Words Are Hard
Words are hard. We’re here to help. Join Rachael Waldburger (editor, indie author, and English teacher) and her brother Ramsay Plautz (the extrovert in charge of keeping the conversation going) as they dive into writing and editing techniques. New episode weekly. Tangent-to-topic ratios will vary.
Episodes

5 days ago
36. Common Grammar Mistakes
5 days ago
5 days ago
In today's episode: homophones, dangling modifiers, and sourdough pancakes (oh my!)
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
35. Technical vs Functional Grammar
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
What do celebrity crushes, shredded cheese, and run-on sentences have in common? That's right: this episode!
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
34. Revisions with Bethany Hensel
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Join us as we welcome back guest editor Bethany Hensel to discuss the importance of revisions, how to evolve your manuscript (like a Pokemon) and what's going on with the last Game of Thrones book.
Check out Bethany's Revision Academy, and make sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter at bethanyhensel13!
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
33. AI
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
AI. It's here, it's controversial, and it's not going away. Everyone else is sharing their opinions on it, so we might as well add our own! Also, we endeavored to conduct this episode with pep--let us know how we did.
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
For more tips, join my newsletter here or at www.rosedeneediting.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
32. Pacing
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
What is pacing (not the NASCAR term)? How do you use it? Why is it important? Special background guest appearance by Rachael's 4-year-old and his box of blocks.
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
For more tips, join my newsletter here or at www.rosedeneediting.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
31. Characterization Through Dialogue
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Dialogue is a wonderful tool for showing characterization, but how exactly do you go about doing it? Surprise guest appearance by Nugget the Cat!
Don't forget to enter our 1,000 listens giveaway! Just leave a review, take a screenshot, and send it to editor@rachaelwaldburger.com.
For more tips, join my newsletter here or at www.rosedeneediting.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
30. Conlangs
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
If you've ever wondered how to build your own language, this episode is for you! We'll go over the basics of creating a conlang (constructed language) and how to include it in your story!
For more tips, join my newsletter here or at www.rosedeneediting.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.

Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
29. Fantasy Name Pronunciation
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Fantasy and Sci Fi are notorious for creative spellings of character names. In today's episode, we discuss some tips for letting your creativity shine without frustrating your readers.
For more tips, join my newsletter here or at www.rosedeneediting.com.
I’m also offering a free first page edit through my Line Edits in Action series. Sign up here to be entered into a weekly drawing for a free line edit of your opening page.