know
Here’s a quick cheat-sheet to some common terms you may run into during your writing career!
Alpha reader: A person that reads the manuscript with the knowledge it is unfinished and provides content feedback & support (like a coach, mentor or friend).
Beta reader: A person that reads the manuscript for the purpose of finding plot holes, sensitivity issues, and provide feedback, pre-publication.
Back matter or End matter: Additional content at the end of a book, such as acknowledgements, author bio, afterword, etc.
Front matter: Content preceeding the beginning of a book, such as publication information, dedication, title page, table of contents etc.
House: A publishing house.
Developmental editing: Editing that helps develop the content of a book, point out logic, inconsistencies, and focus the idea.
Line editing: Editing that helps the consistency and concision of the author’s style, finds redundancies, and fixes grammar.
Copy editing: Editing that focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary.
Passive voice: In passive voice, the subject is the person or thing being acted upon.
Active voice: In active voice, the person or thing performing the action serves as the subject of the sentence.
Flash fiction: Extremely short stories, usually of up to 1,000 words.
In medias res: Starting the narrative from the middle of the story.
Deus ex machina: Term for a common trope where all issues are resolved by a god-like force, typically when one writes themselves into a corner and cannot resolve the conflict in any other way.
Head hopping: A common error in narrative perspective, where the writer gives access to internal thoughts of two or more characters within a scene.
Dialogue tags: Sentences that frame dialogue to let the reader know who’s speaking.
Story beat: A structural element of narrative that signals a shift in tone, plot, or character. Can be used for chapters, scenes, and outlines.
Pacing: The rate at which a story progresses.
Pinch point: An event in the plot that adds pressure to the characters.
Plot point: A major turning point in a story structure.
Logline: The story summary in one single sentence, much like a premise or an elevator pitch.
Synopsis: A detailed description of a story’s plot, for the purpose of sharing with literary agents.
R&R: Revise & resend: A changed or revised manuscript requested by agents or editors.
Manuscript: The main body of an unpublished book.
Shelf time: The time during which you set aside your project to come back to it with a fresh perspective.
Zero draft or vomit draft: A draft written by the author solely for themselves, used to get the story out on the page without external pressure.
Exposition: Where background explanation about the story, world, or characters is provided.
Subtext: The meaning behind the text, the dialogue, the plot, or the characters.
Motif: An image, phrase, or symbol repeated throughout the book for thematic significance.
Theme: The moral statement, argument, or question at the heart of a story.
Trope: A cliched story element, particular to certain genres.
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