Terry Odell's Blog, page 81

Book Descriptions and Spoilers

Book Descriptions and Spoilers

Because I don’t have to submit a synopsis to anyone prior to writing a book, I wait until I’m done before I start working on the book description. After all, even the plotters and outliners I know end up deviating from their original path, and I’m lazy. Why write it twice? (Or more?)

My editor actually prefers doing her reads “cold.” She doesn’t want to know what’s going to happen. She wants to see everything the way a reader would.

Eventually, however, there ha...

Microediting – Little Words can be Big Trouble

 

Last time, I talked about the ‘easy’ fixes using SmartEdit. Once those are out of the way, it’s time for the tough ones. Finding all those little words your fingers seem to insert into the document when you’re not paying attention.

I’m talking about the “simple” words, not the conspicuous ones. Five dollar words shouldn’t appear more than a couple times in the entire manuscript. It’s the “five for a penny” words that need to be examined.

For the current WIP, “but” was my sneaky little word...

Fine Tuning the Manuscript with SmartEdit

Fine Tuning the Manuscript with SmartEdit

I finished with my first trip through the manuscript, and cut about 6500 words on the “bigger picture” level. Now, I’m moving into fine tuning the manuscript. For this, I use SmartEdit to pull out things that don’t jump out when you’re reading for story. I use the Word add on version, so these checks can all be made from inside the manuscript, something easier than the previous version I had. Plus, this version shows everything previewed in context,...

Wishing Everyone a Safe and Happy Fourth

Wishing Everyone a Safe and Happy Fourth

We’ll be have a small, quiet get-together pot-luck dinner with local family. Where I live, fireworks are outlawed, but if you live in a place where they’re allowed, please be considerate of Pets and Vets. And, above all, be safe.

See you next week!

The post Wishing Everyone a Safe and Happy Fourth appeared first on Terry Odell.

Are Your Words Pulling Their Weight?

Are your words pulling their weight?

Recently I talked about major surgery on the manuscript, reading it through and analyzing scenes as to whether they advanced the plot.

I’m about 2/3 of the way through the WIP now, with a goal of cutting about 10,000 words. I’m still looking at words that aren’t pulling their weight. Sometimes it’s an entire plot thread, sometimes it’s too much rambling, or dialogue that’s more like “real speech” with all the hemming and hawing and qualifier words. People...

Blogs – What Do You Expect?

Blogs – What Do You Expect?

I have a small number of blogs I visit routinely, most of them writing craft related. What will keep me coming back? If the content is of value to me, yes. But I find another big draw for me is interaction. If the blogger writes a post, then asks for people to comment, to share their ideas, to respond to questions brought up in the posts, and then disappears, I can’t help but feel he didn’t really want my opinion after all. Those who “post and run” aren’t likely to...

An Unofficial Author Appreciation Day

An Unofficial Author Appreciation Day.

I recall an old joke about a man who thought he’d surprise his wife and do the dishes. When she didn’t say anything, he finally pointed out what he’d done and asked her if she’d noticed. Her reply. “Yes. Thankless job, isn’t it.”

That’s what it’s like for most of us. We might get a pat on the back from a boss, or a good annual review, but when we sit in front of a computer all day, we don’t get many “attaboy, good job” comments from our characters.

We wr...

But Does it Advance the Plot?

But Does it Advance the Plot?

Being a non-plotter, whether you consider yourself a pantster, a planster or an organic writer, you still have to tell a story. For me, I let my characters lead the way, but sometimes, they take me down dead ends.

When I’m writing, they don’t seem to be dead ends. They have plot points, and are moving things forward. Until they’re not.

For example: here’s a scene that’s ending up on the cutting room floor.

At Sadie’s, Morgan accepted a refill on her coffee from t...

Editing Overused Words and a Peek at 2019’s Banished Words

Editing Overused Words and a Peek at 2019’s Banished Words

We all have words and phrases we like to use, often to the point of overuse. Maybe we’re not even aware we’re using them. When we’re writing, they seem to sneak into our manuscripts via our fingers, and sometimes it’s as if the brain isn’t involved at all. But “overused” can’t be assigned a number of uses. It depends on the word.

Little words, like “just” and “really” and “well” are commonly listed among words that don’t add anything...

What Happens After You Hit The End?

What Happens After You Hit The End?

Hitting “The End” on a manuscript is a satisfying moment. But, as I’ve mentioned at least once before, it’s not the end of the work. It’s simply the beginning of a new phase.

I’m just about done with the first draft of the current manuscript. I’m not completely satisfied with the ending, and endings are critical. The first page sells the book. The last page sells the next book. However, for me, the time to get that satisfying ending isn’t at the end of the...