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Month: April 2014

Mr. Wizard and Proofreading

Mr. Wizard and Proofreading

I haven’t seen the Nickelodeon show in decades, but hunting up these clips on Youtube makes me feel like I never stopped watching. It was a pleasant surprise to collide with an experiment that shows how important it is to slow down when proofreading!  I’ll let Mr. Wizard and his assistant give you some other good tips. Any proofreading tips you’d like to add? Share in the comments!

“WHAT do you WANT?” Use Motivation To Anchor Your Rewrites

“WHAT do you WANT?” Use Motivation To Anchor Your Rewrites

Pictured: my job as a business analyst. I’ve learned editing is a cycle of dashed hopes.  “This next chapter won’t need much work at all- hooray!”  Then I reread it, and uh-oh!  Spider-sense tingling.  A character acted dumb for the sake of plot, or something I thought would be good feels awkward. I always trust my niggling bad feelings.  Time to reassess and rewrite.  Again. Reluctance and dread soon pale against an escalating panic.  What do I change?  How?  Is…

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Be A Beta-Star, Part II: Getting Great Feedback

Be A Beta-Star, Part II: Getting Great Feedback

Last week, I wrote about giving the best feedback possible.  Now it’s time to discuss receiving great feedback.  No, this isn’t about everyone kissing your butt!  It’s about putting aside your ego and lovingly beating the crap out of your work until it’s better than you ever imagined. Some of this advice complements ideas from the last post, but as a writer soliciting feedback, your job is more involved.  Not only do you have to gather it, you also have…

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Be A Beta-Star, Part I: Giving Great Feedback

Be A Beta-Star, Part I: Giving Great Feedback

(Image credit: texturezoom.com) Beta-reading not only provides an opportunity to help others, but also exercises your creative muscle, which aids you in your own writing.  It’s a true honor and privilege whenever you’re asked to be a beta-reader.  It’s even better to be a trusted beta-reader, someone whose opinion others repeatedly rely on when developing their ideas.  Here are some tips for giving the best feedback possible: Be Honest. This, first and foremost.  Don’t have the time to devote to…

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