I have just read a great post by a fellow named Martin Stewart, a dreamy-eyed Scot (two thumbs up right there) who has a great deal of common sense on the topic of revision. Note: Martin calls it ‘editing,’ but that’s because he’s not an editor himself. From this writer’s perspective, what he’s doing is … [Read more…]
Last night I was sitting in my office looking out the window at the darkening sky when a crow flew past. I watched him go on his birdy way, and it struck me that lately I had been spending a disproportionate amount of time on pointless stuff. What is pointless? To a writer, it’s anything … [Read more…]
Not everyone can (or wants to) hire an editor. But what an editor can do is see your novel with fresh eyes. That’s harder for the writer, who’s gotten deep inside each character and scene, each sentence and paragraph. What do you need to do? Create Distance.
For the masochists: My first fiction effort, a novella entitled Pawn to Queen, won the infamous 3-Day novel writing contest: $200 and publication! You thought Nanowrimo was a grind? Try this one. What better way to spend a weekend? If you want to know what it did to me, read on.
