Sunday, August 5, 2018

Sunday's Book - Words Perfect - Becoming Your Own Critique Partner #MFRWauthor #Writing #Critique

Words Perfect: Becoming Your Own Critique Partner


Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Your Tell Needs Showing-Tell vs. Show And How To Make The Transition
Chapter 2. Listen To The Mocking Bird-Ways to Strengthen And Individualize Dialogue
Chapter 3. Is Your Black Moment really Gray?-Ways To Build Toward The Moment Of Revelation By The Character Who Has The Most To Lose.
Chapter 4. Is This Scene Necessary?-Evaluate Scenes To See If They Advance The Plot And Show Characterization Or Are Frankly Padding.
Chapter 5. Modifying To Death-Choosing When And Where To Use Adjectives And Adverbs.
Chapter 6. Just The Senses, Ma'am-Finding Ways To Use The Five Senses To Provide Atmosphere, To Set The Scene And To Add To Characterization.
Chapter 7. Do You Gallop When You Should Stroll?-Hints On The Use Of Pacing During A Scene.
Chapter 8. Don't Follow The Bouncing Heads-Using Point Of View Effectively, Without Giving Every Member Of A Scene, Including The Horse, A POV.
Chapter 9. Can This Plot Be Saved?-Tips On Ways To Plug Holes In The Plot You Thought Was Wonderful And Then Discovered Had Massive Problems.
Chapter 10. The Lean, Mean Writing Machine-How to Trim Away All The Words That Pad Your Writing.
Chapter 11. False Starts-Ways To Tell If You've Chosen The Right Scene To Begin Your Story.
Chapter 12. We've Heard That Song Before-Clichés: How To Recognize And Avoid Using Them.
Chapter 13. Drowning In Detail-Tips On What Not To Do With The Details A Reader Needs (Or Doesn't Need) To Know, Including Research.
Chapter 14. This Isn't Kansas, Toto-Hints On Using Show Or Tell So The Reader Knows Early On Where And When Your Story Is Set.
Chapter 15. In The Mood- Finding Places In Your Story Where Mood Can Affect The Characters And Enrich The Scenes.
Chapter 16. The Song Is You-Finding Your Theme And Using It To Solidify Your Plot.
Chapter 17. It's A Long, Long Time From May To December-Spotting Awkward Time And Place Shifts And Ways To Avoid Them.
Chapter 18. Why Did He Do That ?-All Characters Need Motivations To Drive Their Actions. A Look At Ways To Determine If Yours Measure Up.
Chapter 19. Dropped Eyes At Heartbreak Hotel-Ways To Keep The Heart In Your Writing And Other Body Parts Attached To Their Owners.

Chapter 20. Bits And Pieces-A Series Of Questions Writers Should Ask Themselves About Minor But Pertinent Errors.

on April 20, 2011
I was excited to receive this book in the mail today and I sat down and read it in one sitting. It is full of useful information that I will use again and again. I'm definitely glad that I bought it.

on February 16, 2007
This new book on self-editing written by two very prolific authors is one you'll definitely want to add to your bookshelf.

What are the major problems you should be on the lookout for when editing your own work? The answer isn't always easy, as authors tend to become so involved in their plot and characters they turn blind to the obvious. Sometimes the problems are easy to spot and fix, sometimes not. Whatever the case, Walters and Toombs guide you through the process of completely editing your fiction manuscript.

With specific examples taken from their own works, the authors demonstrate how to handle telling instead of showing, stilted and flat dialogue, weak and unrealistic characters, unnecessary scenes, overuse of adjectives and adverbs, lack of atmosphere, point of view shifts, bloated prose, clichés, among others. They also share the secret to strong characters and the six necessary elements to a master plot. Each chapter concentrates on a specific subject, with helpful exercises at the end of it.

Written in a clear, friendly, straight-forward style, Becoming Your Own Critique Partner is a reference book that both beginners and professionals will profit from.


on February 28, 2007
If you follow the directions and advice in this book, your writing should improve. It will help you in learning how to rid your manuscript of all those little errors that editors hate, as it walks you through the process of critiquing your own manuscript. There's a lot of information in here that has helped me with my own writing. If you don't have access to a critique group or want to do the job yourself, get this book and read it.

I would recommend that every writer have it in their reference library.

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