Just Romantic Suspense, and Editing
Today I'm over at
Just Romantic Suspense
talking about the differences between mystery and suspense, especially in the romance genre. I'm giving away a copy of Finding Sarah to one commenter (and if you have already read the book, I'm happy to gift it to someone you choose should you win.)
click to enlarge (I hope)
I've been working on edits for my next Pine Hills Police story. I've mentioned it before, but for me, the best way to deal with this round of edits (the ones I do after I hit "the end" but before I send it off to the editor)
I print the entire document, because your eye will see things differently on paper. I change the font, again to fool the eye. To save paper, the first time I tried this, I printed the manuscript in 2 columns and found that added yet another piece of eye-trickery. You're not reading across long lines of print, and your eye will pick up even more since nothing is laid out the way it was on the screen. I also reduce the font size slightly—my intent is to read this like a book, and books have smaller type, so it's not something totally out of the realm of what I'm used to.
Then, as I read, I go through catching things that I've missed when I've re-read scenes during the writing process. The different layout makes new stuff jump off the page. I can catch flow errors, overused words, and places where I can't follow the dialogue. It's easy when you're writing it—you know who's speaking—but going back later, it might not be clear, and if it's not clear to me, then a reader will definitely have trouble.
I don't do revising on this draft. I make notes for simple changes. If I find something that needs a more in-depth look, I write it on a sticky note and put it on my idea board, since these are things that usually require a global search.
For example, one of my sticky notes for this manuscript (and I'm only halfway through) says "too many redheads with freckles?" which is something I can search for when I finish this run through the manuscript.
Another thing I'm looking for is a scene (or scenes) that aren't working. These I'll fix in revisions. Right now, I have "Scott locked up? Storage closet? If so, rework trap door discovery scene."
And if you know anyone interested in a workshop on Point of View, please point them to the link in my sidebar. As of Friday, I didn't have enough people signed up, and unless there's a minimum number, they'll cancel the workshop. Thanks!
Tomorrow, my guest is Shelly Bell, who's talking about learning all the "other stuff" that goes along with writing a book. Be sure you stop by.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
click to enlarge (I hope)
I've been working on edits for my next Pine Hills Police story. I've mentioned it before, but for me, the best way to deal with this round of edits (the ones I do after I hit "the end" but before I send it off to the editor)
I print the entire document, because your eye will see things differently on paper. I change the font, again to fool the eye. To save paper, the first time I tried this, I printed the manuscript in 2 columns and found that added yet another piece of eye-trickery. You're not reading across long lines of print, and your eye will pick up even more since nothing is laid out the way it was on the screen. I also reduce the font size slightly—my intent is to read this like a book, and books have smaller type, so it's not something totally out of the realm of what I'm used to.
Then, as I read, I go through catching things that I've missed when I've re-read scenes during the writing process. The different layout makes new stuff jump off the page. I can catch flow errors, overused words, and places where I can't follow the dialogue. It's easy when you're writing it—you know who's speaking—but going back later, it might not be clear, and if it's not clear to me, then a reader will definitely have trouble.
I don't do revising on this draft. I make notes for simple changes. If I find something that needs a more in-depth look, I write it on a sticky note and put it on my idea board, since these are things that usually require a global search.
For example, one of my sticky notes for this manuscript (and I'm only halfway through) says "too many redheads with freckles?" which is something I can search for when I finish this run through the manuscript.
Another thing I'm looking for is a scene (or scenes) that aren't working. These I'll fix in revisions. Right now, I have "Scott locked up? Storage closet? If so, rework trap door discovery scene."
And if you know anyone interested in a workshop on Point of View, please point them to the link in my sidebar. As of Friday, I didn't have enough people signed up, and unless there's a minimum number, they'll cancel the workshop. Thanks!
Tomorrow, my guest is Shelly Bell, who's talking about learning all the "other stuff" that goes along with writing a book. Be sure you stop by.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
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