Did you listen to the recent podcast with Shannon Baker, who recently received a plaque from her publisher for reaching 100,000 books sold? On the podcast, Shannon told a great story about sticking with it. “I think I would say ‘be the tortoise’ … just keep at it. I mean, when I started writing, (with)…
Tag: editing
! – – ; / * – (– ;)–?– * Fatigue
I judged a few entries this year for the Colorado Gold Literary Awards. I have one takeaway. It’s this: Chill with the punctuation. Too much makes readers tired. Well, makes me tired. It’s also unappealing on the page. It looks cluttered. Our brains are already busy putting your words into images in our heads. Don’t…
Preparing for a Developmental Edit (Part 2: Waiting)
For more context on this topic, please see my post from last month on how to find an editor for your WIP. As a quick recap, interviewing your editor beforehand will lay the best groundwork for understanding the type of edit you’ve requested and the context for the advice (eventually) given. Now all you can…
Preparing Your WIP (and Yourself) for a Developmental Edit
The first time I offered my manuscript for a trial developmental edit was through a conference, and I couldn’t have been luckier. The editor who reviewed my first chapter, for a fee of 40 dollars, later devoted a half hour of thoughtful in-person follow up, knew my genre well and was writing in it himself,…
Creative Endurance & More
Creative Endurance. David Yoon suggests creative endurance can be cultivated. “Grit is not a personality trait or a special skill. It’s not even all that special. Anyone can have grit because grit is simply a set of good habits.” Some excellent suggestions here. Getting Unstuck. Love these tips from Janice Hardy for how to get…