tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post8244454489935907179..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Face-Lift 1143Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-13148480725959461432013-08-15T12:19:34.923-04:002013-08-15T12:19:34.923-04:00In Charles Bronson's "The Mechanic",...In Charles Bronson's "The Mechanic", his employers absolutely try to take him out for violating protocol, even though he is portrayed as the best in what he does. Syndicate mob bosses have always come across to me as getting upset when an underling violates protocol. The mob knows there's always someone else to take over.Greg L. Turnquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08171029090321889292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-15948590097922690392013-07-31T19:30:52.884-04:002013-07-31T19:30:52.884-04:00150, ps-- I guess one thing that could be helpful ...150, ps-- I guess one thing that could be helpful to others and not just me:<br /><br />Outline the story <i>after</i> you've written it. That will tend to show where the problems are. Fix the outline, then fix the manuscript.AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-47087943361761542132013-07-31T19:28:00.518-04:002013-07-31T19:28:00.518-04:00150, I don't, really. Sorry :(
As I go along...150, I don't, really. Sorry :(<br /><br /> As I go along in this business I've learned two things:<br /><br />1. Method is so individual. That is, nobody's method is going to work for anyone else. It's very interesting to read books about writing, but ultimately, everyone kind of works out their own salvation.<br /><br />Personally, I make heavy use of scissors, tape, paperclips, sticky notes, and colored markers when revising, but to each her own...<br /><br />2. Writing is 99% revision anyway. Because of that, I don't make nearly the effort I used to make with first drafts.<br /><br />(I used to <i>submit</i> first drafts. /cringe)<br /><br /><br />AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-70540068090572806942013-07-31T19:01:35.433-04:002013-07-31T19:01:35.433-04:00Hi author,
I hope you come back with a revision. T...Hi author,<br />I hope you come back with a revision. This sounds like a great read despite the query. <br /><br />OMG, pregnant with Satan's spawn? EE, you know no bounds. Praise Jeebus for that.<br /><br />Thanks for the revision links 150. I'm elbow-deep in a major revision, so I can appreciate and relate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18159799725109784001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-73688975873739911302013-07-31T16:29:42.671-04:002013-07-31T16:29:42.671-04:00Cav, that's a good link for evaluating the ind...Cav, that's a good link for evaluating the individual elements of a book, but I can't imagine how to use it as a systematic approach to structure.<br /><br />For the record, my on-hand links were:<br /><br />http://hollylisle.com/how-to-revise-a-novel/<br /><br />http://hollylisle.com/one-pass-manuscript-revision-from-first-draft-to-last-in-one-cycle/<br /><br />http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-i-edit.html<br /><br />http://www.cherylklein.com/id21.html<br /><br />http://www.elizabethmoon.com/writing-revision.html150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-71084840183740075772013-07-31T15:22:10.706-04:002013-07-31T15:22:10.706-04:00Everything I was thinking and more has been said. ...Everything I was thinking and more has been said. <br /><br />I think the best resource for revising is a collection of readers' opinions: <br /><br />http://bookriot.com/2013/07/30/what-are-your-book-dealbreakers/<br />CavalierdeNuithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09862976676163347369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-67270431339802633712013-07-31T12:59:58.023-04:002013-07-31T12:59:58.023-04:00150, short of a solid, tough beta reader, I can...150, short of a solid, tough beta reader, I can't think of one. khazar-khumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-3575746894184750212013-07-31T11:45:37.118-04:002013-07-31T11:45:37.118-04:00If you find yourself unable to write the single se...<i>If you find yourself unable to write the single sentence, then go back and revise your manuscript again.</i><br /><br />Hey Alaska, this gets at something on my mind lately. I agree with your prescription, but note that here "revise" means "make a massive change and rewrite most of the book." That's fine and necessary, but also overwhelming. Do you have any resources on how to undertake a huge revision? Most how-to-edit articles are lightweight polishing-prose stuff, which leads to writers making minor changes in manuscripts that are structurally broken, never addressing the real problem, or even knowing it's there.<br /><br />Some of my local writers recently asked me for resources on how to revise a novel, and I had a few on hand, but I'd love to see any more that you (or anyone) use.150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-27317752335918622842013-07-31T10:52:38.795-04:002013-07-31T10:52:38.795-04:00Don't go for a movie trailer feel. This is a b...Don't go for a movie trailer feel. This is a business letter.<br /><br />Reduce everything that happens in your story to one sentence, under 20 words in length. That will tell you what's essential. What's essential should go in your query.<br /><br />If you find yourself unable to write the single sentence, then go back and revise your manuscript again.<br />AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-55592029555884741962013-07-31T09:34:46.298-04:002013-07-31T09:34:46.298-04:00Hi, Anon. Just describe what happens, in order, in...Hi, Anon. Just describe what happens, in order, in simple, clear language, so we know what your MC is trying to do and why, and what happens if she fails.<br /><br />(word ver: ICACRUS. Captcha wanted to sound educated in Greek myth but flew too close to the sun and fell down blazing.)150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-39132494461076714762013-07-31T08:44:54.909-04:002013-07-31T08:44:54.909-04:00Wow. I've conveyed any number of things which ...Wow. I've conveyed any number of things which I did not intend. This is good feedback and precisely what I needed. <br /><br />The novel is not writtten in this style at all. I was going for a movie trailer feel here. Clearly, I've trimmed way to much. I've set a false expectation, which is not a good thing. I'm droppong the Jane Austen reference for te same reason. It creates baggage I so don't want to deal with. <br /><br />There's a lot going on in the book. My fear was being overly verbose, but I've over compensated and gone too far the other way. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-73491363355354082912013-07-31T08:34:03.687-04:002013-07-31T08:34:03.687-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-41712660367942065852013-07-30T20:57:41.788-04:002013-07-30T20:57:41.788-04:00I suppose the Watchers could represent Mr. Willoug...I suppose the Watchers could represent Mr. Willoughby. They were all sweet talk at first, but then they turned out to have Ruined Colonel Brandon's ward.AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-59112727311222045592013-07-30T20:16:41.728-04:002013-07-30T20:16:41.728-04:00The resemblance to Austen's novel escapes me. ...The resemblance to Austen's novel escapes me. There's no 'two sisters in love with the same boy' in that book iirc.<br /><br />Those short choppy sentences are hard enough to read in the query. There's no way I'd read a novel full of them. If the query accurately represents how the book is written, then that's good--and bad. Hmmm.nonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00415222406280230021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-39014966135914786882013-07-30T16:18:49.506-04:002013-07-30T16:18:49.506-04:001. Why was the Syndicate on the run with Eli's...1. Why was the Syndicate on the run with Eli's sister? (That's not what you meant, but, with the dangling modifier, it's what you said.)<br /><br />2. Eli is a boy's name. <br /><br />3. This sounds nothing like Sense and Sensibility, and it's probably just as well. Readers who heart Jane Austen may not necessarily be the same readers who heart teenage killer protagonists.<br /><br />The voice in the query seems like you're trying too hard to impress, and not trying hard enough to tell us about the story.AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.com