Mind Your Tone

Open Strong--your first line should pique the readers interest.

I'm hoping my opening accomplished this. I've written close to 90,000 words and based off that word count, I imagine my novel will be 100,000 words in length. I have gone back to chapter one and I do feel my novel follows this suggestion.

Use Active Voice--Passive voice works in some contexts, but active voice is usually better.

This suggestion continues to trip me up. As I write my chapters, I'll reread what I've written for that chapter and I'll have to rework several paragraphs to make that section active.

Write naturally--Unless you're writing fiction or legal documents, write the way you speak.

Now this one doesn't apply to my novel since it's a work of fiction. I will say that a writer needs to engross himself or herself in their characters. Act like they act, within reason or talk like they talk. Hang with people your characters might hang with and take notes. These are just a few suggestions. We'll see how my novel rates should my book get published.