How many drafts does it take to write a book? More than one, for sure. So two? Three? Five? How many sweeps must one do? When doing the books in the Paranormology Series, I settled on three as the magic […]
Read moreTag: red pen
The Red Pen’s Revenge
The excitement builds. The whisky is poured. Draft two is complete. It is a relief. The first run, you see, doesn’t feel real, it doesn’t feel like the end product. It’s almost as if the first copy is a grainy […]
Read more
Stumpy Makes a Return
I took some time off work yesterday and today. I had some things around the house that needed doing. The fireplace, for one, needed painting. The original coating was faded and buffed and rust spots were appearing. Some sandpaper, mineral […]
Read more
Portsmouth Avenue – Third Draft complete
You know when your eyes are burning and your fingers and cramped and up come up for a gulp of air and realise, ‘Heck, almost there!’ That’s me. The fifth episode of Paranormology is only a hop, skip and a […]
Read more
Editing – Ugh… Do I have to?
Who ever said that writing was glamorous? Not me, I can assure you. I can think of many words to describe it. Glamorous doesn’t make the list. The writing bit is fun. You know, making up the story and getting […]
Read more
It’s that time again…
‘Jolimont Street Ghost’ second draft is done. Still a few things to tidy up. Still some paragraphs that need work. But now it’s time to break out the red pen. Yeppers, it’s head down, bum up, editing hat on with […]
Read more
About that Red Pen…
It’s a very nice red pen, isn’t it? The ink is smooth, the grip is light but firm. The colour is vibrant. How are you using it? Are you liberally applying ink to the page or are you more reserved […]
Read more
Watch your Language!
The first sweep (or sweeps) have landed your book in a nice spot: It makes sense, it says what you want it to say, and it starts and ends properly. You’ve checked the continuity and all of that in the […]
Read more
From the Top… Down
Sweeping through my draft on the first run, I want to make sure that my story says and does what I want it to say and do. If it’s a comedy, it has to be funny. If it’s adventure, the […]
Read more