tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post5029309296064983938..comments2024-03-28T01:44:27.279-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Leave A Tip On the Blood-Red Pencil TodayDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-63059324858665757882011-04-13T22:23:19.350-06:002011-04-13T22:23:19.350-06:00I save the links from 'Blood-Red Pencil,' ...I save the links from 'Blood-Red Pencil,' and re-read them later. <br />Vary sentence structure for pace, timing and mood. For that reason I will probably still use the occasional adverb. <br />Listening to other authors is extremely useful. I listen and mentally review what I've been doing lately!Louis Shalakohttp://shalakopublishing.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-30048471371355727042011-04-13T19:02:30.609-06:002011-04-13T19:02:30.609-06:00Excellent comments, but first and foremost love wh...Excellent comments, but first and foremost love what you do. <br />Margot Justes<br />www.mjustes.com<br />A Hotel in ParisMargot Justeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07512602803694626704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85601023753021058312011-04-12T19:57:22.941-06:002011-04-12T19:57:22.941-06:00Strive to learn something new each day that will h...Strive to learn something new each day that will help you in your writing. And write!Zequeatta Jaqueshttp://www.zequeattajaques.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-60831638047990708182011-04-12T19:50:04.256-06:002011-04-12T19:50:04.256-06:00Writers need to learn the benefits and uses of the...Writers need to learn the benefits and uses of the colon and semi-colon. Instead of breaking up the clauses into a number of sentences learn which colon is better to make the passage flow rather than having it sound choppy with lots of smaller sentences.Rebecca https://www.blogger.com/profile/00945969129138214472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-10749538421153644782011-04-12T17:20:03.182-06:002011-04-12T17:20:03.182-06:00Print a copy of your manuscript and edit that. It&...Print a copy of your manuscript and edit that. It's difficult to see your mistakes on the computer. Get a cup of coffee or tea, sit in your favorite chair with a red pen and go for it. You'll be surprised at what you missed on the computer<br /><br />Carlene Rae DaterCarlene Rae Daterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04473148488319011894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-39087600390607726782011-04-12T17:16:48.759-06:002011-04-12T17:16:48.759-06:00About reading your manuscript aloud: This may soun...About reading your manuscript aloud: This may sound weird, but I read somewhere (I forget where right now) to read your ms in a kind of monotone, because if you dramatize it like you would if you were reading a book aloud to your kids, you may be injecting life into it that isn't actually there on the printed page. If you just read it in a more emotionless way, you're more likely to detect parts that fall flat and need a intense or colorful words, varied sentence structure, faster pacing, etc.Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-56806738953677309162011-04-12T14:36:08.626-06:002011-04-12T14:36:08.626-06:00So many tips, and all of them great! The more the ...So many tips, and all of them great! The more the better.<br /><br />Morgan MandelMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-28405789484980703982011-04-12T14:10:08.867-06:002011-04-12T14:10:08.867-06:00I just read a blog this week that said the best po...I just read a blog this week that said the best possible promotion you can be doing is writing more books. Word-of-mouth is still the very best advertising and it's free. But if you don't have a selection of books for eager readers to buy, they will go on to another author. So do what you love the most and write more books! Words that warm the cockles of my heart!<br />www.fionamcgier.comFiona McGierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495707848048468428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-36615369992535899732011-04-12T14:01:17.810-06:002011-04-12T14:01:17.810-06:00I posted a couple of Track Changes tips on my blog...I posted a couple of Track Changes tips on my blog yesterday. You can find them in <a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2011/04/edits-edits-edits.html" rel="nofollow">here.</a><br /><br />Terry<br /><a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br /><a href="http://www.terryodell.com" rel="nofollow">Romance with a Twist--of Mystery</a>Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-79889877129718086982011-04-12T13:50:03.961-06:002011-04-12T13:50:03.961-06:00Use wordle.net to create a word picture of each ch...Use wordle.net to create a word picture of each chapter. This shows you which words you might be over-using without realising. <br />http://paulamartinromances.webs.com/Paula Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-79047224084160886202011-04-12T13:48:29.706-06:002011-04-12T13:48:29.706-06:00My tip comes from the workshop I am currently atte...My tip comes from the workshop I am currently attending: "All action must advance the story. If it doesn't, get rid of it." I'm an old follower, but I found The Blood Red Pencil through Straight from Hel.<br />www.MiddlePassages-lcs.blogspot.com.Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16170701034715108039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-18670768797435118692011-04-12T13:32:42.177-06:002011-04-12T13:32:42.177-06:00Excellent point, Maggie! If it doesn't contrib...Excellent point, Maggie! If it doesn't contribute to the story, get rid of it.<br /><br />Kathryn, what you said makes perfect sense and will contribute so much to the smooth, logical flow of the story. Great advice for all writers!Linda Lanehttp://www.denvereditor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-58313502458914107332011-04-12T13:07:43.554-06:002011-04-12T13:07:43.554-06:00Don't spend too much time showing versus telli...Don't spend too much time showing versus telling during your first draft. You will be rewriting so much of it later when you nail everything down that you'll have to redo it anyway.<br /><br />http://hogwartssabbatical.blogspot.com/Chemist Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09738272332470397248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-58516448519871921982011-04-12T13:06:02.597-06:002011-04-12T13:06:02.597-06:00As Deborah said, write. You can edit crap but you ...As Deborah said, write. You can edit crap but you can't edit what you have not yet written.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-44307057423368664552011-04-12T11:58:05.783-06:002011-04-12T11:58:05.783-06:00My tip is to write even when you don't feel li...My tip is to write even when you don't feel like it. Something will come to you, and you'll make more progress than you think!Debra St. Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9885863706707355812011-04-12T11:43:34.336-06:002011-04-12T11:43:34.336-06:00I love Kathryn's tip! I'd never thought of...I love Kathryn's tip! I'd never thought of it and it makes so much sense.Elspeth Futcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10330102545384369360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-45208007126762870582011-04-12T11:42:49.130-06:002011-04-12T11:42:49.130-06:00Either as you write or on the first read-through, ...Either as you write or on the first read-through, open a second document and track your characters. You'll might be surprised by unnoticed mistakes, like minor character Josie crossing the street to avoid a black cat in Chapter 28 when she moved out of state in Chapter 14.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-5600063881205256612011-04-12T11:11:04.994-06:002011-04-12T11:11:04.994-06:00My tip today is on behalf of all the people in the...My tip today is on behalf of all the people in the world who read books aloud to others: If you are going to qualify how something is said, could you please do it before the dialogue?<br /><br />Case in point: <br />"Don't do it," he said. To underscore his urgency, he lowered his voice to a whisper.<br /><br />All the important info comes after I've boomed out, "Don't do it"! Makes me want to go back and re-read.<br /><br />Much better:<br />He lowered his voice to an urgent whisper: "Don't do it."Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-42131133109887017522011-04-12T10:38:40.147-06:002011-04-12T10:38:40.147-06:00Lose the ellipsis. So many really strong writers w...Lose the ellipsis. So many really strong writers water down their work with seemingly dangling thoughts. More often than not, a period works as well and seems more decisive. Really, the ellipsis is like the ! and should be used at most, three times, in a manuscript. Getting rid of this crutch is the fastest way to strengthen the voice of the characters, as well as the author.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-17951677769070082732011-04-12T10:15:32.805-06:002011-04-12T10:15:32.805-06:00It's important that the parts of the scene lea...It's important that the parts of the scene lead somewhere and that it builds the plot. As you read and edit, slash stuff that isn't a story building block.<br /><br />Maggie Toussaint<br />www.maggietoussaint.comMaggie Toussainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12011893139722870283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-67858107293132722692011-04-12T09:43:31.761-06:002011-04-12T09:43:31.761-06:00Learn grammar and punctuation rules. At the very l...Learn grammar and punctuation rules. At the very least, pay attention to Word's complaints about the language, spelling, or structure in any part of your manuscript. While not always right on, this useful feature takes a giant step in the right direction. <br /><br />Owning and using the Chicago Manual of Style makes great sense. Commas (or lack thereof) can make or break a sentence, a paragraph, a book. Yes, this is a pain in the backside, but your utilizing this valuable tool can transport your reader from a “huh?” moment to an “aha!” moment—and that’s worth its weight in gold.Linda Lanehttp://www.denvereditor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-56027309708465007622011-04-12T09:34:23.989-06:002011-04-12T09:34:23.989-06:00There's always a better verb. Instead of walk...There's always a better verb. Instead of walked: entered, marched, trotted, <br /><br />Instead of look: glanced, gazed, peered.<br /><br />Think of the stronger verb for your sentence!<br /><br />You can find me at:<br />Stephanie Burkhart Online<br />http://www.stephanieburkhart.com &<br />http://sgcardin.blogspot.com<br /><br />Smiles<br />StephStephanie Burkhart https://www.blogger.com/profile/16952130018587727063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-66337507666583946382011-04-12T09:32:54.276-06:002011-04-12T09:32:54.276-06:00Wow I really enjoyed the advice. As a new writer I...Wow I really enjoyed the advice. As a new writer I sometimes struggle with many of these and I love getting advice on steps I can take to combat these problems. Keep the tips coming!<br /><br /><br />Diayll<br /><br />Mother/Gamer/Writer @ http://empyreanedge.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13060210887614228540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-47565804489159247522011-04-12T09:27:37.446-06:002011-04-12T09:27:37.446-06:00Great tips so far. Great tip from Christine about ...Great tips so far. Great tip from Christine about reading pages backwards for the final proofing. That is a trick I learned from a magazine publisher many moons ago when I was just starting out as an editor for the magazine.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21603746856922628382011-04-12T09:02:05.199-06:002011-04-12T09:02:05.199-06:00I never met a "that" that I didn't l...I never met a "that" that I didn't love. I keep a list of pet words and then ruthlessly go through the manuscript to cut them out. Usually, the poor things are adverbs, the "ly" words, I leave them in the dustbin. Must say, they don't go away EASILY but re-group to sneak into a manuscript another day.<br /><br />On another note, anyone checking out/buying Winter's Soul, Gothic mystery novella $2.99) on Museitup Publishing, Amazon. Leave a comment, let me know. Sending equal donation to Japan's Dog/Cat Rescue efforts.Patricia Harringtonnoreply@blogger.com