Constructive Criticism
by The Writegirl So, you’ve written your first novel, and you’re about to send it out into the world. You’ve constructed each word lovingly, wrapped them with tender loving care, and made sure each one flowed seamlessly into the next. Then you hand it over to your editor, convinced the only comments will be: […]
You’re Too Picky
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. At least for me it’s disturbing. It’s the, “You’re being too picky” trend. In other words, people tell me that because I’m an editor, I notice things others don’t, and because most readers don’t care about these things, I should just get over it and stop correcting them. To that […]
It’s My Baby!
Oh, do those words strike fear in my heart. That’s when I know the very passage in which I suggest a major rewrite, will be met with a story about how their sister’s best friend’s cousin thought that scene was awesome, and they don’t want to harm a hair on their pretty little manuscript. Oh, […]
But it Happens in Real Life!
I wish I had a dollar for every time I’d come to an author about a passage that seemed out of place or over-the-top, and I heard the phrase, “But it happens in real life!” It’s always been more difficult for me to convince a writer to change something in their story if they feel […]
Viewpoint (Showing, Not Telling)
We’ve all heard about “showing, not telling” when it comes to writing, but I’d like to talk about one aspect in particular. With many beginning writers, I’m struck by how they wax poetic for paragraphs on end about…a living room. They proceed to describe, in detail, the exact shade of the color of the couch, […]