Artists know when they’ve added a bit too much paint to the canvas. They recognize when they’ve overdone it. An artist once told me he never completely finished a painting because he didn’t want to ruin it. By “ruin it” he meant, kill the tone, the feel, the essence of the work by over painting. […]
Tips for Turning Your Manuscript Upside Down #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
This month I’m joining the #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop with a look how to stomach a major rework of your manuscript. It’s not something any of us want to do or look forward to doing, but there are instances where we must give it a go. I’ve had some experience with this and thought I’d share some tips. […]
When Something Doesn’t Work, Why Not Delete It?
One of the best things about writing fiction is you can hit the delete button #writingtips Click To Tweet . If a scene doesn’t work or no longer moves the story forward, rather than trying to fix it or repair a broken phrase, why not delete it? Nonfiction writers don’t have that much freedom. They […]
The Perils of Self-Editing
Clearly while I’m composing or creating my story, I avoid the editing trap. I prefer to wait until I’m finished before going back and doing the work of editing, revising, correcting. Nonetheless, to get into the story before I work, I must read the last little bit I’ve written. When I do that, I’m often […]
I May Be A Good Writer, But I’m a Lousy Editor!
Editing is the bane of my existence #amwriting #amediting Click To Tweet I know some writers are also good editors. They catch every little comma error or word left out. They see all the echoed words and shake their fingers at me when I misspell so common a word as “quiet.” What in the world […]
When You Just Gotta Laugh
I’m sure few writers will tell you that they enjoyed reading the critiques from their editors #amwrting Click To Tweet Most of us would rather pull our teeth than open the document that’s been nitpicked apart. But, I have to say. Some of my errors are really funny and I’m grateful to my readers for […]
What Surprises You About Writing?
Recently I was asked by an interview, What surprised me about my writing career? #writingtips Click To Tweet He included the creative process, publishing or editing. Admittedly nothing in the publishing or editing process particularly surprised me. I realized going into this field that getting published would be a challenge and would require all my […]
What Are Beta Readers and How to Find Them?
Okay, so you’ve finished your first draft. You’ve done everything you can with it. You’ve read it and re-read it to the point of total exhaustion. In fact you’ve gone over it so many times, that you’re not sure you’re reading the words on the page or if you have the pages memorized. What’s next? […]
Tips for Underwriting your Overwriting
As a writer who creates something from nothing, I often catch myself overwriting. If you are a big name writer, editors leave your overwriting in your books and readers learn to skim and sigh. If you’re not so famous, you must catch your own overwriting and learn to under write. By under write, I mean […]
Writers Helping Writers
As I struggle along with my new manuscript, I realize how much writers have to do alone. We create, edit and ponder all by our little lonesomes. Here is where I’d love to have a writing partner. Wouldn’t it be nice to toss ideas off someone, to ask them to read what you’ve written, to […]
