I have CPs I treasure, all of whom are in a private group -- except one. In an amazingly serendipitous star-alignment, I met a YA author online who loves Horror as much as I do. She's so smart and talented, has helped me a lot, and has now embarked on an exciting new venture! Take it away, Kim!
First, I want to say thank you to Lexa for letting me on her blog! Isn’t she awesome?
So I’m Kim, a freelance editor, cover designer, book swag creator, and an intern at P.S. Literary Agency. Today I’m going to talk about five easy tips that will help anyone who plans on revising their manuscript.
Read your work aloud: Reading your work aloud actually helps a lot. Or, better yet, having someone else read your work aloud. You can hear how the words flow together and if there’s an awkward moment better than if you simply read it in your head. When someone else reads it to you, you catch even more of your mistakes.
Print it out: This advice surprised me the first time I tried it. I thought: seriously? I was raised using a computer. Why would I ever print something out like that? It’s so old school! But then I tried it and wow. I caught so many grammatical errors and typos that I missed when I was revising on my computer. It helps to see your work in a new way. If you don’t print it off, I would recommend changing the font style and the size.
Step away: It can be hard to do, but you have to step away from your project for a while. It’s hard, I know. You want to finish it. Maybe you’re hoping to publish your work yourself. Maybe you just want to get to the querying stage. The truth is, you can query too soon and you can publish too soon. Once you start querying, you can’t take back a sent email. When it comes to self-publishing, you can always replace an original with an updated version, but you really only have one first try.
Always give yourself time away from your project. I recommend a few weeks, if not a month. Work on something else in the meantime. When you return to your work, it’ll be with a fresh eye and you’ll catch a lot more of your errors.
Cut repeat words/phrases: This is probably the number one mistake that I see when I’m working on my client’s manuscripts. They have certain words (usually adverbs or adjectives) that they love to repeat, but can’t see it until it’s pointed out. It’s hard for you to see your own favorite words repeated over and over. That’s when the next tip comes in handy.
Have someone else read your work: Beta readers, critique partners, and freelance editors are great resources. Outsiders have a way of seeing problems or plot holes in your manuscript that you never considered. Everything makes sense in your head because you know your characters, you know your plot, and you know the world of your book, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense to the reader. They don’t know what you know.
For the next 14 days, I’ll be giving a 10% discount on all services if you contact me and mention you were referred to me by this post!
About Kim Graff
Kim Graff is a cover designer, a writer, an intern for P.S. Literary Agency, and a book blogger. She offers critique services and creates covers and swag for authors. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Horror Writers of America, Association of Writers, and Historical Novel Society.
Her short story, THE BLIGHT WITHIN, was published in the Winter 2013 edition of Under the Juniper Tree Magazine. Another one of her short stories has been named a finalist for Project REUTSway.
This week I'm celebrating:
1) Kim's covers! Look at those beauties! It makes me wish I was self-pubbing just to have one of those gorgeous covers!
2) Hubby's home but despite the distraction, I'm powering through. I've written almost 5000 words this week. Yippie!
3) Regarding the April A-Z Challenge, I'm proud to announce I've graduated from
For those who've done the A-Z Challenge, what are the pros and cons of participating?
This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful for that week. It can be about writing or family or school or general life. This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever!
First, I want to say thank you to Lexa for letting me on her blog! Isn’t she awesome?
So I’m Kim, a freelance editor, cover designer, book swag creator, and an intern at P.S. Literary Agency. Today I’m going to talk about five easy tips that will help anyone who plans on revising their manuscript.
Read your work aloud: Reading your work aloud actually helps a lot. Or, better yet, having someone else read your work aloud. You can hear how the words flow together and if there’s an awkward moment better than if you simply read it in your head. When someone else reads it to you, you catch even more of your mistakes.
Print it out: This advice surprised me the first time I tried it. I thought: seriously? I was raised using a computer. Why would I ever print something out like that? It’s so old school! But then I tried it and wow. I caught so many grammatical errors and typos that I missed when I was revising on my computer. It helps to see your work in a new way. If you don’t print it off, I would recommend changing the font style and the size.
Step away: It can be hard to do, but you have to step away from your project for a while. It’s hard, I know. You want to finish it. Maybe you’re hoping to publish your work yourself. Maybe you just want to get to the querying stage. The truth is, you can query too soon and you can publish too soon. Once you start querying, you can’t take back a sent email. When it comes to self-publishing, you can always replace an original with an updated version, but you really only have one first try.
Always give yourself time away from your project. I recommend a few weeks, if not a month. Work on something else in the meantime. When you return to your work, it’ll be with a fresh eye and you’ll catch a lot more of your errors.
Cut repeat words/phrases: This is probably the number one mistake that I see when I’m working on my client’s manuscripts. They have certain words (usually adverbs or adjectives) that they love to repeat, but can’t see it until it’s pointed out. It’s hard for you to see your own favorite words repeated over and over. That’s when the next tip comes in handy.
Have someone else read your work: Beta readers, critique partners, and freelance editors are great resources. Outsiders have a way of seeing problems or plot holes in your manuscript that you never considered. Everything makes sense in your head because you know your characters, you know your plot, and you know the world of your book, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense to the reader. They don’t know what you know.
For the next 14 days, I’ll be giving a 10% discount on all services if you contact me and mention you were referred to me by this post!
About Kim Graff
Kim Graff is a cover designer, a writer, an intern for P.S. Literary Agency, and a book blogger. She offers critique services and creates covers and swag for authors. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Horror Writers of America, Association of Writers, and Historical Novel Society.
Her short story, THE BLIGHT WITHIN, was published in the Winter 2013 edition of Under the Juniper Tree Magazine. Another one of her short stories has been named a finalist for Project REUTSway.
CELEBRATING THE SMALL THINGS
This week I'm celebrating:
1) Kim's covers! Look at those beauties! It makes me wish I was self-pubbing just to have one of those gorgeous covers!
2) Hubby's home but despite the distraction, I'm powering through. I've written almost 5000 words this week. Yippie!
3) Regarding the April A-Z Challenge, I'm proud to announce I've graduated from
Abject Terror
to
Considering the Pros and Cons:
Considering the Pros and Cons:
For those who've done the A-Z Challenge, what are the pros and cons of participating?
This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful for that week. It can be about writing or family or school or general life. This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever!
