Two More Don't Miss Posts about Editing and Rewriting

As my plane soared into the air toward St. Simons Island, I reached into my laptop bag and, surprised, pulled out a sheaf of papers. What were they? Printouts of two of the best posts I've read about rewriting and editing. Yep, these two posts are ones I found worthy of actually printing out and they didn't make it into my last post. I apologize because they are really quite good.  


Top Ten Things I Know About Rewriting
By Alexandra Sokoloff. What's unique about this take is that she breaks down the process from a screenwriter's perspective. Make sure you read the end, where she lists Story Elements in each Act.


Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do)
This is from Pat Hold over at Holt Uncensored. The article uses excerpts from published books to point out 10 mistakes that most writers don't see. Very intriguing.


The only reason I'm updating the blog at the moment is because I came down with a lovely sinus infection, which gave me some time in the cottage. Here's to hoping the Atlantic ocean air helps.

Editing Your Novel? A Round-Up of Some Good Advice

I'm always fascinated with how other writers revise, edit, and otherwise beat their manuscripts into submission. Trying to make more than 80,000 words all make sense is a tough task indeed. If you are looking for a little help, don't miss some of these great posts about editing:

Three Stages of Revision
This excellent post is by Natalie Whipple, a YA writer. It was a huge relief to read this and realize I was trying to do way too much in one round of edits.

Line Editing in 10 Easy Steps
By David Louis Edelman, if you want to really sharpen your prose, check this post out.

Dialogue is Not Necessarily How We Talk
By Heidi Thomas. Great breakdown of what to watch for in writing dialogue.

A Critique on Keeping Verb Tenses Consistent
This is an actual critique by D'Ann Mateer of a piece of writing. It does a great job of showing how writing can be strengthened, rather than just telling you how to do it.

Oh, That's Subtle
This post by Janice Hardy points out how just one word can mean the difference in a piece of writing that works or falls flat. Complete with examples.

Three Simple Stages of Self-Editing
By Jody Hedlund (whose blog you should definitely follow, btw). She explains the difference between substantive edits, line editing, and copyediting and what to look for in each one.

Use Wordle to Check for Meaningless Words
By Carrie Heim Binas, this explains how using a Wordle "word cloud" on your writing can reveal which words you prominently use. I found this technique pretty fascinating.

On a personal note, I'm happy to report that I'm diving back into my novel again. It requires me getting up at 5:30 a.m., but if that's the only way to keep it going then that's what has to be done. I'm also headed off to St. Simon's Island for a much anticipated vacation. I love Nashville, but I need to step away for a bit and reset everything. Have a great Memorial Day!