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Maximizing Your Rewrite

By on September 6, 2012 in 2. Create Your Story, 3. Publish your Story, Editing Basics, House Calls, How do I write the Character Change Journey?, Rachel Hauck

I just finished a rewrite of Once Upon A Prince, releasing April 2013 from Zondervan. Covered nearly 87K words in two weeks. Not my favorite thing to do – tackle a rewrite in two weeks but that’s how it worked out. The opening needed a big change in my mind as well as my editor’s. Openings are my weakest. I tend to tell too much story. Not back story per say, just too much “pipe” as we say at My Book Therapy. I build too much story world. So I needed to tackle the opening and when I do that, I tend to ripe to shreds and start over. I probably rewrote the opening five times. Here’s the danger in doing that: forgetting other correlating threads in the story. I […]

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One Thing Marketing … Writer’s Mission Statement

By on March 2, 2012 in Amy Lathrop, Encourage Me!, How do I Promote my book?, Writing, Writing Life, Writing Life Coaching

Welcome to this week’s One Thing Marketing your “One Thing” you can do this week to buildyour  platform, connect with readers/reviewers, and garner some exposure for you and  your latest book or WIP. Last week I talked about Finding Your Why. How did you do with the evaluation questions? This week we’ll be using those answers to craft your mission statement. The definition of a Mission Statement (as defined by Wikipedia) is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the company’s strategies are formulated. This is what every author should start with before they decide on writing projects, accept assignments, or begin marketing […]

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Ten Common Author Mistakes. #9

By on October 13, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Hero, Heroine, Heroism, The Hero's Journey Simplified

Forgetting to weave in the story elements and symbolism. Definition: If you want to use a metaphor, like a world event or a family trait or tradition to show a contrast in the hero or heroine’s life, you must layer it in.   If the heroine’s life if falling a part, coming down around her like 9-11, don’t tell the reader, “her life was just like the twin towers…coming down around her.”   Weave it.   The scene opens. It’s 9-11, the heroine is preparing breakfast. She calls her husband down to breakfast but he doesn’t show up. When she goes to see what’s taking him so long, she finds him collapsed on the bathroom floor, dead.   As she’s calling 911, her best friend buzzes in. The twin towers […]

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Chapter 2.2, Luke’s POV, RH suggestions with SMW comments!

By on April 3, 2009 in Chapter 2, Editing Basics, Want to see a book in Action? Read the Blog-a-Book Series

RH comments highlighted in grey SMW comments highlighted in yellow Changes highlighted in blue   Ch 2.2 – Luke’s pov   Fate knew how to make a man suffer. It wasn’t enough that Luke had sacrificed his pride nearly sprinting out of the nursing home. Or that he’d managed to get his mug in the paper, again, after rescuing his rascal-of-a-nephew from traffic. But now, fate RH: who is it? Who wants him to replay his past? A bit more detail? wanted him to replay his past, everything he’d spent the past five years hiding from.             Couldn’t the world just leave him alone?             (Apparently not.) RH: Suggest deleting this. The previous sentence sets it up for the reader well.             Luke stood at the window, cupping his (DELETE: microwaved,) […]

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