Messy and earnest
Whew. I had lots of unexpected feelings as I cleaned out my office storeroom today. I was not prepared for the rush of emotions I’d feel at seeing early drafts of Marcel’s Letters.
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What I learned by watching the same movie every night for three weeks
Elizabeth Reaser as Inge and Tim Guinee as Olaf in Ali Selim’s SWEET LAND. Photo: David Tumblety
Let me begin with the why: why in the world would I watch the same movie every night for three weeks? READ MORE
Page 135: Meet my “always-sunny” client
Early in the editing process of Marcel’s Letters I was given a rule by my developmental editor: people only got a name if they “walked on stage” more than once.READ MORE
The Making of Marcel’s Letters
Recently I was interviewed by book development editor Jill Swenson. It was a delightful interview with questions about music and typography and legal issues. You can check it out here.
January 23, 2017
In
Business, Craft, Publishing, Typography, Writing
So, which is more difficult: Designing a font or writing a book?
The question was posed as a curiosity, and I speculate the person who asked expected that after hemming and hawing for a polite amount of time, I’d provide some kind of easy, definitive answer.READ MORE
Smells and Sounds in Literature
Yesterday, I took a class at the Loft Literary Center taught by the powerhouse writer/instructor Mary Carroll Moore. Mary packed the day with ideas and information on honing craft skills. READ MORE
Gleam and Glow
September has been a month of polishing: polishing the proposal, polishing the first chapters of the manuscript. I’m even enrolled in a class called “Punch & Polish” at the Loft Literary Center.
Grammar Rules
Yesterday, I attended an eight-hour class at the LOFT Literary Center in Minneapolis. The topic was style and grammar in non-fiction and it was taught by the phenomenal Jill Swenson; her energy and enthusiasm were contagious.
May 29, 2015
In
Craft, Love, White Bear Lake, Writing
If I had just gotten it right the first time…
After 10 or more rounds of revisions on the laptop, I went old school and took the red pen to the hard copy draft of Chapter 11.
Thank you!
I feel blessed to know some brilliant writers/readers who have been beta reading parts of the manuscript. They have pointed out parts that felt weak or wordy, and other parts that made them laugh and cry. Once something has been revised and edited, oh, say, 30 times, it’s nearly impossible to be objective. So, thank you, thank you!