So here you are, staring at the complete first draft of your novel. What do you do with it? I’ve already told you not to send it to a publisher or post it on-line, so what’s left? Put it aside for a while. Work on something else. I know, this is really difficult to do.…
The First Draft Thing The End As you stare at your computer screen you get this sudden, exhilarating rush of emotion. You’ve done it! You’ve written a novel! Hardly able to contain yourself you want to high-five the world, but instead you just lean back with this stupid grin on your face and read…
One very nice review for my book contained the following comment: “It’s tough to invent a science-fiction universe from scratch, and tougher still to make readers care about the characters in that world. Usually writers pick one, intentionally or not. But the emotional guts of “Agony of the Gods” succeeds in both.” [You can see…
So your manuscript has been through a number of drafts, been read by a few people in your writers club and fairly heavily critiqued. You’re sure it’s ready. What now? Well, you actually have a number of choices. Send to a copy to a publishing house that’s accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It’s important to check their…
So you’ve thumbed through (or scrolled through) your manuscript and you still think it’s great – fine. But what draft is it? If it’s your first, second, or even third draft, try to get as much feedback as possible. This is where a site like Book Country is really important. BookCounty.com got started back in…
A few years ago I was taking part in a discussion thread on Book Country, concerning things authors do that you hate, when one of the other members mentioned that she had read a book where the author kept referring to pubic hair as crispy. As you might expect, this resulted in numerous comments regarding…
Hello All, Just thought I’d add a page were I could do everything from playing around to being deadly serious. I think I’ll start with awards since it’s the awards season. I know we’re all awaiting the announcement of Best Picture from the Academy of Motion Picture Popcorn, Soft Drink and Hotdog Vendors, to mention…