Editing and Writing Tips

 I'm a reader of writing tips. 

Writing is a talent, but a person is never too old or too young to learn.

I love writing, but I think I love editing even more. I love molding my story into a better story. Into the best story that I can.

Editing does that.

I'm always reading about finding filler words and getting rid of them. Finding passive words, vague words, redundant phrases, and common cliches and getting rid of them.

I am in the process of writing a sequel to my novel, Where the Stars Grant Wishes, and I have been editing it to rid my manuscript of those filler words.

Some of the words I've been searching for are IT, SOME, THEY, THEM, etc.

My story had a lot of those vague words. I am one of those writers who doesn't have to lower my word count. I need to up my word count. And in getting rid of these words and getting more specific, I found that I actually upped my word count - Yeah!

Another way I found to up my word count is in description.

Early this morning I opened the door and stared out. I soaked in all the sights and sounds and came up with passages that I could easily find a place for in my manuscript.

If you go outside during the day and sit and observe everything around you, new ideas will appear all around you. 

Are you in the middle of writing a manuscript?

Do you like editing?

Click here and here to see a few of my other posts on writing tips.

 

Editing a Picture Book

How do you edit a picture book?

Here are a few of my suggestions.

Read it and see if it fits into the age group you are shooting for.

Ask yourself ---

Does it have a plot?

Does it have a satisfying ending?
(I just read a middle grade novel. I was anxious to see how it ended, but when I turned and read the last page. I thought, What? Is this the end? I was very unsatisfied with the ending.) Don't let your readers down - have a good ending.

Does it use good word choices for a picture book?

Do you use repetition and alliteration to your advantage?

Does it pass the read aloud test? Word, rhythm and sound are important.

Can you visualize the illustrations?

Did you use the senses in your story?

Does each sentence move the story along?

Does it past the so what test?

I've been editing one of my picture books - again. This book has changed many, many times. I like the story and I really want it to go somewhere. So, lately I have been looking at it under a magnifying glass. I recently said to myself, so what. So what that this happened in the text, so what the character did this or that. I decided my story needed more substance. The character needed more incentive. The story just needed something else.  

 So, I went back and looked at it with a more critical eye. I changed it again. In this process I also took out some of my favorite lines, (my babies that I loved), because I realized the story didn't need them. And, you know what, removing those lines didn't hurt me or the story like I thought it would.

I also took it to my writing group again.  Among other minor changes, there was one word that they just did not like. They said they could not associate the verb with the noun I was using it with. One spoke up and said, "Now, Janet, listen to what we are saying. We all agree it doesn't fit. You need to change it."

So, after a little brainstorming we came up with the perfect word. And the best way to reword the two sentences.

So, my last suggestion is to put on your tough skin and get to work!

I end this blog post with this thought, all the above is easier said than done. It may be easy to see what is wrong with other manuscripts, but not easy to see what is wrong with 'your' manuscript. You are too close to it. So let other eyes see it, too.

But, if you love writing for children, don't give up. Be optimistic. Keep writing and improving and some day your dream of being published will come true.

Back to Writing

I've taken a needed, but much too long, break from writing this summer. Aside from writing my monthly articles for Two-Lane Livin' Magazine, I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to write something new again.

This morning I decided I needed to send out at least one of my  manuscripts. So, I planned to work on my cover letter and zip it out to the world.

The picture book I chose is one of my very favorites that I have written. It has went through many, many changes over the years (yes, I said years). It has been critiqued many times (by my critique groups, a professional critiquer and Rate Your Story).

This past June, it placed second in the annual West Virginia Writers writing contest. I can't complain about coming in second, because one of my middle grade novels placed first!


I thought this would be a piece of cake. It has been edited many times and placed in a contest, so it should be ready to submit. But, I decided to look at it one last time. I opened up the manuscript from my computer and took a look.

Was it ready?

No! I found many small changes I felt I needed to make - and, a couple of big changes.

Hopefully, these changes made it an even better manuscript than it already was.

My advice - never give up on your stories, never think they cannot be improved, always keep an open mind and let suggestions simmer and consider them all.

And - do not get in a hurry. Leave your stories for a while and then come back. I bet changes will pop out at you.

When you have did all you can do and you believe in your story - cross your fingers and zip it out to the world.





 

Revising!

Hi all.

Sometimes I seem to disappear from my blog. I don't mean to, but I get so involved in my writing that I forget I have a blog.

I have been revising this month - mainly my picture books.

Amazing Miss Gracie, my manuscript about a pretty scarecrow, has gone through a huge facelift! 

This was my first picture book manuscript. It has went through numerous title changes and edits. I love this manuscript, so I kept overlooking its big problem.

Well - no more! I won a critique from a professional picture book writer. She loved the story, but her comments about the ending made me finally realize what I knew all along, but didn't want to admit. I needed to take the plunge and make some major changes.

I took the 'new version' to my writing group yesterday and they liked the changes. Now, it goes back to the lady who critiqued it. Keeping my fingers crossed that she doesn't think I made it worse.
But, I think it is better now - the main character solves the problem. Oh, I also changed her name back to her original name she had in the very first draft - Maizie.

Now - I've found another one of my forgotten picture book manuscripts that needs work.  Currently, I am changing the POV of the story to see if that makes it better.

Is writing easy? No!
Is writing fun? Yes!
Especially when you see your story grow and develop.

You can spend hours picking out just the right word. Do crows huddle, rest or roost?
You can spend hours thinking of the perfect title or name.
You can spend hours deciding on the best POV.

But, most of all you need to pick the best story.- the story everyone is waiting to read!

*******************

A few weeks ago Inspiration for Writers had a holiday short story contest. I won! Go here to see my story and leave a comment if you like.

Revising Picture Books

Someone once asked me, "Why do you go back and make so many changes? If you are a good writer, your first draft should be good enough."

Well, those might not have been his exact words, but the gist of it was - why make so many changes? Why go over it again and again? Why, why, why?

Why? Because picture book writing is not as easy as non-writers think it is.

Sure, there are fewer words.
Sure, they are for young children.
But, younger readers are as important as older readers. Maybe, more important. We need to get children interested and excited about reading, so they will continue to read into adulthood.

I have been editing my latest picture book. I guess you could say it is fiction and non-fiction. I have a cute little story, with sidebar non-fiction information to go along with it. I had a bumpy start writing it, but I finally got past the problems and started to work on the words.

In picture books, every word counts. You search your mind, your thesaurus, your friends' minds and online sources for the best words. Picture book writing is one genre where I don't balk at using ing words. They can add to the flow and rhythm of the story. Instead of saying, they zoom, say zooming. Instead of saying, They dart everywhere, say Darting everywhere.

Use specific words.
Use great action words.
Use onomatopoeia (sound words)! 
I have found taking out the or replacing the with these makes a big difference. 
I have found replacing them and they with specific words makes a big difference.

Most importantly, I have found that going back over a manuscript that I thought was just right - makes a big difference. 

Do not be afraid to take suggestions from fellow writers. It will still be your story!

At the end of our writers' meeting a few weeks ago, a member made an almost inaudible remark and said you could say something like " --- ", and it was the perfect end to a stanza I was having problems with! (You notice I'm not telling the phrase. I don't want to give away what my story is about)

Do you have any suggestions to making the perfect picture book?

I (and my readers) are open to suggestions. 


By the way. I had a great time last week when my husband and I went to see Henry Winkler, co-author of the Hank Zipzer books!

Happy Writing!

Word for the Week

DRABBLE: A short piece of writing consisting wholly of 100 words - no more, no less.

EXAMPLE: I think I will write a story - a very short story. Hmmm, I'll write a drabble.

QUOTE: "A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it." Edgar Allen Poe

Until recently, I never knew what a drabble was. In fact, I had never heard of a drabble. Have you?

You would think that as a writer of picture books, writing a drabble would be a piece of cake. Pardon the overused cliche. But, as I have told people many times, just because the story is short, does not mean it is easier to write. In fact, it is hard to tell a story with few words.

You have to be more careful about using adjectives, useless or overused words or lazy words. Cut, cut, cut and choose your words carefully. When in doubt, leave it out.

Mark Twain once said, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead."

Learning to write short pieces comes in handy when writing blog posts, a synopsis, pitches or a blurb to go on the back cover of your book. In all these instances, you need to use few words and the best words to get your point across. It takes practice.


My book, Fun Through the Seasons, Recipes, Crafts and Fun Facts for Kids, is filled with short writings. Fun articles under 500 words, short poems, short stories, short - and easy - recipes, short activities and crafts.

It is great for short attention spans of kids - and adults. When you have a little free time, open up the pages and read an article, make a fun recipe or read a poem.

It is available on Amazon and there is a short, five star review to help you decide if you or a child you know will like the book. 

The above promotion of my book is a drabble of exactly 100 words!

See, writing short comes in handy.

I challenge you to write a drabble, if you have the time.

Final Spit and Polish

I'm giving one of my MG novels a final spit and polish before sending it out into the world this year.

I am using the Speak command on Word to find my mistakes.
You can go here to one of my other posts that tells you how to put the Speak command on your toolbar if it isn't already there.

I thought this manuscript was ready to go. But, I am finding awkward sentences in my manuscript using this tool . . . plus a few other mistakes. 

A few weeks ago I sent out a couple of stories to a children's magazine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will get at least one of them accepted. I had never submitted to a magazine before. So this is a first for me. 


Anyone else out there polishing up a manuscript for submission?

Do you have any writing goals for the new year?

One of my goals is to try and send out more manuscripts . . . and to keep improving my writing skills. 

We need to think big . . . 

and keep climbing the steps to reach our writing goals!

 Happy Writing!

Posted by Janet Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

            

Learning Every Day - Speak Command on Word

First, a little information that has nothing to do with writing.

Happy Anniversary to me!
On July 15, 1978 my husband and I were married.
Thirty Five years have flown by.

I am learning every day - in my married life and in my writing life.

Now on to writing!

I just found out from reading a post on Facebook that Word has a speech command! (I have Word 2010) I didn't know that. Of course,  it is a computer voice and sounds a little different  at  times, but I am  so glad I found it.


For those of you who don't know how to use it, here are my instructions.

At the very top left hand section of your Word document there is a little row of icons - save, undo, repeat, print/ print preview and spelling and grammar check (that is what mine are, yours may be a little different) and then there is a small line and a down arrow. Press on that and it says Customize Quick Access Tool Bar. Go down to More Commands and click. In the box that comes up, where it says Choose Commands from - pick All Commands and click on it. Scroll down until you find 'speak' and click on it and then click on OK.

That is all there is to it.

The speak  icon is now at the top of your Word document. When you have your Word document up,  highlight the text you want it to 'speak,' then click  on the speak icon at the top of your Word document. Voila - it speaks your highlighted section to you.

I was having fun with this program. I highlighted different sections of my manuscript and listened to it. I even found a few mistakes I had made by listening to her speak. Great!

Now here is the really neat part of this post.

The female voice kept saying January when it came to the girl's name of Jan in my manuscript. I guess the program thought Jan was the abbreviation for January. I laughed and thought it was funny. But, the more I listened to it, the more I liked the idea of her name being January.

Guess what. I changed the name of my character to January, and I really like it.

Do you use this option of Word when editing or writing your manuscripts?

If not, give it a try. You never know what might happen.

Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

What do you do?

I have been editing a MG manuscript. In this manuscript's lifetime it has had approximately three different titles.

The original manuscript was written in late 2007, very early in my writing career. I usually write picture books and this was the first MG I had ever written. I now joke that the first time I wrote it, it was more like a large outline - only 9,600 words. But this was a lot of words for a picture book writer!

By July 2008 the word count had climbed up to 14,600 words.

In May 2011 it was at 17,400 words.

In March 2012 it was at 20,328 words.

Now, July 2013, it has climbed to 23,000 words.

I made the mistake of sending it out to publishers when it was at 9600 and 14,600 word stage. Live and learn. It was not ready.

I hear people say that your first manuscripts are only practice and usually not suitable for publication. They say forget about them and start writing other manuscripts.

I disagree with this. I say you should edit, edit and edit until your manuscript is ready for publication.

I like my stories. I am persistent and keep improving them in hopes that some day they will  be  published.  

What do you do? Do you forget about your early manuscripts or do you like them enough to keep changing them until they are publishable?


Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

 

Writing Picture Books

First off, a Big Happy Birthday to Rate Your Story! They are a great site for writers. They give out free critiques and this month they are celebrating and giving away weekly prizes. If you write for children, check them out. You won't be sorry.

Now, on to my post.
This is a test!

Writing a picture book is easy.   True or False
Writing a picture book can be done in a day. True or False
Anyone can write a picture book.  True or False

Okay, how did you answer?
Here are my answers:
I answer a definite False on the first question.
Writing a good picture book is just as hard as writing a good novel.

On the second question, I say True . . . but only the first draft.
But, your first draft is a long ways from being a finished manuscript.

On the third question, I say True. . . but not everyone can write a good picture book.

I have quite a few picture book manuscripts that I have written over the past few years.
I recently started working on one of them again. I thought this is a 'nice' bedtime story with counting thrown in to make it more interesting. But, it needed something else, I wasn't satisfied with it.

It needs to be a lot more than 'nice' to have a chance at getting published. There are, I am sure, lots of nice picture book manuscripts out there.

Yours has to shine, it has to be different, it has to pop!

I got feedback from critique partners and from a published children's writer.
The published children's writer kept pushing me to make it better and to make it more unique.
She mentioned other published picture books for me to look at and get ideas from.

I did and I changed it a little and I thought to myself, this is better.

She pushed me again and again, she said the ending is not right. I thought to myself, I like the ending, I don't know what else to do.
I thought about it some more, brought a newer version of it to my writing group, got more ideas, made more changes and thought, this is better, I really like this!

But, something was still missing. I still had to do something with the ending.
It came to me. . . the ending now has a twist! A small twist, but a twist.

Since I first wrote this manuscript over two years ago, it has went through three different titles and has been drastically changed. . . and it is much better!

I really, really like it now!

In order to write a good picture book, unless your first draft is fantastic, you can't be satisfied with a nice manuscript. You can't be satisfied with your first edit. You have to edit until it shines.

Keep pushing yourself until it is a great manuscript.

Now who wants to write a picture book?



Posted by Janet F. Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Getting Out of the Slush Pile

Publishers get thousands of submissions a year. How do we get our manuscript in the small percentage that get published?

How do we get out of the slush pile? How do we stand out in the crowd? How do we get a publisher to read the entire PB or read more than the first page of our MG manuscript?

These are good questions.

Many people write thinking it will be easy to get published. They write their manuscript and send it out the door. They think it is wonderful and the publisher will soon be knocking on their door with a contract.

First you need to follow the rules and submission guidelines and format correctly or your manuscript will immediately go to the slush pile.

Research the publisher. Do not send a PB to a publisher who states they do not publish PBs.

Join a critique group! Edit, edit and edit until your story shines. You may have to cut out a few of your favorite parts. But if it does not fit, take a deep breath and slice away. Add description to your MGs and take it out of your PBs.

Start your story with your first sentence, so the publisher will read the second sentence.

Make your characters unique. Do not have cookie cutter characters or cookie cutter story lines.

Publishers want unique stories. How do you do that when everything has already been written about?

Put a different spin on your story or subject.

Try to narrow your niche. How about historical fiction for younger kids?

Try writing non fiction for children. Write it in a way that makes it stand out in the crowd.

I know what I need to do to get published, but I need to put that knowledge to work for me and my manuscripts.

My husband and I are going on a trip today, I will  be taking one of my PB manuscripts with me so I can brainstorm in the car. I will try to edit, edit, edit and repair my manuscript.

What are your ideas for getting out of the slush pile?
Please tell us in the comment  section. We all  need any help we can get.

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Inventive Words

During my editing, I've come across a helpful tool in a book I have titled, The Writer's little Helper.

It's called Inventive words.

Use specific words. Ask yourself if your words are specific enough to identify what you want the reader to see as a mental image.

Automatic words are tired, first-draft words borrowed from pop culture. They say two kids on the phone for an hour burn no more than 100 vocabulary words. Boring.

Literal words are also first-draft words, the ordinary language in chit-chat. Men are big, women are pretty. Such words are useless and boring. Your readers yawn and yearn for more description.

Concrete words lift you to where you begin inventing words. When your written words plant a picture in a head, you become a creative writer.

You need to take automatic and literal words and harden them into concrete so your readers see the image.

Using specific words helps you distinguish people, places and things from every other person,  place or thing. You create distinctive pictures on your pages. Colors come to life. You now have moss green eyes or mud the color of chestnuts after a rain storm.

I used my Find button to locate these boring places in my manuscript and try to make them more concrete and specific.

I now have a turquoise Impala and candy apple red pick up truck as opposed to a boring car.
Eyes are like hazelnuts floating above a sea of freckles.
My dog is now a cute beagle.
My food is now more specific.
Etc. Etc. I think you get the idea.

I have also gotten rid of a lot of its! My lands I never knew "it" was in such plentiful supply in my manuscript.

Now go and invent new and specific words in your manuscript and make it a less boring read.
Of course, I am  sure most of you do this already,  but it doesn't hurt to use that
find button and check it out.


Happy Editing!

Posted by Janet Smart at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch
©Janet F. Smart

Did you ever?

Did you ever get started editing on one of your manuscripts and not be able to stop?

I've been working on my middle grade manuscript, getting it ready for the WVWriter's Conference and I can't seem to stop.

I told my critique group that I wanted to make the first three chapters shine for the judges (I'm  working on the rest of it , too).

I left the meeting wondering if I could do what they suggested. I'm always afraid I'll make it worse than it was to start with.

But, I think I'm getting it.
They said that a little too many things happened in the first chapter, maybe move something somewhere else.

Check!  A small flashback that was a little confusing is now in a later chapter and in the present, not as a flashback.

The beginning needed to be more sharp and to the point.
Check !

Maybe add more descriptions to the characters.
Check! When I introduce a character, I add a little about them so the reader will get to know them better.

Kids are fascinated with caves, add some more cave descriptions.
Check!

I've been worried all along about the length of the manuscript. It was a little short for a MG, though there are some short MG books that are published and very good.

I love " Because of Winn-Dixie" and I have the book here at the house. I noticed that is didn't seem to be very long, so I checked out the word length on the Renaissance Learning site. I was right, it is only 22,123 words.

But then it clicked. The main character of that story is only 10 years old. The main characters of my story are 12 yrs old, almost 13. I thought about it for a while and decided the characters in my story could be younger with very few changes to the manuscript. So that is what I did. I changed their ages.

I had fought against making changes for a long time, because this was my baby. But realized that changes had to be made if I was going to push it out out of its comfy nest to fend for itself.

Sometimes change is good.

Now, I just have to remember to get up from the chair every now and then to stretch my legs!

Oh, did I forget to mention, I received another rejection this week.

How do you like to edit?

I like to edit.

My favorite way to edit is to print a chapter off at a time (or entire manuscript if it is a picture book), and read over it. I find so many more errors on the printed page than on the computer screen.

When we're going places, my husband usually drives, so I will take my printed pages with me and edit while in the car.

Or, like this morning, I will take it with me when I go for a walk and read and edit while I walk. It is especially nice early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. Just remember to watch your step! It makes the walk go a lot quicker, too. Getting out in the sunshine is much better than sitting and staring at the computer.

My pages I took with me this morning are filled with lots of chicken scratches. I am now ready to retype it on the computer.

How do you edit?

On another topic. I recently celebrated a birthday.

My son presented me with this. . .


It is for $50 and I am now doing a happy dance. So many books. . . any suggestions?

Writing Stories and Getting Ideas

I love writing stories and getting ideas.

Usually writing picture books requires a lot of writing and editing as other stories do, but this week an idea came to me and I wrote.

I read picture books a lot and it seems that the simplest ideas and short texts are very popular. I sometimes tend to get wordy and go into too much detail. This story, however, has only two main characters and it is rhyming. I know, I know they say don't submit rhyming books! Editors don't want to see them! Well, I did it anyway. Unfortunately, writers can be stubborn.

Children love rhyming books and you see them on the shelves all the time. I tried to write this story so the publishers would not cringe, wad it up and throw it at the trash can! The rhymes were right on, there were no "almost rhymes" (which editors don't like to see), but I had to work on the rhythm a lot. That's where I have most of my trouble, getting the rhythm just right.

I used to think if I got the syllables the same, it was right. Wrong! I'm learning that syllables and rhythm are two different things entirely.

I almost gave up on it and quit. But, I didn't! I put it aside a few nights ago, went to bed and started fresh the next day. I didn't think I could do it, but I finally got the rhythm right (at least I think I did). I also emailed it to a poet friend of mine and asked about the rhythm. She offered a couple of very good suggestions and brought a smile to my face. After reading it aloud again and again (thanks, hubby, for being my sounding board), I also changed a few boring verbs to better verbs and I am happy with the end result.

It is short and sweet (only 221 words), but I have faith in it.

Did a story or idea ever come to you and you just loved the result.? Thought it was meant to be?

This is one of those stories. I really like it, now let's hope the judges do, too.

I also rewrote one of my older picture books and entered it into the WVWriters Competition, too. One of the things I did was take out characters that didn't need to be there (Even though I loved those characters). This is another one of my manuscripts that I think is meant to be. I also added a concept to the story, I added the days of the week.

In all, I sent out five entries to the WVWriters Competition. Wish me luck that at least one places. We'll find out in June.

I think, in the meantime, I will send out my new picture book to a publisher, also. I haven't sent to publishers lately and I have to remedy that situation.

Anyone been sending out stories lately? Anyone been cutting and slicing and getting rid of clutter? Anyone been inspired with an idea? If so, go for it. It may be your next accepted piece.

Writing, Writing, Writing

I have been writing a lot lately. Mostly editing and adding words to my manuscript Lucy of Tupper's Hollow.

I love this story, but it needs to be made longer and that's what I've been doing for the past week, going through it chapter by chapter and adding more content.

I want to get it good enough so I can start submitting it to publishers.

If you noticed on my sidebar, the poem I submitted to Holler got accepted and it is in the Winter 2010 edition of that publication! Since I don't really consider myself a poet, that email was a surprise and made me very happy. I've been invited by them to a reception and reading of poems on March 18th. I figured, why not, and emailed them that my husband and I would attend.

The deadline for the WVWriters Spring Writing Competition is drawing near, I have to decide which stories I will submit to the contest.

The convention is going to be great this year, they are having a lot for children's writers.

There will be pitch sessions with Peter Lynch of Sourcebooks, Inc. and one on one children's book critique sessions with Kaylan Adair of Candlewick Press.

You can go here for more information on the WVWriter's Annual Conference at Cedar Lakes.

I'm looking forward to the conference this year.

Soon, I hope to announce about something else I've written being accepted. So stay tuned, I'll hopefully let you know about it in a few days.

Keep writing and sending in, that's the only way to succeed at being published.

Snow, Snow, Snow and Edit, Edit, Edit

We had a quick blizzard come through last night and it almost caused our writing meeting to be canceled. But Granny Sue and I met and I'm so glad. I've written a story to submit to Erma Bombeck's Writing Competition and the deadline is January 31st. I needed input! And did I get it. My draft has chicken scratch all over it. Thank you, Susanna, for your advice.

She's great at editing. I helped her with a couple of her poems. I'm not very good at poetry, but I actually had a few good ideas to give her. One of them would make a good picture book.

It's snowing again and we put out more seeds. We love watching the birds! My husband is celebrating putting up the suet in our maple tree without falling over the rails of the deck.

It looks like the birds are fighting over the seeds. They've gorged their selves today!

The cardinals are my favorite!

Anyone else feeding the birds? Or editing?

Editing

You know how I am always writing about the waiting game. Nathan Bransford just did a post titled "Waiting is the Worst Part." It was good to see that someone else hates to wait, too.

I've been busy editing, again!
Seems like that's all I do lately, but I don't mind. I love going through my manuscripts and 'trying' to get it just right.

I think my middle grade is finally ready to go out into the world. I changed the title again. It has went from being "The Family Treasure" to "The Honeysuckle Mystery" to "The Family Secret."

It has been critiqued by my writing group, but it is amazing what you miss when you do a final once over. I thought I'd caught most mistakes, but I've come to the conclusion that you never catch all your mistakes. I hope the publishers understand this, too, and don't throw it to the slush pile for little grammar errors.

I single spaced it and ran it off on the printer, read through it and made changes. I printed it again. This time on the back side of my 'chicken scratched' copy to save on paper. (I used to drive my writer's group crazy when I did that, but now I've found that some of them are doing the same thing).

I read it again and still found errors. How could I have missed these? I had the letter '2' at least twice where I should have spelled it out. Had 'mom' capitalized when it shouldn't have been. Took out a few 'he said' and 'she said' tags, etc., that I could do without. I checked for consistency, in one place the dad had blue eyes and in another place he had dark eyes. I guess he could have had 'dark blue' eyes, but I changed it anyway.

And should I mention the double spaces after sentences? I guess that's what I get for being from the generation that used typewriters. We were always told to double space after a sentence. It is a habit very hard to break. I did the 'find' search for double spaces and I cannot tell you the number of double spaces it found after my sentences. "Oh, my goodness," as Shirley Temple used to say.

I know these type of errors are little things, but I'm amazed I didn't find them earlier.

I think it's time to send it out, my house is suffering. You see, I love writing, but I hate housework. My house looks like a poor abandoned soul that has been neglected and left to gather dust and clutter. It's a good thing we don't have company.

Do these little things drive you crazy when you edit. Do you find things that you think someone else must have typed in your manuscript when you weren't looking?

Troublesome Words

I just submitted a story to Cup of Comfort for Couples. They've extended the deadline if anyone thinks they might have a good story to submit. The good thing about it is you don't have to wait forever to know if Cup of Comfort accepts your story or not. You will be notified by October 31st.

I read and reread my story a lot. I did a lot of editing. I got input from a friend of mine who is very good at writing and editing.

Words I used to have to find and delete were that, just and but.

I still have to look for those words while editing my stories. Now I have discovered a few other words I have trouble with and never realized it.

Pronouns! You know what I'm talking about. Them, We, They etc.

We (who? you and the family?)
Them (who? family and friends, comments?)
They (who? parents, friends?)
He (put in name)
It

I found I need to be more concise. More clear.

So, after I fixed the story being submitted to Cup of Comfort, I pulled up my middle grade manuscript and checked it out.

They was everywhere! Of course you can't take them all out. A lot of they's had to be left in, but I was amazed at how many could be changed into something more clear and concise. Now I am going back and looking for them, we, he, it etc.

It's easy to do. Go to Edit and Click on Find.
You might be amazed at what you discover lurking in your manuscript.

What are your troublesome words that slip into your stories?

What Is Your Hardest Part?

What is your hardest part about writing?

Is it the waiting? The editing? Getting the ideas to flow? The rejections? The research?

This urge to write came over me a few years ago. The inspirations came and I just wrote and wrote.

Along with writing children' s books, I also write the occasional short story.

I recently read a post about researching your market before submitting to avoid getting those dry, impersonal rejection letters on a story that you thought was great and sparkled with imagination.


Well, I usually do all the research. That is the part I dread the most. I have a number of stories, but stopping to do the research such as looking into books like the Book Markets for Children's Writers 

and then going on line to their web sites and getting the most recent information about them is hard and sometimes heartbreaking. You think you've found just the right publisher for your manuscript, you go to the submission guidelines and find out that they are not accepting unsoliciated stories at this time. They are only accepting submissions from agents and they will not respond if not interested. So here starts the waiting game. How long do you wait before you assume they are not interested?

While waiting you can write or edit your other stories. Read, read and read books that are in your writing genre. . .


and continue to submit your other stories to publishers.

I sometimes wonder if it is worth it. I think, there are other things I could be doing, like keeping the house clean. But then I think back to that long list of writers and their numerous rejection letters on books that finally sold. I think back on the quote from Richard Bach that says "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."

So I forget the house work and ignore the people who think writing a child's book is child's play, and stick with it.

Now that I've got all this off my chest, what is the hardest part for you as a writer?

Is it the waiting? The editing? Getting the ideas to flow? The rejections? The research?