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There’s lots of them, of course: punctuation, word choice, active versus passive voice and all that. Here’s one I just figured out: When you’re writing the draft, write the draft. The key point? DON’T EDIT! Just write. Don’t look at … Continue reading
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National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is almost here. [Sounds of gnashing teeth, scribbling pencils, fingernails on mouse pads and, most importantly, the repeated sharp “crack” as the slave driver limbers up his whip.] Since 1999, this annual event has helped … Continue reading
Based on reader comments and suggestions, Serpent’s Smile is being re-written. Few people liked the main character. He second guesses himself into inaction, overestimates his abilities, and when he does take action, it’s almost always some dumb idea. Megyn never … Continue reading
The first draft of Serpent’s Smile has been removed from this website. My special thanks to all who offered comments and suggestions.
The first draft of Serpent’s Smile will be removed from this website on September 15th. There are several reasons for this. A re-write is now in progress. Commercial book publishers avoid works that are available elsewhere, especially when free. The … Continue reading
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Printing of the preliminary edition of Serpent’s Smile is underway. This is a limited run, not otherwise available to the general public. Copies are destined for readers with technical expertise in specific areas–explosives, for example–and to select individuals within the … Continue reading
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Serpent’s Smile has been extensively edited since the first draft appeared here. Several tens of thousands of words have been cut. But writers are myopic; they see only what’s at the end of their nose, and even then they tend … Continue reading
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Line-edits and revisions are complete. My first novel, Serpent’s Smile, now enters the review process. More than 20,000 words have been removed to tighten-up the story. Back-story has been chopped and scattered for better flow, or condensed for clarity. It’s … Continue reading
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Beware! My writing is afflicted with a horrible disease. Adverb’s Disease shows as weak little words attached to verbs. They add nothing to the story and just take up space and time. A pure waste of ink! Diagnosed by one of the … Continue reading
Here’s the process I’ll be trying out as I edit the nearly 500 pages of double-spaced text in my first draft. First, some definitions using the grading system we all learned in school. Fiction is built with several parts: Action … Continue reading