You understand the basics of editing fiction (industry standards, showing versus telling, goals-motivations-conflicts, and the plot basics), but there’s another level of fiction writing (and editing) that you want to explore. You don’t simply want to help your clients write good books—you want to help them write great novels!
You don’t want people to read your clients’ books, shrug, and say, “It was okay.” You want to help your authors create novels that capture readers’ attention and keep them engaged through the last page. To do that, you need more than just an understanding of fiction-writing basics. You need to understand the more complex, understated elements that keep readers turning the page. Understanding these techniques will create novels that keep the reader wondering what will happen next, not scratching their heads and asking, “Why did she do that?”
Substantive Editing for Fiction (SEF) 201 builds on the foundation laid in SEF 101 (a recommended prerequisite, but not required). The 6-week course goes deeper, looking at the key elements of great fiction. Don’t settle for good when you can have great—SEF 201 will give you the tools you need to help your authors create great stories.
Six lessons for only $60!
Course Outline
Lesson 1: The Words
- Pacing and Sentence Length
- Floating (and Misused) Body Parts
- Clichés
- Miscellaneous Words
Lesson 2: Dialogue
- Punctuation
- Dialogue Tags
- Authenticity
- Miscellaneous Ideas
Lesson 3: Telling and Showing
- The Difference between Telling and Showing
- Identifying Different Types of Telling
- Passive Voice
- When to Tell and What Not to Do
Lesson 4: Senses
- Engaging the Senses
- Overused Senses
- Sensory Faculties
- Comparisons
Lesson 5: Hooks and Common Problems
- Hooks
- Active Telling/Off-Page Action
- Mixed Genres
- Transitions
- Unnecessary Action
- Inconsistent Characters
Lesson 6: Helping Authors Help Themselves
- When and Why You Should Recommend Self-Editing
- How to Recommend Self-Editing
- Self-Editing Tips to Share with Authors
- Resources
