I have learned a lot in my current round of revising my “Mik Murdoch” manuscript. The very biggest lesson has been not to rush the story. I know I’ve mentioned this, but I sometimes find myself hurrying a story to finish it. It results in glossed over scenes, scenes that end too abruptly or just situations that are unlikely. As you might imagine, I’m getting tagged with more of those at the end of the book than I was at the beginning. So, I’ve been working for the past several days trying to get to that most sought after page, the last. Except, I keep getting tripped up with little comments like “Expand this” or “Ends too suddenly” or even […]
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Editing Update – Lessons Learned at the Halfway Point
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 […]
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. […]
Read moreShock to the System
I received the first set of edits for my manuscript, “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” this week. I’ve been waiting with baited breath for these edits, not entirely sure what to expect. I had hoped that, with the number of times I’ve actually read and revised the story, it would need minimal changes. Let’s call that my optimistic self getting involved in the whole publishing process. Then there was the more pessimistic side of me that hoped (yes, I said “hoped”) that my editor, Robert Runte (gee it feels good to be able to say that), would request some changes. That hope largely stemmed from conversations he and I had over the course of the “When Words Collide” conference. I knew […]
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