Happy First 2015 Post!!
Wow, January has come and gone so fast! Only a few weeks ago we wished each other a happy holiday season, and now we blast into the wonderful month of February.
Perhaps my weeks feel fleeting because I’ve got lofty literary ambitions for this year and I’m ecstatic about them. Or, perhaps because I’m more focused as a writer this year and can’t wait to forge ahead into the foreign realm of published works (please Lord!). Whatever the cause for the swift times (and despite what the future holds), it always pays to be prepared. For this reason, I’ve continued my annual literary review where throughout the winter months I dive into my writing books and try to reabsorb the fundamental rules and techniques of our craft.
At present, I’m reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (Second Edition) by Renni Browne and Dave King. I’ve read this book once (sometimes twice) each year for the past six or so years and have watched both my confidence and eye for credible fiction grow. Penned by seasoned editors, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers teaches writers how to back away from their manuscript a while and then return to it with the fresh, honest point-of-view of both an independent reader and editor. Given this, the writer is granted greater capacity to tighten the basic literary constructs (e.g. characterization, viewpoint, dialogue, etc…) the book discusses from an editorial prospective which helps to produce polished fiction ready for print.
I would recommend Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (Second Edition) to anyone…even those who plan to hire a professional editor.
Why?
Because, as the book suggests, writers should be encouraged to edit their own manuscripts as much as they can themselves even before they hand it on to editors… after all, why pay for editing you can do yourself?
Have a Great February!!
Phil