A first draft is never final.
Two videos this past week offered solid reminders about the writing process — and that a writer’s technology needs to serve the process.
The first video highlighted the approach taken by a multiple New York Times bestselling author who has always embraced the latest technology.
The second featured two veteran authors who always use a typewriter — one machine a … Continue reading
Remember to review your verbs.
While I’ve worked and taught with several bestselling writers, I learned one of my best tips from someone who wrote picture books for children.
She advised writers to print out their first two pages and circle every verb. “You don’t want,” she said, “writing that’s isy and wasy.”
Thirty years later, I’m still seeking and correcting wasy … Continue reading
Catch them with your first words.
Don’t be like the writer whose article I recently rejected.
While his brief account reported the event’s facts, he failed to take into account his prospective readers. So he neglected to provide at the start of the article any material to prompt people to want to read it.
I edit the magazine for a specialty organization. While … Continue reading