Ask Lori to speak to (or write for) your group!
Lori loves opportunities to speak to fiction writers through activities such as webinars, podcast interviews, guest blogging, being a virtual summit panelist, or speaking to writing critique groups.
She particularly loves talking to novelists who are in the messy middle of a manuscript and writers working to upgrade their writing skills in a genre she edits (fantasy & science fiction, romance, and crime).
A member of the inaugural class of Story Grid certified editors, Lori has used her background in scientific research (Girl’s got a PhD!) and as a data analyst (She made numbers tell stories!) to find the places where the standard advice given to writers, falls short.
Tired of watching her clients struggle, Lori has developed her own unique approach to editing. You can see her method in action on her blog, where she gives authors feedback on their works-in-progress and shares advice on how to overcome the challenges novelists face mid-project.
Previously, Lori has been a guest on writing podcasts such as The Creative Writer’s Toolbelt, The Writescast Network, and Writership. She was a panelist at The Writer’s Craft Summit in 2019. She also co-coordinated a 2023 novel planning clinic on Scribophile with author Christopher Sunami.
Some Topics Lori enjoys discussing
Four topics writing craft books rarely cover, but should
The most frequent reason novels get abandoned mid-draft or thrown in a drawer and never published
One character change most writers don’t make that can vastly improve their novel (Hint: it’s not your hero.)
Turbocharge your ability to get readers to *consistently* turn pages by mastering this one, often misunderstood concept.
Contact Lori for Inquiries
Message lori {at} loripuma {dot} com.
Past Interviews
The Writescast Network
The Creative Writer's Toolbelt
In this episode, Andy Chamberlain and Lori Puma talk about why stories matter, and what writers should do about that. They discuss the way a developmental editor can actually help authors, and reflect on the way in which personal tragedy can inform both our lives and our stories.
The Writership Podcast
In this episode, editors Leslie Watts and Lori Puma critique “Night Fishing,” a coming of age short story by Kevin Glasgow. They discuss how to take your story from pretty good to WOW.
Testimonials
Guest Blog Posts
How to Practice Storytelling:2 Essential Skills
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he proposes that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. If the skill you want to master is writing, what exactly should you do in those 10,000 hours? This post defines the two types of storytelling skills that writers need to practice and shares how to practice and improve in both.
The Story Grid Translated Into Common Writing Terms
The Story Grid is an editing method for crafting page-turning fiction. This post is a primer on how the Story Grid matches up with 11 concepts and terms that many writers already know.