David Burrows's Blog, page 29
July 25, 2014
Cool Poster from the Battle of the Five Armies
Not sure this is official. Is it Aragorn with a bow? If so what's he doing in the hobbit? Great artwork nonetheless.
July 19, 2014
Writing a Book - Book Editing
Book editing is the most difficult aspect of writing a book. My advice is not to use an editing service until you have the book to a high standard, otherwise you may have to pay for several edits. There are many types of editor, author editor, copy editor and beta reader. (the last one is not an editor, but is a useful part of the process).
If you go to a copy editor they will mainly be interested in spelling, grammar and the correct word usage. This is why it is important that this is the last stage of the process, otherwise you may have to repeat this stage. A copy editor will typically charge about 1$ (or £1) per page. That seems reasonably cheap HOWEVER...
A copy editor is not really interested in making your story read well, nor that it's exciting and has potential to grab a reader. If you are confident that your story does all that then you might consider a copy editor. If you do -- you are missing an important step.
A book editor will advise on how well you are writing, whether there are inconsistencies in the tale, your characterisation and whether it is working...as examples. This stage may require you to rewrite or reorder chapters. You may be told that a chapter isn't working. As you can see, if you have had a copy edit and then have a book edit you may have to have another copy edit.
A book editor can cost from a few hundred dollars to a thousand.
The more that you can get your book to a reasonable level, the lower your costs.Do not be tempted to think that you have written a great book and now all you have to do is "get it edited". If you are very lucky, friends and family may offer, but they will lack the expertise to get to a high standard. They will help (usually) so do not dismiss their advice. It is a large undertaking though and it may be wrong to ask a friend or family member to do this.
If you are lucky to get a publisher interested in your work then they will arrange much of the above. However, the catch is that a publisher will only be interested in your book if it is already at a high standard. I will cover getting published in a later article, but it is well worth considering the editing process prior to this stage.
A beta reader is someone who accepts free copies of a book at an early stage. They will expect a high standard. They will tell you if the book is riddled with mistakes but they will not offer advice on where mistakes are (unless they are few in number and they are feeling generous.)
So my final comment is to get your book to a high standard prior to considering any other stage, editing or publishing. My earlier advice Writing a book - How to Start was to write short stories. That should get you in the right frame of mind for the editing stage as people will offer advice on your work, if it is a short story.
making it interesting
writing a book -- my top tips
writing a book -- choosing a genre
writing a book - how to start
creating a plot
If you go to a copy editor they will mainly be interested in spelling, grammar and the correct word usage. This is why it is important that this is the last stage of the process, otherwise you may have to repeat this stage. A copy editor will typically charge about 1$ (or £1) per page. That seems reasonably cheap HOWEVER...
A copy editor is not really interested in making your story read well, nor that it's exciting and has potential to grab a reader. If you are confident that your story does all that then you might consider a copy editor. If you do -- you are missing an important step.
A book editor will advise on how well you are writing, whether there are inconsistencies in the tale, your characterisation and whether it is working...as examples. This stage may require you to rewrite or reorder chapters. You may be told that a chapter isn't working. As you can see, if you have had a copy edit and then have a book edit you may have to have another copy edit.
A book editor can cost from a few hundred dollars to a thousand.
The more that you can get your book to a reasonable level, the lower your costs.Do not be tempted to think that you have written a great book and now all you have to do is "get it edited". If you are very lucky, friends and family may offer, but they will lack the expertise to get to a high standard. They will help (usually) so do not dismiss their advice. It is a large undertaking though and it may be wrong to ask a friend or family member to do this.
If you are lucky to get a publisher interested in your work then they will arrange much of the above. However, the catch is that a publisher will only be interested in your book if it is already at a high standard. I will cover getting published in a later article, but it is well worth considering the editing process prior to this stage.
A beta reader is someone who accepts free copies of a book at an early stage. They will expect a high standard. They will tell you if the book is riddled with mistakes but they will not offer advice on where mistakes are (unless they are few in number and they are feeling generous.)
So my final comment is to get your book to a high standard prior to considering any other stage, editing or publishing. My earlier advice Writing a book - How to Start was to write short stories. That should get you in the right frame of mind for the editing stage as people will offer advice on your work, if it is a short story.
making it interesting
writing a book -- my top tips
writing a book -- choosing a genre
writing a book - how to start
creating a plot
Stardust - Amazing Fantasy
Incredible film and a must for fantasy fans.
Luminous Jelly Fish
What a gorgeous view and all created by nature. Incredible that a creature can be luminous.
July 17, 2014
The Steel Queen - Karen Azinger
The Steel Queen by Karen AzingerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. It definitely has an appeal and I will be reading book 2. A good read with some excellent characterisation and well crafted plot. This book has a nice feel to it. The heroes develop nicely and there's a multitude of possibilities developing. Very well honed fantasy with a good potential for more to come. Some interesting developments especially over the "enemy" with one individual developing and one being reborn. The scene is set for a conflict between them which should be interesting.
View all my reviews
July 16, 2014
Do Dragons Exist?
Wow, I think so. How can you dispute it?!!
July 14, 2014
Fantasy Dreams - Castles
This is a gorgeous castle. Bodium. Unfortunately it's a hollow shell inside with little remaining. It was also built quite late on - more of a stately home than a castle. Still -- it is magnificent
July 13, 2014
Fantasy Creatures -- Siren
I love the eyes on this Siren, and the murky green water. Looks cold and a little scary. Great artwork Caroline Gariba https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sir%C3%A8nes-Mermaids-Creature-of-the-ocean-Fantasy-art-Pictures/438284716285631
Writing a Book - Inspirational Artwork
This picture is great inspiration for writing a tale. I love the frown on the statue. It's as if the stone knows it is submerged.
What is the story here? Dragons skimming a submerged statue -- a lost civilisation? Dragons now ruling over a dead planet? That's a little like the tale of my dragons in Prophecy of the Kings. Are the dragons forlorn? The lead one seems to be calling out. Is there a significance of the dragons being red? Are there blue dragons nearby and what would that lead to?? Why the flood water?
Pictures are a great way of inspiring a writer. So too is real life. Look out for events around you or clips from a newspaper. Inspiration is all around. Great way to break writer's block as well. Artists have truly amazing imagination.
making it interesting
writing a book -- my top tips
writing a book -- choosing a genre
writing a book - how to start
creating a plot
