Rereading an old manuscript
This month I’ve gone back, way back. I’ve pulled out the first fantasy story I wrote, dusted it off and have started rereading it. Why? Because I want to see if it can be salvaged, whether it’s worth trying to get it published again. The short answer is – maybe. When I began to read it, I was marking it up like …
Rockingham Writers Centre Convention
The Rockingham Writers Centre is having their first Writers’ Convention in September and I’ve been invited to give a workshop about editing. It’s been quite an interesting process getting ready for the workshop as I’ve had to go through all the things I’ve learnt and write a summary of what I want to cover. It’s actually quite a lot and I’ve …
Self-editing: My final step
Editing your own work can be difficult. You’re so close to the story that you often see what you think you’ve written and not what you’ve actually written. I’m at the final stage in my current manuscript – Book 1 of The Flanagan Sisters so I thought I’d share what I do.My final edits happen when I’m happy with the …
Leaping across the chasm
Today I’m doing structural edits. Actually it’s probably better to say I’m struggling with structural edits. So what are they? A structural edit is when the editor looks at your novel as a whole and suggests improvements with the story arc and character development. He/She does not make the changes for the author but suggests ways the story could be …
