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Mary Rosenblum
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Hello all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday
Lunchbox Forum. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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I hope you all had a great
weekend.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about
revision today, because it's something that novice writers either love or
hate
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Mary Rosenblum
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and it's a major part of
writing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A few key strategies can
really help you use it as a powerful tool without letting it get in your
way.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Which it can certainly do.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A very important thing to
realize is that you have two different 'writing brains'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One is the 'writer' -- that's
the creative part that comes up with the story or puts the nonfiction
narrative together
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Mary Rosenblum
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in a way that is engaging.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The other is the 'editor'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's the nitpicky 'this word
not that word' part that makes what the creative brain came up with more
easily accessible to readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The problem is when you try to
use both writer and editor at the same time, it can really stop you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You start worrying about every
word, you get distracted by langauge, and pretty soon, your creative brain,
the writer, packs up and leaves.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And you sit there, stuck, or
feeling like there's no life left in this piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Try to turn off the editor
while you write. Just get it down!
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Mary Rosenblum
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After you've finished that
first draft, then you can go back and work on the craft. That's the
editor's job.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So what does revision do for
you?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's very important in
nonfiction where spare, tight langauge is essential. Editors pay a lot of
money for every word you write
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Mary Rosenblum
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and they will not pay for
words they are going to snip out and discard.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You find the clearest and most
direct way to convey your information.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In fiction, it is a matter of
sharing what is in your head with your readers so that they see and hear
what you're seeing and hearing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Revision tends to be more
complex in fiction. It's not just a matter of finding the tightest and clearest
language, although that IS part of it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But it's also a matter of
finding the right words to enable the reader to see and hear what you want
them to see and year.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So in fiction, you're looking
at characterization, visual imagery, and pacing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is a lot to tackle in one
revision.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So why revise?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Can't you do it all right the
first time?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, it can happen, but it's
not likely.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction, you can always
find a cleaner, sparer way to state something.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In fiction, a lot is going on
in your head at once as you create that first draft.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You're thinking about the
plot, making the character seem real, and dealing with the action in the
scene.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember, you're just getting
it all down. And when it's done, all too often it seems perfect. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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You know why? Because you know
everything.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You think it's on the page,
but a lot of that story is in your head. So you don't see the holes or weak
spots that readers -- who don't know the story -- will see.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The first thing to do when you
finish a fiction story or a nonfiction article is give it some time to
'cool off'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Working on something else for
a day or two is a great way to let a story or article 'go cold'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then, it's time to go back and
read it again. Weak spots, bumpy language, characterization issues will be
much more visible.
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gwanny
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So do you do those one at a
time? Do you first look at it with an eye to characterization? Then go back
over it for imagery...then again for pacing? Or do you do them all at once?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good point, gwanny. I suggest
that you not try to do everything at once.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The reason is this.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You have some issues that
require you to look at the story as a whole, whether it's a short story or
a novel.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Plot structure. Does this
story have a solid dramatic arc, or does it sag in the middle...do you need
a subplot there?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Is the flow of the plot
logical or are you going to lose readers as you jump from one point to
another?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Is that ending satisfying?
Does it really resolve the conflict?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Is this the right place to
start or should you start sooner or later in the story?
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Mary Rosenblum
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These are big issues that will
involve rewriting -- adding or subtracting substantially from the story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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As novice writers it's much
more likely that you're going to need to do at least some rewriting.
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Mary Rosenblum
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As you get more and more
experience with creating a strong story, you'll need to do less rewriting.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But trying to rewrite -- to
add and subtract big chunks of prose -- while fine tuning scene can drive
you nuts and
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Mary Rosenblum
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can cause you to lose sight of
that 'story as a whole'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I suggest you deal with the
big issues of structure, issues that require rewriting, first.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then take a break.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction, if you're good
at organizing you may not need to do a lot of rewriting unless the editor
decides
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Mary Rosenblum
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that the piece should be
substantially shorter or longer.
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klmiller
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I've read that revision can be
broken down into three major elements. Major story issues, then accuracy of
details, then spelling and grammar. Is that a good way?
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's one way. I would be
wary of any formula...you have to find what works for you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But certainly begin with those
big issues and do whatever rewriting is required.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then, you can focus down.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You shouldn't need to make any
more big changes, so you can start putting a magnifying glass on your
scenes.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Can you make these visuals
clearer?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Can you replace those 'said
tags' with action tags so that the visuals are strengthened and the
characters reveal more of their emotions through body language?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Does the action scene move
briskly or does it include too many details?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I suggest a third run through
is in order -- this time to focus simply on language.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Do the words flow? Does the
scene move smoothly? This is where you can tweak those visuals, see if a
stronger word occurs to you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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This is the final polish.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I think of this as the minimum
revision process....many writers do more than three run throughs.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's entirely up to how you
work.
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j314
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When is enough revising and
knowing if it's ready to be submitted?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Ah, there's the bite, eh?
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Mary Rosenblum
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You'd be surprised at how many
writers use eternal revision as a very nice way to avoid risking a
rejection slip. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's easy to feel unconfidant,
to keep polishing eternally.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But understand that a bit of
stylistic weakness here and there won't cost you a sale. The editor will
just make you fix it during the editorial process.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's content that will sell
your story or book.
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Mary Rosenblum
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(Now I am not at all saying
that you can turn in something with lousy craft and sell it!!! A BIT of
weakness here and there is fine if your craft is generally strong).
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Mary Rosenblum
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But what I am saying is that
if you find yourself just swapping words and not making any large changes,
then you're done.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You're not really changing
anything and you may not actually be improving the story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Let it go.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So let's talk about the 'why'
of revision. Why do it?
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Mary Rosenblum
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A lot of writers feel that
they 'lose the energy' of the piece if they do anything to it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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We're talking novice writers,
not pros. :-)
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illegible
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My confidence in the content of
my stories is growing slowly.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good for you, illeg!
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Mary Rosenblum
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I can tell you that what will
really grow your confidence is when you actually sell your work and get
reader feedback. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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But this is where critiquers
can help you. They can tell you what you are doing well.
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janecj333
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Since craft is only part of the
equation, how does content figure in revision?
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's really the first stage
of revision, jane. That's where you decide if the content is solid and if
it is not solid, you make it solid.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Does the story really do what
you want it to do?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Do the characters engage the
readers and carry the story?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Are the conflicts, external
and internal, fully resolved either positively or negatively?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If they don't, then this is
the time to fix it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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May I also suggest that once
you have completed that first revision and fixed all the big issues you
need to fix, THIS is the time to give your work to your critiquers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you wait until you are
satisfied with it and have polished it to a high gloss, you are going to be
VERY resistant to any suggestion for change
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Mary Rosenblum
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especially if it involves a
structural change!
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you think the work is
perfect, why would you ask for an opinion? Just send it out.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if you hand a piece that
you think is at least structurally sound to your critiquers, you are also
saying 'this is work in progress, it is flawed, it has zits'
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Mary Rosenblum
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and that makes it easier for
you to hear the comments without getting defensive. :-0
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Mary Rosenblum
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Of course it's not perfect!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Once you have received
whatever critiques you've asked for, you've thought about those comments,
and you've implemented whatever works for your story
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Mary Rosenblum
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then it's time to move on to
that close-focus revision.
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paulaanne
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About the "editorial
process" you just mentioned, when my editor was preparing a
non-fiction piece for publication, he asked to clarify and verify several
items. He also pointed out places where he wanted to add description. I
gave him the info and did further research to "get it right."
Then he did the revisions. Is it up to him to ask me to do the revisions or
to me to offer to do rewrites?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nonfiction is a different
world, Paulanne. I know journalists who grumble about how they never know
what their piece will look like when it comes out. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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There is more editor-revising
in nonfiction. But nonfiction is a more craft-driven genre.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is, outside of creative
nonfiction, there is less authorial creativity involved and more
word-smithing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So editors do change things.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But in the fiction world,
professional editors rarely if ever change anything other than line
editing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yeah, they might tighten your
sentences up a bit if you're wordy, but if they want a content change that
is YOUR job, not theirs.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What happens when you turn in
a novel is that you'll get a 'revision letter' back.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In it, the editor will detail
all the things she/he wants you to change.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's up to you to make the
changes and send back the new, revised draft.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually, a good editor will
follow a similar revision process where that first letter will focus on
larger issues...maybe she thinks you need to expand a subplot or remove one
for example...
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Mary Rosenblum
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And after that, the editor is
more likely to focus on nitpicky little scene issues -- logic errors, small
slow spots.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And you'll usually resubmit
only pages, not an entire draft.
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aelle
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Do they ask for chapters or do
you resend the entire book?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually it's the entire draft,
aelle.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Later on in the process it
ends up being pages. Or a chapter if you make big changes to that chapter.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Now not all editors do that
kind of work.
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illegible
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Can I learn that by practice?
About subplots?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Illegible the ONLY way to
learn anything about writing is by practice.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can read all the books in
the world and they won't help you unless you are also writing thousands of
words.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Knowing and doing are two very
different things. :-)
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j314
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What if the editor ask for a
change that you as an author feels shouldn't take place? Moving a scene
further into the story?
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Mary Rosenblum
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You and the editor discuss it,
the why's and why nots, and see who makes the best case. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Your editor has the same goal
you do for your book -- to make it as strong as possible.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can argue over changes. I
do all the time. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes my editor is right.
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aelle
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Can they cancel your contract if
you refuse to make the changes they ask for?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sure, if you're totally
uncooperative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They bought the book because
they expect it to sell well. It's unlikely that they would buy it if it had
such significant flaws that
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Mary Rosenblum
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it wouldn't do well without
major changes.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So it's not very likely to
happen.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if you're a royal pain to
work with, you throw a tantrum every time an editor asks you to tweak a
scene
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Mary Rosenblum
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that editor probably won't buy
any more books from you unless this one is a best seller. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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There are some name writers
who come unglued if you ask 'em to change a single word.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But...the BIG but...they ARE
best sellers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So editors cringe when they
have to work with 'em, but they put up with it because the book will sell
very very well.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most of us are much more
reasonable people. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember it's not your WORDS
that matter. It is the STORY that matters.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And in nonfiction, it is the
editor's baby not yours.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You are providing the editor
the piece that he/she needs in order to make this issue really strong.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You're writing for that
editor, not for yourself.
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Mary Rosenblum
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NOw creative nonfiction is
different, of course.
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Mary Rosenblum
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There it is much more like
fiction in structure and like fiction, it is more 'you'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's edited more like ficiton
than like a nonfiction piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Try not to fall in love with
your own words.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yeah, that scene might be SO
cool, out of context.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But it might slow down your
story where it should not slow down. Take it out.
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dim writer
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Is creative nonfiction the same
as faction?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Probably. :-) If 'faction' is
reality told like a fiction story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Personal essay, creative
nonfiction, personal narrative...they're all different words for the same
thing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Truth told in an entertaining
way.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One of the dividing lines
between 'aspiring' and 'pro' writers is that ability to put the story ahead
of the words.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most novice writers (myself
included when I started!) are WAY too fond of their own words.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Later on, you realize they are
like a box of Legos. You use the ones that work and if they don't work, you
toss 'em back into the box.
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gwanny
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I like to write creative non fic
using humor...but my humor is dry so folks dont always 'get it'...I don't
know how to write it so they do. Any tips?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes! Join me on Thursday when
Karen O'Connor talks about writing humor!
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Mary Rosenblum
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She's the one to ask...she
does it.
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gwanny
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lol...good answer, I'll be there
:-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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I figure I'll learn something
there, too. :-) I _don't_ write humor so I am totally unqualified to teach
anyone how to do it. :-)
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j314
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Chicken Soup for the soul edited
my short personal essay for one of their collections. Tightened the verbage
but didn't take away from the story
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good example, Judy. That's
what fiction editors do, too. That's line editing. No change to WHAT you
say, just HOW you say it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Fiction editors will tell you
what they're not happy with and ask you to change it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But line editing by a good
editor can teach you a lot.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I learned to write MUCH
tighter as I looked at why the editor of my first novel had changed.
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Mary Rosenblum
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She was a whiz at really tight
language and I learned a lot from her. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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She could take twenty words
out of a paragraph and nothing had changed, content wise.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It was a good education.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The reason you revise is to
make what you are trying to do more accessible to your readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You want them to share what
you envision.
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gwanny
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My thesaurus is worn out...using
it to find better, tighter language.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Bet your vocabulary is bigger
by now, too. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, this has been fun.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember...turn off the editor
while you write the first draft. That is not the editor's job.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And don't try to tackle
everything at once.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Fix major structural issues,
then send the story off to your critquers and give yourself a break.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Think about their comments for
awhile, decide what you want to change and THEN continue with the revision.
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Mary Rosenblum
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When you find yourself
changing words only, QUIT and send it out.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're just tweaking a few
words, you're not really changing anything and it's time to move on.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'll post this in the usual
place...
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Mary Rosenblum
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Writing Craft, Forum
Transcript.
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Mary Rosenblum
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if you haven't seen the new
newsletter, the issue is up
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's in Writing Craft:
Newsletter.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I've got a novel market and a
contest listed.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Have a good week all and I'll
see you Thursday for my chat about writing humor with Karen O'Connor
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