Tag Archives: editing

A Hiatus, or did I just quit?

Posted on January 25, 2016 by melindamcguirewrites

A break – that’s what I called it. Things had gone on a different path than I anticipated. I was selling books, but I was focusing on the need for agents and publicists and book signings and talking with people about … Continue reading →

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Squints and Slants

Posted on August 20, 2013 by melindamcguirewrites

Perspective Squints … When you are describing, A shape, or sound, or tint; Don’t state the matter plainly, But put it in a hint; And learn to look at all things, With a sort of mental squint. ~Charles Lutwidge Dodgson … Continue reading →

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Retooling? I’ll retool you…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by melindamcguirewrites

Big bonus kudos to you if you picked up on the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation reference. 🙂 photo credit: UGArdener via photopin cc     September 1 – farewell Josephine Yep. September 1, 2013, Josephine: Red Dirt and Whiskey will … Continue reading →

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5 Tips for Creating an Anthology

Posted on September 20, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

The paperback version of Rich Fabric, the anthology, will launch on Friday, 9/28/2012. I’ve learned quite a bit in the process of putting together this anthology and editing it. Here’s the Top 5 Things I’m taking away from the experience … Continue reading →

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3 Lies Writers Tell Ourselves

Posted on July 20, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

Liar, Liar, pants on fire! 3 Lies Writers Tell Themselves 1. I don’t care what anyone thinks of my writing If this were true, you would never, ever share your work. It would stay locked up in a drawer somewhere, hidden … Continue reading →

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7 Things Your Readers Need From You

Posted on April 11, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

I’m donning my reader’s hat today… 1) Trust – yep, I’ve said it before. But, I hear from pretty reliable sources that repetition is the key to remembering – your readers have to TRUST you. Tell me a story. Make … Continue reading →

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A new tool/toy – Wordle

Posted on March 30, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

Who knew about Wordle? I didn’t! Thanks to Sarah Negovitch’s blog post Please Stop Using that Word, I’ve found a brand new toy    tool –  Wordle Here’s how it works – You load your document, and Wordle creates Word Cloud “art” … Continue reading →

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5 Proofreading Strategies Every Writer Should Know

Posted on March 21, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

Catch your own mistakes Need some help in the proofreading department? Having another set of eyes is great. Sometimes that isn’t an option, though. 1. End to beginning Read from the bottom of the article or essay to the top – … Continue reading →

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Kill the darlings… practicing what I preach

Posted on March 14, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

Scratch out Previously, I wrote about editing out the adverbs and making your writing tighter, more effective. So, do I practice what I preach? I try. I am knee deep in editing and revising the first 1500 words of my … Continue reading →

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Post NaNoWriMo Depression and (hopefully) the Road to Recovery

Posted on February 10, 2012 by melindamcguirewrites

Life during NaNoWriMo Here’s how my November went: Every day, goal of writing at least 1700 words culminating in 50k+ words on Nov. 30. I had this sense of urgency – get it done, make it happen, meet the goal. … Continue reading →

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