Remembering Revision
I have just reached (maybe) the halfway point in the second draft of my MG, but since I’m writing it 99.9% from scratch (that first draft was really just an idea dump), there isn’t much of what I’d consider revision going on. And yet I’ve been thinking about it. Why? It started with the SCBWI […]
Doing the Hard Work
I’ve been working on three picture books for a while now. Okay, quite a while. And I’m close. Sooooo close. But you know what it’s like? It’s like when you fold a piece of paper in half, then in half again, and again, and again…Apart from the physical difficulty, you could–theoretically–be forever able to fold […]
Revision Progress
In January, I wrote a review of Jeannine Atkins’ Views from a Window Seat and talked about how motivated I was to turn back toward my picture book revisions. I was so inspired from reading about Jeannine’s focus on sitting with a story, with its characters and its words, all at different stages but always […]
Revision: More from Mary Kole…and Me
I will get some time into my picture book this week. Mary Kole posted an archive blog this week on Facebook about trying things out, and that’s going to be my mantra for this revision. Is this what that character wants? I don’t know…try it out! Will this new ending work? I don’t know…try it […]
Revision: I’ve Been Here Before
I did something the other day. I shared my first picture book, the one I thought was “close,” to a set of new readers. A few things happened: They said many of the things my other critiquers have been saying. Because they were fresh readers, and this was their first sight of the picture book, […]
Unkilling Those Backstory Darlings
Yes, “unkilling.” WordPress wouldn’t let me write Killing in my post header, so I had to get creative. Shoot me, already. On with it… Yes, we have to be careful about how much backstory we drop into our manuscripts. It sure feels like, unless I’m reading an epic fantasy or a long family drama, that […]
Picture Book Revision: Note to Myself (and Anyone Else Who Wants to Listen)
Today’s Friday Five is a set of reminders to myself about revising this #$@($*@ a picture book. 1. Don’t push too far into the story until you’ve gotten deep into character. Okay, go ahead, push into that story, but you’re still going to have to go back & figure out those people. 2. Your hero […]
What Writing Process? Or…When Your Second Draft Feels More Like a First
I’m working on the second draft of my historical YA. Last week, I passed the 50-page mark and did a little dance of joy. Partially because of the page count, but in a big way, because the writing of that week’s scenes had gone so well. As in fast. With the words pouring out. Yeah, […]
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