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Your Pet/LEO!

Today we welcome Vannetta Chapman’s cat, Leo, to the Your Pet Family. Vannetta says that Leo is very brave – when Brown Cat is on the OUTSIDE of the window. Leo and Brown Cat You can catch up with Leo’s owner,  novelist Vannetta Chapman, on her website at www.vannettachapman.com. Vannetta is a a well-known novelist….

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Blogs for Writers

  Last week I published my last YOUR Novel post  and  promised you a list of blogs that will help you sell and market your novel.  You’ll find lots of great information about finding an agent, writing queries, book proposals and getting your new “baby” out there in the world in the following blogs. (Next week –…

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40. The Last Roundup

YOUR Novel! After all these weeks and months and maybe years of writing, it’s done. Except… For one last rewrite. Really? Yep. Here we go. 1. Print a hard copy of your manuscript. You will catch errors on a hard copy that you miss when you’re reading YOUR Novel on a computer screen. 2. Find…

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39. Sound Check

It’s very tempting to send YOUR Novel out into the world without a last rewrite for word use and phrasing, but please, after all your hard work, don’t succumb to the temptation to let that baby face the query gauntlet without a “sound check.” I recommend that you read this redux out loud. You will…

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38. Research redux

As you edit YOUR Novel, you may want to schedule a rewrite with your research in mind. This is pretty much a given for authors of historicals or techno-thrillers. Not so much for those who write contemporary fiction. An intensive research rewrite was always a part of my “redux” for my Alaska novels, but a few…

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36. Plot Redux

YOUR Novel! My dad has always been one of my alpha readers. He’s a speed reader. For him it’s all about story. My third draft is all about plot, and as I rewrite, I try to see what I’ve written “through my dad’s eyes.”  On this rewrite, I read quickly and try to catch where my plot falls…

35. Voice Redux

YOUR Novel! In my last post on YOUR Novel, I explained I had to take a break due to extreme parent care needs. My family is getting things more under control, and I’ve found time to write these posts. Thank you for your patience! When family situations arise, the Lord always reminds me that although my writing…

33. Redux/Editing

Writing is like golf. In golf, we celebrate pars and birdies and eagles, but to shoot a perfect game your score must be 18 on 18 holes, and nobody shoots an 18. Nobody writes a perfect short story or a perfect book either, but just like golf, practice makes progress. (That phrase is compliments of David…

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32. The Last Stretch

We’re in the midst of horse racing season. We’ve watched those incredible animals compete in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness. All those “big” runs, and usually the last few lengths are the most exciting of each race. If you’ve been working on YOUR Novel since I started these Monday posts you…