Category: Revising/editing
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What I love best about beta readers
There are tons of reasons as an author to appreciate your beta readers. Here are some of the most important things my beta readers have contributed. Beta readers are wonderful! Have you ever been a beta reader?
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Successfully writing and editing a novel takes a marathon mindset
Now, for most people, especially people who have written or are trying to actually write a novel, this is intuitive and rather obvious. Still, I hold it can be very useful to break down the obvious things that we seldom take the time to pick apart and analyze. There is wisdom there. Reminders. motivations. So,…
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Creative writing as a Pantser: the good, the bad, and the ugly
I love writing as a pantser. I love not having an outline. I love not knowing what will happen. I love letting the characters guide me. Whether you’re a pantser, a planner, or something in between, there is no single right way to write fiction. I always say whatever works for an individual author is…
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A Smeagol/Gollum conversation as they edit a troublesome scene in my WIP
GOLLUM: You see that line? It’s got to go. SMEAGOL* shakes head* : No, precious! No! It’s a good line! It’s good, it is! GOLLUM: It implies stupid things that might confuse stupid hobbitses when they read. Nobody likes it. Nobody likes YOU. SMEAGOL *pleading*: What if we move it down below? It could work…
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When empathy and creative writing collide
Has empathy ever made creative writing difficult for you? I had an interesting experience this afternoon, regarding revising a tough scene in book two. I was kind of dreading doing it. I’ve had two scenes make me cry revising them, one in book one of my trilogy (just released in a second edition) and one…
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What revising your draft and working out have in common
I have recently gotten myself back in the habit of working out every other day after work. I don’t enjoy it, but I need to be doing it, and I’m glad I’m doing it. It got to me thinking, somehow, about what writing and working out have in common. (That’s how my mind works .…
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Why is it so hard to “let go” of a WIP?
You never “finish” a work of art. There just comes a point when you stop working on it. There comes a point when your novel truly is ready for beta readers, and then truly ready for an editor. After that, there comes a moment when you DO need to send it to the proofreader, and…
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Changes to the second edition of “The Crimson League,” Part 2: reflections on revision
Today, I wanted to highlight (spoiler-free) the more subtle changes to my second edition, both as I have been asked by readers to explain how this edition differs, and because it’s always useful for writers to reflect on or read about the revision process.
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 