Category Archives: Revisions

Learning the craft of writing…

Posted on November 29, 2012 by

I noticed yesterday that this blog was getting quite a few hits from a particular link to a writing class at Columbia College in Chicago:  An intensive review in writing, reading, and critical thinking prior to enrolling in 52-1151 Writing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Revisions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Author’s Second Pass

Posted on November 23, 2012 by

Once you get the first formatted proofs to read (the author’s first pass) and have made your corrections, those changes are inputted and formatted. Then a second set arrives. These are called the Author’s Second Pass, and it’s the last chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published, Revisions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Beggar’s Opera, Early Rejections

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

I thought I’d post some of the rejections I received for The Beggar’s Opera before it was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award. The first agent I queried asked  for a two week exclusive. At the end of that reading period, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dealing with rejection, Querying, Revisions | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Line editing and copy editing

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

The Beggar’s Opera is out for copy-editing but I’ve just spoken to the editor involved and learned that it may be line edited too. All of this is new to me, as a debut author, so I thought I’d explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Editors, Revisions | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Polishing a manuscript

Posted on May 16, 2011 by

People ask me sometimes what it means to ‘polish’ a manuscript. The best analogy I can think of these days comes from real estate, now that I’m working in that business. It’s like staging a home. You essentially go through … Continue reading →

Posted in Revisions, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quotes about Revisions from Famous Authors

Posted on March 3, 2011 by

After posting up some of the rejection letters that famous authors received, I thought it would be interesting to see what they had to say about the revisions process. Some of these quotations are about editorial comments; others about that … Continue reading →

Posted in Editors, Getting Published, Revisions | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Describing Characters

Posted on February 14, 2011 by

Wow, crazy week. I’m in the midst of revisions to The Beggar’s Opera (about a third of the way through the first cut) but things have been incredibly hectic, which means I’ve been working away on the manuscript whenever I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Revisions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

How many queries should you submit?

Posted on January 22, 2011 by

I was asked this question frequently this week, after my story circulated in the media. I suppose the answer is, keep going, ’until you find representation,’ or ‘until you give up.’ I tried the contest route. For me, that worked. If it … Continue reading →

Posted in Dealing with rejection, Querying, Revisions | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments