Zoe M. McCarthy's Blog, page 27
July 30, 2015
3 Great Ways to Use FIND Before You Submit Your Manuscript
“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” — Samuel Johnson First, consider these two cautions in using the find and replace feature of your word processor for editing: Look at each occurrence from the search results to make sure a change works. Automatic replacing can cause problems. For example, consider the […]
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July 23, 2015
A Quick Guide: The Type of Edit You Need for Your Novel
“There’s never been a text written that didn’t need editing.” —David Kudler You’ve finished your manuscript. Wonderful. It needs to be edited. Below are four kinds of edits and what each most commonly accomplishes. Ask prospective editors what they include in their edits. Some will combine editing types. Others will perform edits beyond their type […]
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July 16, 2015
Secrets to Creating a Successful Box Set—Inside and Out
Please welcome my guest, Marion Ueckermann, experienced in the ins and outs of box sets and one of the authors in the successful book set, SPLASH!. Be sure to learn more about SPLASH! and Marion’s novella, Orphaned Hearts, at the end of her post. Box sets are a win/win for all: Increased visibility — authors gain […]
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July 9, 2015
Things to Consider in Selling Your Book at Festivals & Flea Markets
“But making money at fairs and shows isn’t as easy as it seems. It requires research, planning and the ability to keep a smile on your face while standing on your feet for long hours. And that’s not for everyone.” — Rosalind Resnick This spring, I took Calculated Risk, my inspirational contemporary romance, and my two […]
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July 2, 2015
7 Examples of Writing Great Word Pictures for Your Stories
“For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain and the noise of the battle. It has the power to give grief or universality that lends it a youthful beauty.” —John Cheever Sometimes a strong noun or verb is insufficient to evoke much in our readers. Word pictures take time to […]
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June 25, 2015
How to Write Intelligible, Uh, Utterances in Your Stories
“For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir men’s blood: I only speak right on.” — (Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act 3, scene 2) Does your character always say, for example, “yes,” “no,” or “let me think”? If he’s a proper sort of character, […]
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June 18, 2015
24 Traits to Show How Your Characters Think
“People generally agree that each individual is a unique blend of traits that serve to satisfy basic wants and needs according to one’s moral code.” — Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi Let’s have fun. I have Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s writer’s resource, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes. I chose […]
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June 11, 2015
4 Resources to Help You Become Awesome at Creating Blog Titles
“Just because you have to be accurate doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to make your title pop.” — Corey Eridon We can improve our reach by spending more time on wording our blog titles. Going a step further: We need to improve the headlines on all online content we write. Whether we write how-to or […]
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June 4, 2015
Don’t Let Weasel Words Suck the Life From Your Writing
“Nothing marks a skilled writer as much as his ability to write tight.” — Angela Hunt Sometimes the words we use in our writing detract from other words in our stories. Think of the alleged egg-sucking habits of weasels. An egg a weasel has sucked empty will look intact to the casual observer. Weasel words […]
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May 28, 2015
8 Essentials to Cook Up Your Story
“Life is a glorious banquet, a limitless and delicious buffet.” — Maya Angelou John and I created a straw bale garden. No dirt. No plowing. The straw bales become ovens to germinate and grow fruits and vegetables. The process mirrors what is needed to cook up a great story. 8 Essentials to Cook Up A Great […]
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