I’ve had the marked up manuscript for “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” since August and I have been making some steady progress. One of the things my editor, Robert Runte’ said to me before I even saw the edits was, it would be a lot of work, but it would save me a lot of time in the long run (i.e. future novels). Seeing the items he has requested for revision, I would have to agree with him. Three stand out specifically: 1. Rushing Scenes I’ve probably mentioned this before and I’m sure I’m not unique in this writing mistake. I have the bad habit of finishing a scene too quickly. I’ve really looked at it (and myself) to better understand […]
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Guest Post on Clarion Foundation Blog
You can now find my post on The Writer’s Craft at: http://clarionfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/the-writers-craft-41-a-boy-who-dreams-of-saving-the-world/.
Read moreThe Changing Landscape of Books
The fact that the book industry is changing has never been driven home quite as clearly as it was in the last few days. The first epiphany was when I read a post by my publisher, Lorina Stephens of Five Rivers Publishing. She wrote about how Indigo (the 500-pound gorilla in Canada for book sales) is now pushing the small and indie presses around (post found here). Essentially, the book chain has made the decision to supplement their waning book sales by selling giftware. Fair enough. If it helps them survive, all the power to them. But, and here is where the bullying comes in, they are also basically pushing the small presses out. Lorina says it better than me by far, so I […]
Read moreDon’t Overlook the Little Things – Notes on Revision
The revision process has been a series of aha moments for me. The latest one has to do with how two of my characters come together and form a bond. The book I’m revising is, of course, “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” and the bond I’m talking about is that of a superhero and his sidekick, or, in this case, a boy and his dog. Let me set the stage: Mik has just been given a puppy by his parents. Except, the puppy doesn’t want to do anything except mope around the house. Mik and his mother discuss how the puppy has just been weaned and is homesick. It might help if Mik and the dog spend some quality time together. […]
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