Writing Rules: Invest in a Red Pen

DAY 40

Word Count: 25,714

Sentence of the Day: Her voice cracked along the edges, and if the tears shining in her eyes spilled over, he'd rip off his gloves and wipe them away.

Writing Rule #3 = Edit. Edit. Edit.

You may think the words flowing onto your screen are God's gift to man but--newsflash--you're not one of the Apostles. So go ahead, bask in the glory of your creativity and productivity, then set the piece aside for awhile (meaning at least a week, if not more). When you come back to it, you'll see all kinds of literary creeping crud to scrape off.

And don't be shy about asking others to critique your work. I'm not talking about your mom or your best friend. Critiquers should be other writers who have a grasp of the basics or serious readers who aren't there to simply pat you on the head. Don't worry. You don't need a bajillion of these critters. Find 4 or 5 good buddies who understand your voice and are willing to swap WIP's with you.

Real Life Scenario: I'm in a great little group called Silverarrows. There are only 4 of us, writing in different genres, but we all write at the same level and have learned one another's "voice" (which is a whole other blog post I'll do in the future). The name 'Silverarrows' means that we won't shoot out one of our manuscripts (arrows) to an agent or editor until it's polished to a fine sheen (silver).

REMEMBER: You've got one shot to impress a prospective buyer, so aim for the heart by sending out ONLY edited work.

These 3 handy dandy rules I've shared over the past few days really aren't negotiable. They're part of the writing craft and MUST be employed if you want to be successful as a writer....that and lots of prayer. God's ultimately the one who will land you a contract or not.

Which is either comforting or frustrating, depending on your relationship with Him.