With my historic embroidery, for a while the research was “linen and wool, silk when they could get it, but cotton is a modern fabric.” Well, cotton has existed for a long time, why not cotton for embroidery – it is my DMC floss – I WANT IT!!!
Cotton requires hot temperatures and the research was being done in England where wool and linen grew. India was where Cotton was king and until the East India Trading Company started moving it, not much happen fabric-wise in Europe with cotton. But in India, the cotton embroidery, fabric prints, and weaves are amazing throughout their long history.
During the A-to-Z challenge, one of the bloggers did twenty-six days of FABRIC!!! So beautiful. My favorite, of course, is the cotton (https://how-would-you-know.com/a-to-z-challenge-2026-c-fabrics-and-king-cotton/), but other topics about materials and weaves Andrew Wilson covered during the month are equally interesting.
(This suggestion does not help me, but it might help others. Learn as many techniques as you can if you are an editor, so you can meet your author where they are.)
For the Editing Rant this month I talked about chapter endings and the need to make your book unputdownable, but not do it in a cheesy or predictable way. Don’t let the tension out of the roller coaster with a crisp, complete ending when the chapter finishes. (Chapter Ending Questions 5/12/2026)
A great vlog to follow for developmental editing advise is Alyssa Matestic. Two of her vlogs specifically talk about this essence of storytelling.
The core of it is “A Simple Three-Step Process to Keep Readers READING” (the woman is wonderful at distilling her advice to three core steps for each of the 5-10 minute videos, giving you a break to practice what she has taught before diving into the next one).
Ensure every chapter is substantive on its own – Each chapter has weight, a beginning, middle, and end arc.
Identify the lingering point of tension.
Revise the final lines of the chapter based on Five Tactical Ways to Raise Suspense – (a) Ask a Question – This doesn’t have to be an actual written question, but a question left in the readers mind; (b) Create an Obstacle; (c) Drop a Bomb (etc. – you should watch the video below)
The second of her videos I would like to recommend is “This Psychological Trick Will Change How You Write Forever” (https://youtu.be/6p4_JKpshoc?si=r1IQLKysSDlURPFD) – this video is embedded below.
This video is about the Zeigarnik Effect, where unfinished business is more memorable. This isn’t a cliffhanger, just lack of closure – a door cracked open. Truly a way to make your book unputdownable.
As before, she creates a clear outline of three things to follow (and even inserts breaks into the video so you can jump to the points you are most interested in). (1) Build up to an event; (2) Revise your chapter endings – (a) Is there a question lingering or (b) Is there a sense of anticipation or unease; and (3) …. well, this is a recommendation for another cool blog, not a recap of other people’s work. Enjoy the video below or directly on YouTube.
