Comments on: Ask The Author #2 – The first step to publishing.

By: Ange

Ange — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:28:27 +0000

Karl….or I could read it aloud to YOU! I reckon your own stuff always has a slight detachment when someone else reads it and may give you a new perspective on the flow of things. I love you, my super-talented brother, and I am very proud of you and I am looking forward to my own signed copy with your name on the cover. Thanks, Pat – I know he’ll take all your advice all on board!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:08:41 +0000

Or even better, read aloud to others! You hear your stuff even more objectively because you’re more self-conscious (in a good way).I write for a magazine called What Is Enlightenment? (see wie.org) and we read our pieces to each other all the time. It makes a world of difference–and they also tend to point out things that you’d never even notice.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:57:38 +0000

Just a small sugestion, but I find reading a chapter outloud really helps me when editing. I can hear where it falls flat, where the dialogue stalls. Feels a little weird at first but once I got used to the stares at my local coffee shop I was fine.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:22:44 +0000

Thanks Sengei.

By: Sengei Tawn

Sengei Tawn — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:06:45 +0000

I have been writing my trilogy since 2004 and have 75% of book one and two done. I haven't been published in scifi but have in nonfiction. I have probably re-written most of those chapters, oh, 20 times minimum (probably more like 40...argh). Put a list together of all the typical and common problems new writers make (can assemble from many fiction and scifi/fantasy writing and author websites). Then go through each chapter and search for them and change them. For example, I have gone through each chapter looking for the dreaded -ly words (horrible adverbs) such as "she said eerily" or "he yelled angrily." Slash and burn relentlessly! Then you need to find critical readers. See DeepGenre for a discussion on how to find good readers to read your manuscript BEFORE you send it to an agent or publisher. Just a few suggestions.