Archive for September, 2007
The New Beginning
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
What do you do after you turn in your manuscript?
I love Sara Miller Holmes musings about this in-between time. She’s allowing herself to be empty and expect nothing else. She’s letting whims take her to new sections of the library. Allowing poetry to fill [...]
The end
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
Does the revision process ever end?
Yes!
How do you know when your novel is ready to send off to a publisher?
You don’t. This is all I know: I can’t think of anything else to do that will make it better. None of my critiquers are [...]
Revise again?
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
Uh-oh. You got those critiques and your readers didn’t think your story was perfect.
I hear the groans and sighs. I see how tired you are and that you thought you were finished, but maybe–that little voice won’t let go the idea–you need to do [...]
Stay the Course
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
Revision can often be a long, drawn-out affair. Work, family, life crises–many things can interrupt the novel revision process. Expect it.
Some of you will have a car wreck. Some will have a major computer crash. Some will experience illness. Some will experience loss of [...]
Feedback
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
You need feedback on your novel. That’s a given.
Be careful who you ask for feedback. There are a variety of critiquing styles
Besides a good critique group, or an editor you can “trust with a draft,” you can also use “naive” readers, or those [...]
Knitting Subplots Together
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
You have three subplots. How do you keep them straight and all relevant to the main plot? You knit (YouTube, “The Last Knit”) them together!
It’s a good idea to take time to build in connections. List the main characters, settings, emotions, and events of [...]
Choosing subplots
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
Picturebooks say one thing–emotionally.
Novels, on the other hand, comment on one thing from multiple perspectives and with sidetrips here and there. This means subplots. In a novel, you can take a sidetrip to act as a tour guide for a foreign land (such as the [...]
Theme affects Character and Actions
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger Novel
If the theme dictates much of the setting of a story, it also affects to the characters and actions of a story.
Remember, this is my theme:
Work hard because you love the sport, not because you love to win.
What actions are implied by that theme? [...]
Theme affects Setting
This is part of a series, 30 Days to A Stronger NovelOnce you have your novel’s theme clear in your own mind, you can strengthen that theme during revision by paying attention to setting.
Let’s assume this is the theme for my novel:
Work hard because you love the sport, not because you love to win.
I’ll need [...]
odds
Some interesting links:
Alice Pope suggests provides links to information about agents for children’s literature.
Janni Simner looks at drafts of a first paragraph.
Have you seen the Google Earth Flight Simulator? Awesome.
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