Good To Know You

Visit Give a Girl a Pen to see my Good To Know You post.

And the Winner Is...

Danyelle!

Congratulations. Email your physical address to joycewolfley@gmail.com and I'll send out your prize.

Thanks for celebrating with me!

Drawing - Entries Close Sunday

Just a quick reminder to enter a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing for the $10 Target gift card.

Drawing will be on Sunday.

Now off to stop my daughter from destroying the house. Oops...too late!

Happy Birthday, Illusions!

Happy birthday, Illusions!

Well, it isn't technically Illusions birthday. But it is the last save date on the first, first, first version of the prologue (which no longer exists in any form).

I look back and am amazed at what a transformation Illusions has gone through. I am so very grateful I didn't have a clue about the whole publishing process when I first sat down at the keyboard.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a present!

Just comment on this post telling me what made you start to write. You'll be entered you into a drawing for a $10 Target gift card.

Winner will be announced on 8/10/09.

Good To Know You

Visit Give a Girl a Pen to see my Good To Know You post.

Polished

Warning - I thought of this post while brushing my teeth.

Editing is like whitening your teeth.

You may just need a quick brush to polish it.

I equate that to the whitening toothpaste...you won't get too much bang for your buck. But it's better than nothing. If you are an experienced writer, with years of manuscripts behind your belt, then this might be the choice for you. (I was naive after finishing my first draft of my first novel and thought this was all it needed...boy was I wrong.)

Then there is the do-it-yourself whitening kits.

You know, the Rembrandt Whitening System or the Crest Whitestrips. This is the editing that most of us do...some help from the critique group, some flushing out of characters, cleaning up plots and emotional arcs. Time consuming, but effective. And cost efficient.

Finally, there is the go to the dentist and have them put the radioactive goop on your teeth under the light and walk out with TV worthy teeth.

I think of this as the legit, professional editing services. You walk in not realizing there was a stain on that incisor (or inconsistency in your character dialogue) and walk out with something shiny (though you do have to put in the hard work of actually making the changes). Granted, you also walk out with a flatter wallet. And I wonder how much you learn and improve by doing it this way.

Disclaimer: I have never had my teeth professionally whitened, or even unprofessionally whitened. Nor have I gotten my manuscript professionally edited...so I'm just guessing about how helpful it would be.

So now your teeth are white and shiny. But they are still the same teeth. And your manuscript is still the same story you fell in love with. And now it is one you can proudly show the world.

Cliches for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

We've been told to avoid cliches like...well, the plague.

Sometimes that can be difficult. After all, they are cliches for a reason - they give the image you want to portray. But not the tired feeling that may come with it.

I really wanted to use "like a hot knife through butter".

It became "like an Olympic diver piercing through water".

I'm still not completely satisfied and it will likely change before the edits are finished...but you can't say it is a cliche. Or at least not one I've heard of.

What cliches have you caught yourself trying to use. And what have you changed it to instead?