iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 30/09/2025

In these dark times of censorship, hatred, and high-tension, keep creating. Art, of any medium, is powerful.

Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 25/08/2025

My editing schedule for 2026 will open September 1st. But I have one 2025 spot available in December for a developmental edit. If you write fantasy, romance, historical fiction, or dystopian, we could be a good fit. Check out my website for more info! 👇🏻

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 19/08/2025

The 3 ingredients needed in every romance novel: 💕 Two characters the reader can understand, care about, and wants them to be together 🥊 Believable conflict 💝A HEA or a HFN That’s the essential skeleton of every romance novel, no matter the subgenre. It’s up to you on how you tell that story

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 17/08/2025

ⓘ This developmental editor only uses her brain (and the years of writing craft and editing education) to edit my clients’ manuscripts.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 13/08/2025

I said “hey, cutie” to one of my dogs and Siri answered 🥲 Boy, I wasn’t talking to you.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 13/08/2025

ⓘ This developmental editor would love to edit some romcoms or gothic fantasies this September.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 13/08/2025

Here are some of my favorite books I recommend to help you write your book or improve your writing craft.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 25/07/2025

One of the most common mistakes I see in unpublished manuscripts. It’s mixing up dialogue punctuation and action beat punctuation. And they’re the easiest to fix. Here are the very basics of punctuation regarding dialogue tags and action beats.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 16/07/2025

Wrote 1300 words of the FMC’s backstory ✅

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 13/07/2025

2025 Editing Availability 🍁SEPT ▪️Developmental Edit under 100k words ▪️Manuscript Evaluation ❄️DEC ▪️Developmental Edit Let’s see if we’re a good fit! Head to my website to start the sample editing process and to learn more about me, my services, and my authors.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 30/06/2025

Writers, if you need an example of how the characters’ internal conflict gives deeper meaning to the external plot events, look no further than KPop Demon Hunters.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 29/06/2025

Some of you never cut your teeth writing fanfiction. And it shows. Using Character.AI or any sort of genAI to produce new scenes with your favorite characters is theft and shows you’re creatively bankrupt. Writing is mostly a skill. It ✨can✨be learned, honed, and bettered.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 20/06/2025

Unless your characters have magical powers, no one is seeing anyone’s eye color from more than 10 feet away. Or in the dark. But I’m near-sided, so maybe I’m wrong. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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Reposted by Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor

Rep. Morgan McGarvey @repmcgarvey.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Republicans snuck a provision into their budget bill that will make it harder for courts to hold the Trump administration — and any future administration — accountable. We must stop this in the Senate.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 03/04/2025

What I use to edit and how I deliver developmental editing feedback. #writingadvice #amwriting #bookeditor

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 03/04/2025

Despite this dystopian recession nightmare he’s sending us into, don’t stop creating. Whatever your medium, do not stop creating.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 02/04/2025

As editors “our suggestions are always just that, suggestions, not cudgels used to browbeat the author into submission.” - Jennifer Lawler #fictioneditor

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 02/04/2025

Writing open-door romance novels with intimate scenes can be really hard! And they can break your narrative sometimes. #writingtips #writingadvice #romanceauthors #romancewriters #romantasywriters #amwriting #writingcommunity #authorcommunity

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 30/03/2025

Writing fanfiction is a valid form a writing.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 16/03/2025

Oh no, the horror! I found a misspelling and a missing word in a book. What did I do about it? ✨Nothing. Kept reading.✨ Because human error is a feature, not a failure.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 12/03/2025

One of my favorite writing resources? The Emotions Thesaurus. It’s especially helpful if you find yourself reusing the same actions over and over again for your characters to express their emotions or internal states. My copy has coffee stains and teeth marks. And the spine is broken.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 12/03/2025

Your weekly reminder to check your spam inbox if you recently reached out to me for editing. Gmail hates the link to my questionnaire.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 01/03/2025

The predictability of Romance novels’ happily-ever-after isn’t a flaw—it’s a feature. The comfort of knowing love wins is the ultimate dopamine hit. ❤️‍🔥

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 25/02/2025

Here’s the No. 1 rule I hold myself to when editing my authors’ manuscripts: Don’t be prescriptive with my feedback. I’ll never mandate my authors to change anything. Editors are not in creative control. Sometimes we’re teachers. But mostly we’re in partnership with our authors.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 17/02/2025

To piss off DJT and his weird cult on President’s Day, I wrote about the romance genre and the very thing that alludes him on a daily basis. Read, like, and share:

open.substack.com

Romance Novels, Too Predictable?

The haters will say they are, but f*ck the haters.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 12/02/2025

Freelancers: What do you guys use to accept payments instead of PayPal? I'm eagerly looking to go in another direction, and do not want to complicate my systems with a CRM a la Honeybooks. #freelancer #freelanceeditor #freelancewriter

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 07/02/2025

Chemistry between two (or more) character can fit into several identifiers: ♥️romantic 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒familial 👯‍♀️platonic 🤷🏼‍♀️casual 🤺antagonistic What’s you’re favorite to write? My are romantic, sibling, and antagonistic!

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 07/02/2025

What book couple is your favorite solely based off romantic chemistry?

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 03/02/2025

A reminder to all users of Microsoft Word. They auto-turned on their AI for us. Go into your Microsoft account, & click “cancel subscription,” it’ll give you the option to subscribe to the “Microsoft Classic w/o AI” option. It’s $99.99/year instead of $129.99 for unnecessary AI Save that money!💸

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 03/02/2025

I know it’s BookTok famous right now, but I highly recommend ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder. A quick, but important read.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 30/01/2025

“Tippetty-toppity down with the Nazis!” - The Crown, S4 EP2

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

It’s important to know that a lot of productive activity is happening in person and offline, too. Not all of it can be broadcast online, but we’ve had hundreds of people showing up to our trainings, mobilizations, and more. Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 30/01/2025

Dear algorithm (if it works like that here 🤷🏼‍♀️), plz connect me with writers, authors, editors who are: ▪️Writing novels this year ▪️Progressive anti-fascists ▪️Fantasy and romance lovers ▪️Concerned about book bans, libraries, etc.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 29/01/2025

My tech brothers in hell: I don’t want AI on everything I use. Like, make it fix the environment or something!?

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 29/01/2025

Spring & Summer editing availability for developmental edits and manuscript evaluations: April - 1 spot May - 2 spots June - 1 spot July - 1 spot Aug - booked Sample edits are free, head to my website to fill out the contact form. You can find info about my services, testimonials, FAQs, & more.

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Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Unsolicited writing advice, no. #766: Writing is a community. Participate in it if you can. Engage with other writers. Lift them up, and they’ll do the same. Try to go it alone, or treat other writers as rivals, and you’re more likely to sink than swim.

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LittleMissVrb @littlemissvrb.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Never forget (a few weeks ago) when the president of South Korea fucked around and the citizens had the tyranny ended by morning. Incase you needed any inspiration today.

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Ariella Elm @ariellaelm.com · 29/01/2025

Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day 2: EVERY SINGLE DEM has made noise today against the federal aid freeze, every single one, just search for your electeds and you will find anything from statements to posts on socials to videos and more! 🧵

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 28/01/2025

This freeze on federal funding would negatively impact millions of Americans who use Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, libraries and museums, and much much more. They want us starved and stupid. Don’t let them.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 28/01/2025

My editing class/webinar favorites: ▪️Editorial Freelancers Assoc. ▪️Club Ed ▪️Jane Friedman ▪️Louise Harnby Feel free to add to the list!👇🏻

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Reposted by Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor

Alex Segura @alexsegura.com · 28/01/2025

Pretty big deal. @bookshop-org.bsky.social is selling ebooks now. You can now support indies while purchasing digital books. bookshop.org/ebooks

bookshop.org

Bookshop.org US

Explore digital books on Bookshop.org

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 27/01/2025

Posting this to remember that movement—walking, lifting, yoga—helps stave off the worst of the inattentive ADHD focus issues I have.

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Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor @kourtneyspak.com · 26/01/2025

This post was inspired by someone asking me if they need to be a published and/or successful author to become an editor. TL;DR: You don’t. Editing and writing are connected, but ultimately are different skillsets. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/kourtney...

open.substack.com

Freelance Editing: Getting Started in 2025

I promise I won’t mention quitting your day job.

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Reposted by Kourt Spak | Fiction Editor

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

FINALLY we are seeing some pushback from SOMEBODY! Lawyer up, Donnie

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