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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:07:50 GMT -6
Here are some excerpts from books I've been reading... you'll find a list of the books in this thread.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:11:39 GMT -6
"There is no better way to spot room for improvements in your manuscript than by looking at it with fresh eyes. We routinely advise all writers to put their manuscripts in a drawer for a while, as a way of becoming their own fresh eyes."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:23:55 GMT -6
Before you ask someone to critique your work:
"... you want your manuscript to be as strong as it can be before you have it worked on. After all, why [seek] editing you can do yourself?"
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:38:52 GMT -6
I don't remember which book I got this from, so I can't quote it, so I'll just give it from memory:
When you get a written critique of your manuscript, you should first quickly skim over the "report" and then put it away for a few days/weeks. (Giving you time to calm down if it isn't what you want to hear.) Then get it out and go over it slowly, line by line. You may find some useful information, and it may be helpful in future rewrites.
I, myself, have found that my teachers were usually right, and that their comments helped me to improve my manuscript. Of course, I didn't see this wisdom until after I'd thrown the critique into a drawer for a brief period of time.
So, if you get critiques here you don't much care for... print them out and put them away until you can read them with an open mind. After that, you can use or discard whatever comments you want.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:42:08 GMT -6
"A word of warning: because writing and editing are two different skills, they require two different mind-sets. Don't try to do both at once. The time to edit is not when you're writing your first draft. But once that first draft is finished..."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 19:49:15 GMT -6
"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story."
"Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right--as right as you can, anyway--it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 20:03:23 GMT -6
"... fear is at the root of most bad writing."
"Good writing is often about letting go of fear..."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 28, 2005 20:07:35 GMT -6
[Don't worry about grammar or "telling vs showing" when the words are flowing, just jot the story down as it comes to you.]
"If you don't like it later on, fix it then. That's what rewrite is all about."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 31, 2005 22:41:43 GMT -6
"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things... ...no shortcut."
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write."
"Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 31, 2005 22:45:23 GMT -6
"One learns most clearly what not to do by reading bad prose..."
"Good writing, on the other hand, teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling."
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 31, 2005 23:25:31 GMT -6
Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%
Formula: Second draft equal first draft minus ten percent.
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Post by Joxcenia on Mar 31, 2005 23:30:52 GMT -6
"The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn't very interesting. Stick to the parts that are, and don't get carried away with the rest."
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