Editing Part One

Learning how to edit well is hard work, but sometimes I actually enjoy it. I get to learn new ways on how to make my work come alive on the screen. I still have a problem with missing words, the wrong verb tense and for that, I use beta readers and a proofreader. What I'm speaking about is how to make the story itself more interesting. I use several of my writing books and Chris Fox's podcasts have become a nifty way of improving my revise work. I will talk more about his podcast in later post. I included the link below to one of his podcast. One of my new favorite books on the subject is 5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction. This book offers some great tips on the subject. Tips like how to get the reader into your story and how to keep them there. If that isn't an attention grabber, I don't know what is. The author states under the title that the character always needs someone to interact with, the editor then gives Tom Hank in the movie Castaway as an example. He had no one to talk to so he invents a person with a volleyball. I have to admit that the movie is more interesting than if he had been talking to himself.