About The Word Cubby

The Word Cubby is the culmination of over twenty years of assisting writers. Originally launched as an academic editing service, it served students of all ages with their dissertations, theses, college entrance essays, and academic paper needs. From there, it expanded into journal article pre-submission editing and assisted businesses and corporations with editing needs.

Over the years, editing projects shifted to more creative works, and in 2017, The Word Cubby relaunched as a boutique editing service provider specializing in developmental editing. Services range from manuscript evaluation and developmental editing to TTRPG editing and query packages. Clients seek both traditional and self-publishing routes, and each receives the same care and attention. The Word Cubby’s primary purpose is to ensure the story shines.

Be sure to follow The Word Cubby on Twitter for all your editing or bookish needs.

Meet the Editor

Zen, The Word Cubby’s owner and chief editor, is dedicated to helping writers reach their goals. They are a storyteller and writer who primarily publishes middle grade, but can also be found producing a plethora of flash fiction in all genres. When they are not editing or writing, they can often be found out on a walk, playing pinball, or scouring the internet for all things 80s.

As an editor, they do not shy away from problematic themes or characters; sanitized literature serves no one. Instead, they focus on promoting depth and purpose to all characters and plots. Everything we see in life should also be seen in literature but with a little more rhyme and reason. One aspect of their job they take very seriously is diversity and inclusion in a positive, unforced manner.

Zen is non-binary and prefers they/them. They can also be found online writing under their birth name, Teresa Grabs.

You can contact Zen via email, Medium, LinkedIn, or Mastodon.

If you never take a risk, you will never know what changes you need to make.

Paulo Coelho, The Archer (The Way of the Bow)

Recommended Craft Books

“How can I improve as a writer?”

That question is often asked, and The Word Cubby often points to the same set of books. Understanding one’s craft is to know the rules, which ones can be bent and which ones can be broken. Knowing different ways of plotting, outlining, structuring, and writing allows the writer to pick and choose what works for them and apply it to their process. But… the only way to really improve as a writer, is to write.

Here are the ten books The Word Cubby recommends for every writer’s bookshelf:

  • Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
  • Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 3) by K. M. Weiland
  • Published.: The Proven Path From Blank Page To 10,000 Copies Sold by Chandler Bolt
  • The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know to Create & Sell Your Work by Writer’s Digest Books
  • Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey by Joseph Bates
  • Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody
  • How to Write a Dynamite Scene Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson
  • How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them by Howard Mittlemark and Sandra Newman
  • The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
  • On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King