After 15+ years writing fiction, more than a decade editing it, and six years teaching others how to edit fiction, this year I put my classes together in an easy-to-use book that will help authors edit their own manuscripts before submitting them to agents, editors, or publishers.
I’m so excited for the opportunity to share this with others. It will be available next month through Bold Vision Books–stay tuned for ordering details!
You’ve finally finished your manuscript! But what’s the next step?
If this has happened to you, don’t worry because you are not alone. Just keep reading!
In every manuscript, there is an author and in every author, there is an editor.
We all know how tricky and tiring editing can be, especially if you’ve just started your writing career. Editors can be a bit pricey and seeing that you’ve just started out, you have to edit it yourself because you have no budget.
Here’s the problem: How do you start your editing? What exactly are the things you have to look out for?
Well, I’ve got the solution for you! Presenting the Editing Fiction: Detect and Correct For Success by Kathy Gaudry. We know how editing fictional books is hard, so in this book, you will learn a simple method of editing your work!
Through this book, you’ll discover:
Kathy understands how editing can be challenging for a starter. This book is meant to ease you through the toughest of concepts and empowers you to confidently edit your own manuscript.
Knowing this was a short book, I didn’t expect a lot of in-depth fiction-editing information, but this book was a little sparse for someone who’s been studying fiction writing for a while.
There’s some good info in here that I would recommend to people thinking about writing who aren’t sure how much work is involved — this will give you a good idea of how many different things you need to know before you write (though it won’t help you identify or fix those areas).
However, despite the emphasis on producing a clean book, there are a few typos and significant formatting errors that make the book awkward to read at times.
My biggest issue with the book is the suggestion to use the Chicago Manual of Style but offering other grammar guides. If writes are seeking traditional publication, CMOS is THE style guide. Relying on any other could result in punctuation/grammar mistakes in a manuscript.
Overall, I’m not sure I’d consider this to help an experienced writer self-edit, but it could definitely help new writers manage their expectations.
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Successful writers spend a lot more time editing than they do writing. They know that first drafts need extensive revisions to ensure their stories or messages come across clearly and effectively.
In this book you’ll find a wealth of suggestions from best-selling authors who have studied editing techniques and implemented them in their books, which have touched the hearts and lives of readers around the world.
If you’re an aspiring, beginning, or intermediate writer, this book will help you polish your manuscript and get it ready for publication. If you’re an established author, these tips can help you edit other writers’ manuscripts, either in a critique group setting or as an editorial freelancer.
For years, the go-to self-editing book for novelists has been “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by King and Browne, but I think this book has supplanted that book and made it my must-have recommendation for writers and editors alike.
“Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors” doesn’t go into as much detail when it comes to self-editing, but it identifies and addresses MANY more issues than appear in King and Browne’s book. Ide’s book also looks at nonfiction editing, as well as identifying different types of editing. In my opinion, if you’re looking for a comprehensive explanation of what’s involved in a self-edit, this is the book for you.
This is also a book I’ll recommend to people wanting to start their editing careers–the detailed lists of what’s involved in the different types of editing for different types of books will give new editors a good idea of the type of work they’ll need to master and provide to their clients.
Without a doubt, this book is on my must-have shelf for writers and editors.
Rated G. Get your copy here!
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NOW is the chance to save! Whether you need help with your writing, want to strengthen your editing skills, or need a good book to read, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals abound! Keep reading for more details!
Whether we read a novel just to kick back and relax or to jump into an exciting adventure, we enter one or possibly more new worlds.
Fiction’s power comes from its ability to draw a reader into a world view—a set of beliefs, ideas, and attitudes about the world, ourselves, and others. It can impart both truth and deception, so as Christians, it’s vital to discern what we’re reading and, as writers, what we’re writing. Understanding and utilizing world views can help us to do both.
World views appear in themes of truth and deception, love and hate, good and evil, unity and brokenness, and more. The realities of those world views play out through plots, characters, action, dialogue, atmosphere, and other fictional elements.
A biblical world view discerns good from evil, truth from falsehood. The Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), and Romans 12:2 exhorts us to mature in discernment through God’s Word. Comparing world views that we encounter with the Bible, helps us to do this.
What worlds entice you when you read? And what worlds do you create for your readers?
Following are four influential world view areas operating in our culture today. Can you spot their spiritual realities in fictional landscapes? Do they shape any world views you encounter or want to write about? Studying world views will help you understand how they conflict, combine and communicate their message to others.
Want to create a riveting story? Utilize world views to increase conflict, reveal character, and create atmosphere. Here’s an example. Can you spot the world views operating in this vignette?
Judy McGrath stirred her coffee and stared out the window at the veil of fog shrouding the garden. She shivered. It reminded her of the veil she felt over her marriage—a cold, distant, and alien fog. Once again, John was off managing the high-tech company he loved—and once again she was alone.
Alone.
And childless.
“Children are counterproductive to a green Earth,” he’d insisted. “Our planet’s already overpopulated.”
“But John, don’t you want family?” she’d protested.
“Nonsense. We have to separate human sexuality from human reproduction or earth will be doomed.” He’d hurried away, scowling.
Judy wiped a tear and stirred her coffee, then wiped away another tear. Finally, she gave up and reached for the box of tissues.
The ability to identify world views can sharpen our awareness of the world around us, enrich our stories, and protect us and our readers from deception. To identify world views as you read and write fiction, ask yourself:
In summary, learning about world views can help us to:
* * *
We’ve taken on the challenge of writing about radically conflicting world views in our new thriller, The Glittering Web, coming this April 22 through Redemption Press.
Based on the true story of our rescue by Jesus Christ, our fast-paced novel plunges the reader into deep struggles involved with escaping Satan’s kingdom and clearly distinguishes the conflict between the kingdoms of light and of darkness.
Linda Nathan has 27 years of experience as a professional freelance writer, editor, and consultant for authors and institutions through her business, Logos Word Designs, LLC. She is a staff freelance editor with Redemption Press and a gold member of the Christian Editor Connection. Linda has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oregon and master’s level work, as well as 10 years of experience in the legal field. She has helped numerous authors attain publication and in several instances achieve industry awards.
The book:
http://www.theglitteringweb.com
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authors@theglitteringweb.com
Logos Word Designs, LLC
http://www.logosword.com
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editor@logosword.com
Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.
Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]
Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]
Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.
Fiction: Substantive Editing Classes Substantive Editing for Fiction 101 In Substantive Fiction Editing 101, we’ll look at the basics of a well-written novel and learn how to help our … [more]