Category: writer

ALA award winners

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

As a library fan, I like to know what books librarians are honoring. As a writer, I’m curious about what they’re buying. This is a list that tells me. (It is a list of books for kids, but I still read them.)

Small But Mighty Presses Prevail at ALA Awards
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/65507-small-but-mighty-presses-prevail-at-ala-awards.html#path/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/65507-small-but-mighty-presses-prevail-at-ala-awards.html

Plot lines

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Like it or not, there appears to be something to the idea of “formulaic” writing. And it appears to apply in ways Kurt Vonnegut understood pretty well without the sort of statistical analysis discussed here.
The idea focuses less on the activities and events of plot, and instead on the emotions of a story.

Can a Novel’s Plot Be Reduced to Data Points?
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/02/04/man-in-hole/

Learning to edit

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

This wasn’t exactly my path to editing, but I certainly shared the reading — a lot — step. I didn’t focus on quality reading. But reading badly written material can be educational, too. If you’re looking for an editor, you might want to ask how many of the steps he or she took.

How I Became an Editor (and Advice If You Want to Be One Too) – Next Step Editing
http://www.nextstepediting.com/how-i-became-an-editor-and-advice-if-you-want-to-be-one-too/

Ask the right question

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Darcy Pattison offers a few good answers in this essay. I think my favorite is about audience. I remember struggling with this concept when I was taking college classes. I read almost anything, so whatever “audience” was, I was pretty sure I wasn’t typical. Pattison’s explanaton would have saved me a lot of time back then.

Is My Story Good or Bad? Wrong Question | Fiction Notes
http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/is-my-story-good-or-bad-wrong-question/