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Conversations: Editing and Wordsmithing your novel!

By on December 17, 2012 in 3. Publish your Story, 6. Search by Series:, 7. Search by Author:, Editing Basics, Susan May Warren, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist

Sally sat down at the table, handing me a Christmas tin.  “Merry Christmas.” I opened it.  Inside lay petite, decorated Gingerbread men and women, their faces, aprons and overalls intricately decorated. “Wow.” “It’s my one Christmas claim to fame.  I sell them at the annual craft show.” They looked too good to eat.  “You put me to shame. My talents end with chocolate chip cookies. Although, my children love them.”  I put the lid on the tin.  “You know, your cookie prowess is not unlike finding your voice, or wordsmithing your story. Which is the final step in editing your manuscript before you move to proofing.” “I am nearly finished all my scene by scene edits.” “Then you’re ready to make your story sing. It’s in the wordsmithing phase where […]

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How to Edit your Fast Draft Novel Step 2: Scene by Scene

By on December 10, 2012 in 3. Publish your Story, b. Building a Scene, Editing Basics, How do I write Tension?, Susan May Warren, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist, What is Storyworld, and how do I write it?, What POV do I write in?

“So much snow!” Sally came into the coffee shop stamping her feet.  Overnight, the sky had buried our little village in thick frosting. I sat nursing a hot cocoa. “I know.  It feels a little overwhelming, thinking of plowing the driveway, the porch, the deck…” “Not unlike doing the macro edit on my novel,” Sally said, unwinding her scarf. “But I think I have the big picture/content edits figured out. What’s next?”  Kathy handed her a peppermint mint mocha. Sally sat down, warming her hands on the cup. “Now it’s about looking at every scene to make sure it has enough tension and that you’re building in the emotional layers.  I call it: Scene by Scene Editing.” “First, start with the scene structure. Determine if it is an Action or […]

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Conversations: How to Macro-Edit your Fast Draft

By on December 3, 2012 in 3. Publish your Story, 6. Search by Series:, 7. Search by Author:, Editing Basics, Susan May Warren, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist

“Okay, here it is.” Sally plunked down a thick sheaf of paper, bound by a rubber band.  “72,834 words.” “I’m impressed.”  I handed her a victory candy cane mocha. “I’m exhausted.  My brain is a noodle.  I wrote late at night, early in the morning, while boiling macaroni and cheese. I’ve thought about this novel in my sleep, while doing laundry, driving my kids to school.  All I do is think about this book.” “But, do you like it?” She smiled.  “I do.  But it needs so much work, and I’m not sure where to start. I have a jumbled mess. I have misspelled words and run on sentences and grammatically incorrect paragraphs…ugly.” “No worries.  Today, I’m going to tell you what to do with that mess! “First, Let your […]

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Conversations: What to do with your WriMo Chapters/How to edit a scene

By on November 26, 2012 in Action and ReAction Scenes, b. Building a Scene, Editing Basics, How do I start my Scene?, How do I write Dialogue, How do I write Tension?, How to WordPaint, Susan May Warren, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist, What is Storyworld, and how do I write it?, What POV do I write in?, Writing a Not-So-High-Action Scene

I found Sally in line for coffee as I entered the coffee shop. She had already dumped her bag onto a chair, had already tugged off her gloves, her wool jacket, and wore her game face. “What’s up? Did you not have a great thanksgiving?” “It was fine. But, I’m 3000 words away from finishing my novel.” “That’s great.”  I shed my jacket and motioned to Kathy. She gave me a smile, already on my order. “No so much.”  She retrieved her coffee and handed me mine.  I nodded my appreciation. “Why?” “Because I only have 46000 words and I’m near the end of my novel.” “And?” “It’ supposed to be an 80,000 word novel! How am I going to come up with 30,000 more words?” “Oh, I see.  You […]

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