{"id":149,"date":"2013-12-31T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-31T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/blog\/2013\/12\/31\/tactical-tuesday-advice-for-self-editing_31\/"},"modified":"2015-11-25T12:22:16","modified_gmt":"2015-11-25T19:22:16","slug":"tactical-tuesday-advice-for-self-editing_31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/tactical-tuesday-advice-for-self-editing_31\/","title":{"rendered":"Tactical Tuesday: Advice for Self-Editing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpFirst\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nThis is<br \/>\nthe time of the year when most individuals sit down to write out their goals,<br \/>\nor their resolutions for the upcoming year. From my own experience as an author<br \/>\nand an editor, I know that many writers\u2019 resolutions start out with a list, which<br \/>\nmight include some or all of the following:&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Write a<br \/>\nnovel<\/li>\n<li>Attend<br \/>\na writer\u2019s conference<\/li>\n<li>Learn<br \/>\nto market<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nThese goals are noteworthy, inspiring, and, well, a bit daunting. To tell<br \/>\nthe truth, I\u2019m finished before I ever begin this small list. I\u2019ve looked at the<br \/>\nentire picture, and I\u2019m lost in a swamp called, \u201cI Don\u2019t Know Where to Begin.\u201d Translated: I\u2019m as lost as those poor saps<br \/>\nwho went down in the plane on the popular television show from a few years<br \/>\nback.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nDon\u2019t<br \/>\ntoss those goals away, though. They\u2019ll make for a great end to a journey that<br \/>\nstarts this coming year. Like every good trip, getting there should be part of<br \/>\nthe fun, and that\u2019s why breaking the lofty goals into smaller steps will help an<br \/>\nauthor focus on the entire picture without breaking into a sweat and giving<br \/>\nup before getting started.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nI<br \/>\nplaced \u201cwrite a novel\u201d purposely at the top of the goals because I believe that\u2019s<br \/>\nwhere many new writers or even more advanced writers who have never published, and<br \/>\nwell, some published writers,&nbsp;want to place most of the focus.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nThe truth<br \/>\nis, the other two goals mentioned need to be accomplished before or while a<br \/>\nnovel is being written. For example there are steps to producing a novel.<br \/>\nResearch may have to be done. Plotting or laying out the premise of the work<br \/>\nshould be completed before the writing begins. When the basic structure seems in<br \/>\nplace, a writer may need to look for a writers\u2019 group, critique group, or<br \/>\npartner to help sharpen the prose. <\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nFinding<br \/>\nboth a writers\u2019 group and a critique group that matches a writer\u2019s needs, and a<br \/>\nplace where the writer can prove equally helpful to other members, isn\u2019t<br \/>\nsomething done overnight. Time should be taken by a writer to target such<br \/>\ngroups for not only a match in genre or writing or critique styles, but also<br \/>\npersonalities. Nothing destroys new relationships like personality clashes. <\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nBreak \u201cwriting<br \/>\na novel\u201d into several goals, including research, plotting, planning, finding<br \/>\ngroups or individuals to assist, etc.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nThen<br \/>\nthere\u2019s the goal on many author\u2019s hearts, and so it should be. Writers\u2019<br \/>\nconferences are where authors meet agents and editors and other industry professionals and get a foot<br \/>\nin the door. However, it might surprise some authors who have never attended<br \/>\nconferences that not all venues are created equal and not all such events<br \/>\nsuit the needs of every writer.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nSome conferences make an author feel as if they\u2019re<br \/>\nthe little servant girl invited to the prince\u2019s gala, and the royalty are the<br \/>\neditors and agents who wish to meet the writer to whom their glass slippers fit.<br \/>\nOther conferences may invite the same editors and agents, but the ambiance<br \/>\nthere is down-to-earth friendly, and writers come away from the conference feeling<br \/>\nas if they\u2019ve made friends in the industry. Some conferences focus solely on<br \/>\nfiction. Others on non-fiction, and still others on both sides of the coin.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nWhat works for you? That needs to be considered as a writer sets smaller goals for the overall<br \/>\nresolution of attending a conference. Put in some research. Even the<br \/>\nservant girl benefited from her time at the prince\u2019s ball, but if you\u2019re intimidated<br \/>\nby that type of gathering, avoid it. Writers should attend conferences where they will meet their targeted editors and agents in an atmosphere that is conducive to making the writer comfortable.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nNext in<br \/>\nour list of worthwhile goals is marketing. Authors often realize they need to<br \/>\nattend conferences so that when their work is completed, they may have doors<br \/>\nopened to them to send the work along. Many new authors, and some of us older<br \/>\nones, fail to realize that marketing is just as important at the beginning of<br \/>\nthe novel-writing stage as finding a venue for the work.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nMarketing<br \/>\ngroups are a great way to learn how to get the word out about your product. While<br \/>\nwriting the novel, authors should research what works and does not work in<br \/>\npromotion. Marketing groups may or may not be what an author needs. A writer<br \/>\nmight be surprised at the unscrupulous or annoying behavior of certain groups or practices touted. Spend time during the year<br \/>\nresearching what works in marketing for your genre. Then work toward possibly<br \/>\nfinding a like-minded group and learning how to build a platform that will<br \/>\nraise your product above the rest. This may include setting a goal to begin a<br \/>\nblog or finding blogs that welcome guest bloggers. Again, though, break this into tiny steps. Target your audience with<br \/>\ninteresting and worthwhile posts.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nGoals<br \/>\nare great to set, and writers should be encouraged to set viable resolutions and work<br \/>\ntoward success. Write out the larger goals first. Put a deadline sometimes in<br \/>\nthe future, say by the end of the year. In between now and then, write down smaller steps that will help to accomplish the greater resolutions in<br \/>\nthe time set.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nSmall<br \/>\nsteps conquer big challenges.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nGod bless you in the New Year and may you follow God&#8217;s path for your life not only in the upcoming year but for years to come.<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormalCxSpMiddle\" style=\"text-indent: 0in;\">\nAnd happy editing.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is the time of the year when most individuals sit down to write out their goals, or their resolutions for the upcoming year. From my own experience as an author and an editor, I know that many writers\u2019 resolutions start out with a list, which might include some or all of the following:&nbsp; Write [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[504],"tags":[125,126,127,128,129,130,2],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editing-writing-advice","tag-authors","tag-blogging","tag-marketing","tag-new-years-resolutions","tag-platform","tag-writers-conferences","tag-writers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pelicanbookgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}