If you’ve read the nearly two dozen blogs I’ve shared, you know I’ve traveled far in my publishing journey for “I Knew Men.” As I prepare to cross the finish line of production, leaving this exciting, exhaustive effort behind, I hit an unexpected roadblock. BRING ME THE BIG KNIFE … AGAIN After going through the… Continue reading How to cross the finish line
Tag: editing
The Spotlight is on The Wait
“Casa Blanca” is one of my favorite movies. The film’s introduction shows WWII refugees who are wishing to escape to safety. As they patiently watch airplanes taking off from Casa Blanca, day in and day out, they wonder which one will be the one to carry them away. The scene captures faces filled with hope… Continue reading The Spotlight is on The Wait
It’s Time to Stick A Fork In the Editing
If you’ve been following my journey, you may be wondering, “will this book ever be ready for me to read?” As we approach summer, I’m getting asked this question quite often by those who are closest to me; the ones who have known for a very long time that my novel was in the making.… Continue reading It’s Time to Stick A Fork In the Editing
12 years is a long time to complete a novel — or is it?
In his book, “On Writing,” Stephen King said, “I believe the first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than 3 months.” Given that it took me 2 years to complete mine, does it come as a surprise that it took me 12 years to complete the editing… Continue reading 12 years is a long time to complete a novel — or is it?
Cut? But I love this part so much.
So many words! So many words! Turning one novel into two helped to solve my giant word count problem, but I still had a long way to go to get “I Knew Men” into shape if I wanted to pursue publication. There were scenes and experiences that I had thrown my heart into, that I… Continue reading Cut? But I love this part so much.
Whose head is this? The POV lesson
When I received the initial manuscript review of “I Knew Men” from Marg Gilks 12 years ago, I felt both encouraged and discouraged. She gave me confidence about the story itself, but serious editing was needed if I wanted a chance at living the author’s dream. I didn’t have resources to pay for anything beyond… Continue reading Whose head is this? The POV lesson
261,007 words. It’s a magic number – not.
Writing “I Knew Men” was so much fun! The epic story flowed from my brain to my fingers, and once again I was grateful that my parents gave me piano lessons. I can type very fast, to the tune of 261,007 words! What I didn’t know at the time is that the typical novel averages… Continue reading 261,007 words. It’s a magic number – not.