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Nanowrimo – A Writers Workshop by Wendy Van Camp

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Alphasmart Neo and Samsonite Shuttle Case

National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st every year. People from all over the world gather in coffeehouses, libraries, and other public locations to write 50 thousand words of the rough draft of a novel in 30 days. It is a time of writing madness. You set aside the regular activities of your life and focus on getting words on the page.

Practice Makes Perfect

The first few times that I attempted Nanowrimo, I was lucky to write 10 thousand words. I did not have the habit of writing every day, and I did not write an outline for my story ahead of time. In 2010, that changed for me. For the first time, a story woke up and “spoke” to me. No, this was not the sign of mental illness. One of the common traits that authors share is a connection to their subconscious mind where their “muse” works behind the scenes to create art. For the first time in years, my writing “muse” activated. I could not refuse to write this story even if I wanted to. Something within me pushed me forward as my story grew richer.

That year, I wanted to take part in the write-ins of my area for the first time. I was at a loss of how to participate. I did not own a laptop and did not have the funds to buy one at that time. As I read the forums at nanowrimo.org, I stumbled upon a thread about a machine called an alphasmart 3000. It is a digital typewriter designed for classrooms to teach keyboarding. The alphasmart has no internet connections, a tiny screen where you could only see a few lines at a time, and a large full-sized keyboard. I could download any text that I typed into the word processor of my choice. The best part is that I could purchase a used Alphasmart for around $25 including shipping. I bought one on eBay. It allowed me to leave my desktop behind and find the freedom to write in any location that I choose.

I also discovered Chris Baty’s book, “No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days“. In it, he describes his method of writing a rough draft. He believes in the adage: write quickly, edit slowly. What Baty recommends is to write with abandon. Do not erase what you write, let your mind go free and write everything that comes to you as fast as possible. Put out as much word count during each writing session as you can. Once your 30 days are up, take a deep breath and then go back and edit your words to clean up the passages, but not before. His book also offers inspiration to all new authors to develop good writing habits.

At the write-ins that year, I absorbed a great deal of information about the craft of writing. Before Nanowrimo, I thought you wrote a book and sent it in to a publisher and there it ended. Instead, I learned that the rough draft is only the start of the process. You also sel-edit your work, hire proofreaders to double check your manuscript for typos and content, and finally choose how to publish your book.

That November became a writing workshop for me. I asked an endless number of questions at the write-ins. My “instructors” were all a bunch of techie college students who were more connected to their smartphones than the surrounding people. They made me feel old before my time, but I absorbed the information and did not take their youth personally. In the end, I pushed forward and made the 50-thousand-word goal for the first time.

Why Participate in Nanowrimo?

If you are a new aspiring author, Nanowrimo will provide you with a support group of people who will cheer you on as you write your book. During Nanowrimo, discussions revolve around all the new software and tools that are available to writers. You will learn new techniques.

As the years have gone by, I have become a published author and poet. I sell short stories and poetry in magazines, following a tradition publishing path. However, my books tend to be independently published. I credit Nanowrimo with giving me my start. I have since upgraded to an Alphasmart Neo for drafting and use Scrivener as my writing program of choice to organize my novel projects.

I set aside October for planning a new long project, either a novella or a book. This includes brainstorming plot points, writing outlines and creating character sheets. During November, I clear my calendar and plan to spend at least two to three hours a day working on my rough draft, minus the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Sometimes I write with the wrimo groups, sometimes I write on my own. Nanowrimo is there to bolster me when I grow tired, to push me to keep on working. I like to use their energy. It is like coasting with full sails with a trade wind toward your goal. It makes those larger projects easier to complete.

To learn more information about Nanowrimo, visit Nanowrimo.org. There is a wealth of information about the program on the website. It is free to join and the writing information is available year round. If writing in November is not good timing for you, there are other months set aside with a similar format where you can gain a helpful push for your word count. The important thing is to write. Sit in your chair, use your writing machine of choice, and get the words flowing.

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Lee Garratt

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I originally know Author Lee Garratt from speculative poetry, but he is also a novelist! When I asked him how he might describe himself as an author, he replied: “Regularly entertains delusions of grandeur.” Please welcome him to No Wasted Ink.

Hi there. My name is Lee Garratt. I am 49 years old and, after rather a varied career history, I am currently teaching High School English in the English Midlands. I have a 10 year old son, Alfred.

When and why did you begin writing?

As a serious thing after a marriage break up 7 years ago. I suddenly had more time to myself and I thought it was either now or never. Writing was always something I was going to do – it was time to either get busy or to drop that dream.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

That’s an interesting question. It is something of a sliding scale isn’t it? When I first started writing I went to a local poetry club. There, the first thing I wanted to do was to write poems that would stand up against the others and get good feedback. Once I had achieved that, I set myself a goal of getting one of my poems or stories published. And when that happened, when I finally saw my name in print, it was, as every writer knows, a very exciting moment! Since then, I have been lucky enough to have more things published and even, more recently, whole books of my own.

Whether I consider myself a writer though, or ‘just’ a teacher who writes in the evenings is a moot point. I think, until I could quit the day job, I would feel a little bit of a fraud giving myself such a grand title! To be a writer, to actually be one, is really quite something.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Certainly. It is, I would say, a YA fantasy novella It is set in a land (a future Earth?) where society has, to a large extent, broken down. Culture only barely clings on in an almost mythical faraway place, SeaCity. The protagonist, Alfred, grows up in a dysfunctional, barely alive, settlement stranded in a dystopian waste. Events conspire to send Alfred on a dangerous journey to Seacity.

What inspired you to write this book?

I think the genesis of it was just the image of a place; a barren wasteland where people barely cling on after some unspecified cataclysmic event. The place itself captured my imagination and I started from there.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Ooh. That’s interesting. I think my ‘natural’ writing style is a kind of rational exposition similar to, in my mind at least, John Wyndham. I think it probably seems a little ‘old fashioned’ to some these days.

I play around with different voices though. I recently wrote a story in a more fevered Irvine Welsh kind of manner (or that was my intention). I’ve tried imitating a Stanislaw Lem voice (very difficult). It is fun to play around with these things.

The settling on a ‘style’ is an interesting thing actually. You read the vast majority of authors and they certainly do this. It’s surprising actually, how many of them settle on a single ‘voice’. Perhaps that is a good thing – perhaps most of us have one true authorial voice that, if we are lucky enough to discover, would be best advised to stick to. On the other hand, I sometimes wonder whether, given the sheer infinite amount of forms a story can take, many authors aren’t just settling for safety?

How did you come up with the title of this book?

It took a little while to get there actually. Indeed, I had another title in mind, ‘Dirt’, until very late in the day. When myself and the publisher decided on the cover image it was only then that I decided on ‘Remains’.
I like the process on deciding on a title – when you hit on the right one it just fits somehow.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Hmm. I think I am a little obsessed with the randomness of life. And how often things, actually, aren’t ‘meant to be’. So, if there is a message, it is perhaps something of how the world is a big place that couldn’t care less about you as an individual – even if you do happen to be a fictional character in a book!

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in
your own life?

I’ve not thought about that, Directly no. But the protagonist is called after my son so there might be something there.

What authors have most influenced your life?  What about them do you find inspiring?

Great question. I was something of a ‘bum’ in my 20s and 30s. So, for me, Jack London, Jack Kerouac, Mark Twain, Hemingway (and Tolkien too with his hobbits setting forth on journeys from the shire) have a lot to answer for!

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

As in all time, alive or dead?
I think I would probably choose Ursula K Le Guin. As well as being a truly wonderful writer of genius she always strikes me as a woman of wisdom and kindness. I love Hemingway but I’m not sure how good a mentor he would be. I imagine we might fall out after a big boozy night!

Do you have any advice for other writers?

The first thing you write, try and make it incredibly, undeniably brilliant. You will then, in one fell swoop, have got yourself a publisher, an agent and lots of money, so can spend the rest of your life writing rather than having to bother yourself with all the boring stuff the rest of us have to.

Lee Garratt
Belper, Derbyshire, UK

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Remains

Publisher: Dimensionfold Publishing

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THE CURATE’S BROTHER BY WENDY VAN CAMP #REGENCY #AUSTEN

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The Curate’s Brother: A Jane Austen Variation of Persuasion
by Wendy Van Camp

Available on Amazon

A Regency Historical based on the characters and settings from Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion. It can serve as a stand-alone or a prequel to Austen’s book.

It is the summer of 1806 in Somerset, England.

EDWARD WENTWORTH, a young curate, is surprised by the arrival of his brother, Commander Frederick Wentworth, the “hero of San Domingo”, who is on shore leave from his battles in the Napoleonic wars and has come to spend time with the only family he has in England.

All the good Commander wants to do is flirt and dance with the ladies until he is called back to sea, but when his flirting extends to SALLY MARSHALL, an outgoing beauty that Edward always disdained as “a child”, the curate becomes aware that his opinion of Sally is sorely outdated. Meanwhile, Frederick becomes drawn to shy wallflower ANNE ELLIOT. She is the daughter of a baronet and above his station, but Frederick pays no heed to his brother’s warnings that class may prevent their union.

At the end of summer, a letter and package arrive that will change everything for the two brothers. Which will prevail? The bold action of the commander or the quiet manners of the curate?

Guest Posts

The Race Where You Can’t Afford A Burn-out by Kim Dorothy

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I average writing 70k-words per week. One of the guys in the head office invited me to post tips about avoiding burnout in a high-volume production mode. Keep in mind that I do this full-time and live alone, so it’s more or less my perfect world. Burnout is the flip side of efficiency; less of the former when there’s more of the latter. Most of the following relates to what I’ve learned about efficiency. There might be a kernel of something helpful here for you.

1. Buy the best you can afford.
a. A slow computer drags down spontaneity, preventing you from tapping into that special part of the brain where the writer in you lives – in the word vault. I have several computers; some for heavy-duty video processing and Photoshop work and others, portable and light including one that will fit in my purse.

b. A keyboard has to be properly responsive. You don’t want to need to “punch” the keys, nor do you want a flat plastic pretend board that gives you no sense of keystrike fulfillment. You may prefer an external keyboard paired with a laptop as some laptop designs that include a touchpad are awkwardly designed so that you have to arch your wrists to avoid touching the pad as you type.

c. The monitor should be the highest resolution you can afford. Our eyestrain is greater than that of an air traffic controller and you can seriously damage your eyes as well as sit for long periods in an unnatural position to accommodate the screen’s poor resolution. I also find it easier on my eyes if I swap monitors. I use dual 27” UHD for design work and my 13” UHD laptop screen for simply writing. Less environmental input to process.

d. Get the right chair. This isn’t necessarily the most expensive as some companies produce office furniture that revolves more around design aesthetic than support and functionality. My favorite chair at the moment is an $89 upholstered dining room chair from the mark-down room at Value City Furniture. It holds my back straight, my lap is parallel to the floor, it cushions my tush and slides easily on a plastic chair mat.

e. Get the right desk. This is about height so you can have the ideal posture while typing. It also needs to accommodate your monitor at eye height so your neck isn’t strained. I use an added-on adjustable keyboard tray that slides in and out, tilts and allows you to switch the side where your mouse sits. It’s securely screwed into the underside of the desk’s top. I have a short footstool under my desk that keeps my feet from swelling or my knees from creating blood clots or poor circulation.

f. Make it a dedicated work computer. No gaming, no social media, no emails. No kids or spouse who changes the background and trashes your files. Plenty of disk space, but have a back-up.

2. Dropbox, iCloud, etc.
Since I use multiple computers, I keep all my writing files in the cloud. They sync and I can sit down at any one of my units and pick up where I left off. I also use Evernote because I can capture browser screenshots, articles, audio, photos; all the things I use to build my outline. Again, it syncs across all my devices, including my phone while I’m driving and think of something. I don’t have to chase ideas down.

3. Move around.
My computer is a tool and I have several. My house happens to have four floors and there is a computer on three of them, including one on a rolling laptop table I can take outdoors by the pool in summer. If you have one working area, stand up every half hour and stretch out a few yoga moves, throw in some laundry, chop onions for dinner, go rinse your face or brush your teeth. Just move and then get back to it. Avoid movement that can be a diversion, such as watching tv or getting on the phone to visit with your friend.

4. Eat well.
A brain on normal standby burns 20% of your caloric intake. A “thinking” brain uses even more. Your brain needs healthy fats and protein for top working order. Do not eat sugary carbs as these slow you down and trigger cravings and produce erratic blood sugar levels. Try it – eat a doughnut or a bowl of cereal and you’ll feel yourself fading. Avoid foods with tryptophan. I recommend never eating at the computer. It gums up your keyboard and your tush and belly will widen. Eat small but healthy snacks during your half-hour stretches. While on this topic, dress in layers and work in fresh air whenever possible.

5. Train your brain.
The human body is a wonderfully adaptable machine and you can use that to your advantage. If you write for five hours in the morning on Monday and two hours in the afternoon on Tuesday, the body is spending energy and awareness on adapting. Set a writing time and stick to it. If you wake up at 3 a.m. and can’t sleep, don’t go and write. You’re confusing your body’s internal clock and you’ll pay for it. Then, just like that magic cup of coffee keeps you regular, your brain will allocate resources more smoothly because it knows what to expect. This also reduces your anxiety and if you know your writing pace, you can predict to the day when your book will be complete. I recommend a nap at about 3 pm. Even a short one is restorative. When you’re not writing, don’t be at the computer playing games. Give your body plenty of exercise.

6. Mute your phone.
Message alerts and phone calls break your concentration. It’s okay to return calls to people later on.

7. Open all Programs.
You may have your favorites, but when writing I have the following open: Grammarly / Word / Thesaurus, Evernote and Chrome. I use Evernote like you may use Scrivener. I fit them all on one screen when possible, or in layers when not. The fewer times my hands leave the keyboard to feel for the mouse, and to return, the more productive I am.

8. Dictation for dialogue.
I use Dragon and a PC for the best results. I think there’s a post in the All-Star files where I take you through all the combinations of computer / software / microphones I experimented with. Mary Crawford also has published an excellent book on the topic.

a. I tend to always dictate dialogue. I close my eyes, sit back in the recliner and become the voice of my character(s). It feels natural and more authentic; like you’re in a play on stage but starring in all the roles. It’s fun. Note on this: It takes some time to get used to saying, “New line, open quote,” etc. and then “close quote.” I’ve experimented with just saying “dash” or “x” and then go back and let the search and replace swap them into quotes and new lines. Still working on this. If you’ve mastered it, please mention it below. The software knows whether it’s an open or closed quote.

b. Sometimes, I dictate portions, such as describing a house or the decoration in a room, etc. I picture it and it seems to flow more easily. I always keyboard type my surprises and plot twists. Here again, it comes from the word vault. Just add an “insert so-and-so here” to the manuscript and come back to it.

c. Use dictation sparingly according to how comfortable you’ve become and how accurate your computer and software set-up is. If you don’t do it well, you’ll just aggravate yourself.

9. I prefer rough outlines.
Detailed outlines reduce spontaneity of thought but it’s nice to come back to your work and pick up where you left off without re-reading the book to regain your train of thought. If I break at the end of the chapter, I always leave a note for myself in the beginning of the next. Something like, “Mary and Sally theorize why John Doe has a criminal record.” Avoid re-reading and editing as you go. These waste time because there will always be an ultimate edit where you can fix things.

10. Be Visual.
I fill my Evernote notebook for the current work with screen capture photos of my primary characters, settings, the car they drive, maps of locations, etc. This way I can look at them visually and not confuse the color of their eyes or have them drive south when their destination is north in reality. I also give them a character workup such as, “Mary was shy, almost reclusive due to her parents’ old age and that she thought herself unattractive. She loves anything chocolate and crochets while in the bathroom for escapism. She dreams of finding the right guy.” I am an empath and have many times, created a character definition and then gone for a drive and actually see someone who resembles them. I can pull over, make notes about their posture, how quickly they walk, whether their house windows are dirty, etc. into Evernote on her particular note. Go to the mall or an airport and watch people. Decide whether couples are business, siblings or lovers and what tells you that. This goes a long way to helping you show not tell.

11. Have a goal.
70k words in a week may sound impossible, but when broken down into 10k words per day, it’s a reasonable goal. Prepping before writing should be given a good amount of time because it prevents interruption when you’re in the word vault.

12. What’s in a name?
When you’re writing multiple books at the same time, as I do, it’s easy to get confused with names. I will substitute “boy”, “girl”, “father”, “boss” and so forth and then search and replace later with the character’s name. This should be done PRE-edit. If you’re chasing a word count, one of your characters names can become two, such as “boy” becomes “John Boy.”

13. Writing can be tedious.
To help with this, I incorporate people I know and release my pent-up emotions. I may use a former lover as romantic inspiration, or as the victim who dies a painful death if he’s moved on in real life. You are omnipotent here – take advantage of that.

14. Use Meta-data.
I write in Word and open the column that shows reviewing comments. I insert as a note a visual icon for the season, the time of day, etc. This way my timeline is valid. I also keep the navigation pane open and use character styling. This tells me which chapter I’m in and whose POV I’m writing, when applicable.

15. Do your research thoroughly and in advance.
Don’t wait until you come to the scene where the FMC is going on vacation to research the airport, what it looks like, how busy it typically is, the destination, the accommodations, how people dress, where they’re from, etc. Knowing all this in advance enriches your character. She can shop for clothes, pack, arrange for animal care, take a leave of absence, dread the eight-hour flight, bring sea-sickness wristbands, etc. in the chapters leading up to departure. You don’t have to break stride or go back to add these details.

16. Ban the clock.
The only clock in my house that works is on my computer. I live in a timeless space so I can step into my books without being tethered to the real one.

17. Keep things nearby to prevent interruption.
This includes Kleenex, a nail file, Visine, something to drink, pen and paper, etc. I use Alexa on a regular basis to calculate numbers, give me dates in history, weather averages in distant locations on a certain date, calculate the mileage between locations to estimate driving or flying time, get area codes for phony phone numbers, ingredients for a recipe—you get the drift.

18. Just Write.
Your job at this point is to write. Whether you design your own cover or source it elsewhere, it can wait. You’re not the editor, the marketer, the designer or the social media superstar. Stick to the plan. This is not to say that you can’t change your game plan for your book mid-stream. It’s better to call a bad attempt off than to slug through it and let it suck you down like quicksand.

19. About music.
Resist the temptation to play music while you write. The body will try to align the rhythms, just as you do while walking a treadmill. If the scene is slow and romantic, but the music is a Sousa march…well you get the drift.

Burnout comes predictably. You write longer than you should or at different times of the day. You feel physically rung out and your body aches, particularly your eyes. You may have set unrealistic deadlines or not allowed adequate time to get the flu or stock up on groceries. Keep balance in all things, especially family, relaxation, business/job, exercise along with your writing. Even more fatally, burnout leads to dread and that kills your muse. I can honestly say I’ve never known what “writer’s block” feels like, but I can certainly tell you what burnout feels like. I don’t think they’re the same, but they can definitely play tag team. Last of all, we all have days when nothing goes right – so acutely that you think the end times have begun. Stop, back away and don’t contaminate your work with that negativity. You won’t accomplish anything but increase your stress and ruin yourself for the next day.

Kim Dorothy is a full-time ghostwriter and lives near the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. Passionate about violent weather and romantic music, she lives alone and travels to inspirational locations in her mobile office. She is an ebook pioneer, having written and published the first ebook for bookselling distribution. You may contact her at kim @ mboox.com or visit her website, www.mboox.com.

Guest Posts

So You Wrote a Novel! Now What? by Katz

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So You Wrote A Novel!  Now What?

typewriter

Yes, you really did write a novel, but let’s face it, what you have is a rough, first draft. The creative conception of your novel is a done deal, but your book is far from ready to publish.

songbird

Now it’s time to let your inner editor back out of its cage and put it back to work. Now is when you get down to the nitty-gritty of rewrites, proofreading, and editing, all of which must be accomplished before you can even think about getting your masterpiece ready to submit to a publisher for consideration.

Let’s talk about some of the tools you’ll need to begin taking your novel to the next stage.

Your Next Stepsrainbow

Your first draft is the block of marble from which your final product will be carved. Michelangelo is said to have been asked how it was possible to find something as grand as “The Madonna” in a raw block of granite. His reply was, “Simple. You just carve away everything that does not look like The Madonna.”1

We urge you to remember these words, carve them on your heart and in your mind. Then learn to see your writing with the eyes of a master artist. The early draft of your work is the rough, chopped lump of marble. When you finish your first draft, you’ve done nothing more than create the rough lump of granite from which your final masterpiece will emerge. Now, you must chip at it, and sand it, and polish it, until it shines like the brilliant star you imagined in the beginning.

Every good writer learns and understands that there are many steps in the process of writing a novel before one achieves a Masterpiece.

If you haven’t already discovered your own style and method for proofreading and editing now is the best time to get started doing so.

Proofreading Your Worksunglasses

Can you read this? Take a few minutes and try. I think you’ll be surprised. It really isn’t all that hard.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!2

It is amazing how the human brain works. Unfortunately, the very capacity that enables you to read the above piece of mish-mash is your enemy when it comes to proofreading, especially so when proofreading your own work.

You know what you’ve written, and your mind has a tendency to skip over many basic spelling and punctuation errors.

The first thing you should always do is run your computer’s spell check and grammar check programs. They will target many of your errors. But, your computer program does not know every accepted spelling, nor all accepted meanings for every word in the English language, so you can’t stop there. Grab a good dictionary and double check every word you thought was spelled and/or used right that your computer flagged.

Next go through your piece, chapter by chapter, and really look at each and every individual word to make sure you have the correct spelling for the meaning you are using in that context. One of the easier ways to do this, without allowing your brain to skip ahead, and miss things is to start at the end and go through each chapter backward, from ending to beginning. Because the sentences don’t make sense backward your brain and your eye will be less likely to slip ahead. You will be more likely to spot sneaky little spelling boo-boos waiting to ambush you and embarrass you in front of your editor or publisher.

This step covers your spelling and most punctuation errors.

Next, you need to go back and read each of your chapters for grammatical errors and plot inconsistencies. Don’t just sit and read them to yourself. As in spelling, here too your brain will have a tendency to skip forward and fill in the things you know you meant to put in there—even when they are missing!

Go somewhere where you won’t bother anyone or be interrupted. Take the time to read each chapter out loud. Again go slow and read your piece word for word as it is on paper—not how you intended it to be—but exactly as it is written down. You will be surprised at how many things you missed when you checked for spelling or sat and read the piece silently to yourself.

Now ask someone else to read your chapters out loud to you. Don’t interrupt them, but as they read make notes on any errors you hear.

Repeat the above steps as many times as needed, until you are sure you found all of the problem areas.

Just proofreading isn’t enough to bring your work to that final point of perfection. Once the proofreading is done you must go back and correct the errors, remove the inconsistencies, reweave the weak areas, and trim away all un-needed extraneous material that does not move your story forward.

Avoiding Wordinessman

Wordiness is a common problem for prose writers. It’s important not to “clog up” your prose with extra words, phrases, or paragraphs that aren’t necessary to move your story forward. Following is a list of methods you can use to eliminate wordiness in your writing.

♥ Convert word groups or phrases to single words whenever possible.

♥ Convert modifying clauses into phrases or single words whenever possible.

♥ Use expletives sparingly, if at all.

♥ Use active instead of passive verbs.

♥ Avoid using too many noun forms of verbs.

♥ Write infinitive phrases as finite verbs or brief noun phrases

♥ Eliminate circumlocutions with direct phrases. For example: change At this point in time to Now.

♥ Omit words which state the obvious or provide excessive detail. Remember: If a second grader can understand it, you have explained it.

♥ Omit repetitive wording.

Making your writing crisp, precise, and concise will move your story forward at a steady pace and help keep your reader engaged.

Rewriting and Editingnotebook

There are a number of different ways to go about the rewriting and editing process. Let me warn you here—none of them are easy. Rewriting and editing is time intensive, hard work. It doesn’t really matter which method you use as long as you buckle down and do the work.

Take the notes you made during the times the piece was read out loud. Then go through the entire novel line by line, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter. Rewrite every single poorly formed sentence, every paragraph that isn’t clear, and every action that does not move your plot forward. Eliminate anything that is not absolutely necessary to tell the story in a clear and concise manner.

Do this over and over until you feel you have each chapter as close to perfect as you can get it.

There are numerous writing resource books on the market that explore proofreading as well as editing and polishing. You should have at least two different resource books in your personal writing reference library in addition to your dictionary and thesaurus: one on writing style and basic grammar, and one on rewriting and editing. There is a list of my favorites in the Printed Resources section at the end of this article. Check them out and then go find those that suit you the best.

One last thought . . .lightbulb

As writers, we all have a tendency to become attached to our precious written words. For proper editing and rewriting you cannot cling to them. I had an instructor once who said, “Until you are ready to ‘murder your darlings’ you will never be a good writer.” So I repeat here if you want to do a good rewrite and reach perfection you must “Murder your darlings!” But never worry! Even better words and phrases will rise up and live to take their place – if you work hard!

Now pull out those reference books. Get out that red pen. Warm up your DELETE key. It’s time to go to work – line by line, page by page, and chapter by chapter!

Resources Online

♥ The Owl at Perdue – Free Writing Help and Teaching Resources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

♥ Fiction Factor – Honing Skills
http://www.fictionfactor.com/honing.html

♥ Painful Prose: How to Edit Your Paragraphs to Make Them Great
http://www.stepbystep.com/Painful-Prose-How-to-Edit-Your-Paragraphs-to-Make-Them-Great-152111/

Resources In Print

♥ Write Right – A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar and Style by Jan Venolia Publisher: Ten Speed Press Berkeley ♦ Toronto Date: 2001
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/write-right-jan-venolia/1111609915

♥ The Elements of Expression by Arthur Plotnik Publisher: Henry Holt and Company New York, New York Date: 1996 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-elements-of-expression-arthur-plotnik/1110796062

♥ ReWrite Right – Your Guide to Perfectly Polished Prose by Jan Venolia Publisher: Ten Speed Press Berkeley ♦ Toronto Date: 2000 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rewrite-right-jan-venolia/1004089614

♥ Getting the Words Right How to Rewrite, Edit & Revise by Theodore A. Rees Cheney Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books Cincinnati, Ohio Date: 1990
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/getting-the-words-right-theodore-a-rees-cheney/1012529512

New and used copies of all the above books listed in this Resource Guide are available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and/or Alibris.com.

Author’s Note: I learned many of the ideas and methods shared in this article through the years in college classes I took, from online reading and classes, and from participation in several different writers’ and critique groups. I’m sorry I can’t give full credit to the originators of some of the techniques and ideas I shared here. Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly who you are, but I know you share my passion for helping others improve their writing and I hope you don’t mind that I’m passing on what you so generously shared with me.

Footnotes
1 I believe this quote came from the book. Vasari on Technique by Georgio Vasari, Published by J.M. Dent & Company, London 1907
2 Can You Read This? by Green Chair Marketing Group
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sarah-in-redSarah Elizabeth is also known as “Katz” around the online writing world.

As a young child she made up stories for her friends and told them like an old time story teller. She first started writing her tales down in grade school. In Junior High School she won an award for and published her first fantasy story.

Several of her stories and poems have been published in fantasy fan publications over the years. She’s written three novels, one science fiction and two that are a cross between classic fantasy and alternative history. She also has four additional fantasy novels currently in progress.

She spent two years tutoring all types of writing while taking courses at Southern California ‘s Fullerton College in the late 1990’s.

Sarah now teaches fiction writing online with New Horizons Academy. She’s developed and instructed courses in Grammar, Short Story Writing, Novel Writing, basic Fiction Concepts, and Character Creation and Development.

Every year in November she participates in National Novel Writing Month and has been working with the organization for ten years guiding and mentoring harried, exhausted novelists through the process of writing an entire novel (at least 50,000 words) in thirty days.