Revision Roundup
“Every book is the wreck of a perfect idea.” – Iris Murdoch Congrats to everyone who attempted National Novel Writing Month! Whether you wrote 50,000 words or not, you’re a
December 3, 2009
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Deadlines
Over the summer, I compiled a “To Do” list of 76 items to revise on the memoir I’ve been writing for the past few years. I’d hired a freelance editor
November 2, 2009
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It’s October! Time to Plan for NaNoWriMo
The poet William Stafford wrote: I believe that the so-called ‘writing block’ is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance … one should lower
October 1, 2009
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The Pen is Your Friend
“A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” – Thomas Mann (1875 – 1955) People often ask whether I write by
September 1, 2009
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Lose That Dead Weight
No. Not the love handles. Lose the extra flab in your manuscript! Rachel Gardner has an excellent post on the topic: “Tighten Up Your Manuscript.” Here’s a checklist of things
August 17, 2009
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One True Sentence
I’ve been revising the memoir about my father. Some days go better than others. On a not so good day last week, a friend reminded me of this Hemingway bit
August 2, 2009
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Nose To The Ground
In Women Who Run With The Wolves Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes: Wolves never look more funny than when they have lost the scent and scrabble to find it again: they
July 1, 2009
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Hi Ho. Hi Ho. It’s Off to School I Go!
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain I’m headed for Marydale, Kentucky to the 10-day Writer’s Retreat Workshop. It’s never too late to learn
May 29, 2009
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To See Again
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” – James Michener Re-vision. To see again. I’m revising the 72,000 word first draft of my novel. The biggest
May 2, 2009
6 Comments
Reality Check
I’ll admit it. I’m a daydreamer. Some days, when I don’t feel like writing, I imagine what it would be like to have a book hit the New York Times
April 22, 2009
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