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Writing Craft & Technique
The Refinery for tips on writing, editing, and genre principles to help your work shine.


How to Write a True Enemies to Lovers Romance
Enemies to lovers is one of the most popular tropes in romance. To write and market it effectively, you need to understand what makes this trope work – and why readers love it so much.
In this post, I’ll break down what makes (and breaks) a true enemies-to-lovers romance.
May 64 min read


Quick Guide to Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes
Have you ever wondered when to use hyphens, en dashes, or em dashes? They may look similar, but they serve very different purposes – it’s worth getting them right.
Apr 82 min read


11 Self-Editing Tips
You’ve finished your first draft – now what?
Time to hire an editor? Panic over your query letter? Or maybe you just want to hit ‘publish’?
If you said yes to any of these... hold your horses. You don’t want to hire an editor to make your rough draft look presentable. You want your story to go from great to its full potential.
Let me share 11 self-editing tips to improve your manuscript.
Feb 86 min read
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