Scarlet Scribe Edits

Even the 'experts' had to start somewhere

2010-10-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.floggingthequill.com/flogging_the_quill/2008/02/flogometer-fo-6.html

My debut novel Master's Mistress was a two year journey for me. Through highs, lows, bouts of self pity and more, I struggled through. When I sent the first chapter to Mr. Raymey for review I wasn't sure what would happen but I thought what they hey, can't hurt.

It did. My pride took a pounding for about half a day then I kicked myself in the behind and said listen to what he says, take what you can from it and run! I'm glad I listened to myself. Master's Mistress was the #1 Bestseller for May 09, for Champagne Books - a feat that I never believed was possible, but I'm happy about it anyway!

Let me know what you think of his words. They're hard, quick, and concise in my opinion, and not for the weak of heart - but so very worth soaking in.

Tips for self editing

2010-10-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Most authors who are just getting started are in the same boat. They're doing it for the love of the craft...not for the balance on their royalty statements. I know, from experience, that just starting out, editing was not something that I approached with any degree of appreciation or enthusiasm. Since then of course, I've come to realize its an intrical part of the process and I do enjoy it.

Revisiting that time, with the reminder coming from a fellow writer who is just getting started, I thought it would be a perfect time to offer a few tips from an editor's desk. In todays market, publishers, editors, readers are all looking for a fast paced, enthralling story that pulls them into the world the author has created. To do this one must look at the opening and see a hook that is spectacular.

Getting to that point requires time, patience, dedication, and a tiny bit of skill.

With that thought in mind, here are a few tips to get you started on the road to polishing your manuscript for submission.

1. Get a second opinion who is NOT family, friend, or otherwise attached to you. This may sound ludicrous but really, when has your mother, sister, bestest girlfriend over told you your writing sucks? They won't. Even if they hate the piece, they won't give you a hard, honest critique that will help you gain the goals on your pathway.

2. Write it and forget it. Simple isn't it? Hard to do I know but necessary. The one thing you'll never be able to do is write it, start back at the beginning and then edit it successfully. You'll miss half of what you're errors are. I recommend leaving it at least 4 weeks. Give your brain a chance to forget it before you start trying to trim it.

3. Look at the entire piece. If you start editing chapter one as soon as you've written it by the time you're finished you'll have spent weeks or even months writing one chapter that looks fantastic but has no ties to the rest of your manuscript.

4. Have a professional look at your work. A skilled editor will work with you to help guide you along the right pathway for you, your work, and your career goals. As well, they'll be able to give you pointers on what's happening in the market today and if there are spots that your book could do very well.

Questions? Drop me a line and lets see what I can do for you.

Finding a happy balance

2010-08-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Regardless of genre, length, or topic being written about, to have some success every author needs to have some balance between dialogue, narrative, point-of-view, and plot. Recently, I looked at a manuscript that had a great story-line. The content however, was as dry as day old toast lol. There was a lot of telling, very little dialogue, and I had a hard time getting into it.

So I thought, why not discuss the benefits of balancing your writing with the content and the active passion of your writing. It doesn't matter what you write, if your readers can't get into it then you're not going to sell. If you don't sell, you're contract can - and often will be - revoked. There are steps that an author can take that are not marketing related to create a wonderful, fast paced, active story.

One of those things is balancing what you're writing about and how your write. For example if someone says to you:

"Joe crossed the bridge when the train was coming."
vs.

The aged wood shook beneath his feet as Joe lunged across the tracks. His chest burned with the need for air as he sucked in huge gulps of air, the train whizzing passed him. The heat from the wheels blistering his face....

You the reader are in the scene, you're experiencing the jump across the tracks, the train going by. As an author, put yourself in your reader's shoes er pages. Is the first line enough information? Do you feel his emotions, his panic, his heart beating, the wind from the train...Do you get the image in your mind you want?

If you answer no to any of these then you need to go back and look at the balance within your writing. Are you using passive tenses, active verbs, adjectives unnecessarily? Harmony can be achieved by using the simple logic of pulling your reader into the storyline that you've set before them.

After careful consideration, I'm hoping that in the coming weeks I can get some things organized so that each Monday I will have a topic for discussion. So what's your balance? How do you get the story flowing not only for you but your readers....?

Rules Vs Style

2010-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I was part of a conversation on editing and the differences between editing with the grammar 'rules' and the grammar style. For me this hardly made a lot of sense, as an editor I look for grammar errors following the basics.

That is until I got claification. Every person who looks at a manuscript will edit it to a certain degree. Its hardly abnormal, however, what one person may see as being correct and concise may not always follow the preset parameters that we've followed since forever.

A grammar style is what makes the paragraph, passage read nicely. Does it flow, do you get the images that are persented? Can you fall into that scene? For some doing editing this is important, and others are die hard - by the book editors, that focus on structure, grammar, correct usage of periods, commas, etc. Its a tight rope we walk as an editor. Of course a client can say that 'They've written in their style,' and I have no isse with that. What I do disagree is using grammar style to shirk the rules.

Rules that, depending upon where you are, vary greatly. British grammar varies from Canadian, which varies from American, and so on. Style belongs in writing, in editing, but in my humble opinion not to the exclusion of proper grammar - which gets mangled in dialogue anyway.

Tips on Editing

2010-07-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

For most authors starting out editing is one thing that can drive an author crazy. How do I edit something I've written? What can I do to help myself learn how to edit before I get help with it?
There are many self-editing tips that you can use that will help you develop your skills for when you want to have it polished or just make changes without sending it to an editor. As an author, one of the things that I've learned that has been invaluable is time.

Time is the key to editing your work. While for some this may not work due to the dreaded deadline, for me its been a valued tool. You don't have to wait weeks or months either. I've set a project aside for a week, seven short days and moved onto something else to clear my head of any thoughts associated with that project.

When I go back to it, my mind is clear, prepared for to look at it impartially and I'm more likely to find any errors that are there. Once I've looked through it, changed what I wanted or needed to then I've shelvedit for a few more days, gone back and read through it aloud and then if I'm pleased I will send it to my editor, a publisher, or a writing partner. Its amazing what you'll catch before you send it out to have someone else look at it.

Our new and exciting promotion

2010-07-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I'm pleased and proud to announce the latest promotional offering we have. Starting Aug, 1st, we will be doing a preferred client deal.

To honor our loyal clients, we're going to impliment the following deals:
Contract for editing for a manuscript and you're entered into the pool. With your second manuscript you'll get a 10% discount, the third, fourth, fifth contracts will be reduced by 15%...
When you sign with us for your fifth contract, you'll be given a FREE submission package edit.

*Synopsis, query letter, 1st three chapters and the last chapter - two level edit complete with feedback and polish valued at $99.

We're also offering the following services for the busy authors. Most authors hate the dreaded synopsis, so why not let us help you. For a minimal fee of $45 we will write for you a 2-4 page synopsis and query letter for your latest manuscript. These two services seperately would cost an author $65...but we're offering it for $45.

If you're on our preferred customer list you can get an additional 5% off.

For more details or to submit your FREE five (5) page sample to us, simply send an email to editor@scarletscribeedits.com and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Celebrating Our Grand Opening

2010-04-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

To help celebrate our grandopening, Scarlet Scribe Edits is now offering a chance for author's to put their name in for a draw.

Starting May 1, 2010, we will be collecting names for a draw on the 25th of May for a 'free' 3 chapter long detailed edit.

To enter is simple...and free.

Simply submit to us five (5) pages of your manscript through our email at scarletscribeedits@gmail.com along with a short query letter. All entries will be entered into the draw for the 3 chapter edit.

Those who sign up for editing services by the 15th of May will be entered to win a complete manuscript edit from our staff. From now until May 15th all services will be 10% off regardless of length.

Please note that all entries will not be returned. We at Scarlet Scribe will keep them for a period of three (3) months after which they will be deleted from our in boxes.

Come out and help us celebrate - the arrival of great weather, some great books, and the recent flood of submission calls from some great publishers.