Cut Surplus Scenes

For coaching on what to cut, watch a film’s special edition.

After I watched a special edition DVD Romancing the Stone, I made a point to see the bonus features. As I watched, I realized they offer insights for a novelist.

Great novels aren’t written, the saying goes. They’re rewritten.

This includes reviewing each scene’s purposes ― confirming it accomplishes such tasks as advancing the story … Continue reading

Payoff Time

Sometimes you benefit from an article you’ve worked on.

A year ago the article I edited was simply an article. None of its content promised me immediate application. But that was a year ago.

This past week, I found myself really needing the writer’s step-by-step article about how to replace a Model A Ford radiator.
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Sights, Sounds, and Smells

In-person research engages your senses.

While historic re-enactments aren’t history, they convey vivid details that escape Wikipedia.

Two weeks ago I took a short flight on a Ford Tri-Motor, an airliner from 1928. Books and online articles had told me it was loud. But they failed to capture the roar of the 450-horsepower radial engines.
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