Pat Hauldren

Editing Like A Pro:

How to polish your manuscript till it shines

Instructor: Pat Hauldren

Upcoming dates:

03/05-03/25, 2012 Savvy Authors REGISTER 

Writing a great story is the first step in getting your manuscript ready for publication. In “Editing Like A Pro”, we’ll learn how to take your manuscript to the next level, making your words shine through as a story that’s easy to read, flows well, and formatted properly to wow an editor or agent.

There’s more to writing than slinging words on a page. Using the right words at the right time and arranging them artfully in the sentence and paragraph is of utmost importance in writing seamless prose.

Bio: Pat Hauldren is a book editor for Cyberwizard Productions and a freelance writer and editor whose articles have appeared in over 600 print newspapers nation-wide and millions online. Pat has published articles, short stories, poetry, and Japanese Noh Drama. She’s working on her 3^rd novel (with 5 agents vying for first submission already before it’s finished) and teaching writers workshops locally, online, and overseas.

Pat is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA®), DFW Writers’ Workshop (DFWWW), North Texas Speculative Fiction Workshop (NTSFW), Writers’ Guild of America, Frisco Writers’ Group, and more online writing groups than can be mentioned here. Find out more about Pat Hauldren at www.pathauldren.com or write her at Pat @ PatHauldren.com (no spaces) or use her CONTACT PAGE.

Outline:

• Shaping up: Manuscripts have a particular and proper shape. We’ll learn how to properly format your book for publication. Covers print and online publication and will hit on ebook programs for formatting.
• First is first: looking at first sentences, paragraphs, pages. Making a good first impression is important in writing a novel.
• Powerful words: Words are power.
• o   Weak verbs: We’ll look at weak and strong verbs and how to find and improve on them in your manuscript.
• o   Weak words: Verbs aren’t the only thing that can be weak and passive. We’ll look at commonly used words that lay limp on the page.
• Purple prose or great description? Learn the difference and whether your manuscript leans one way or the other.
• Phrases and phrasing: Learn what phrases and clauses are and how best to use them for effect.
• Tell vs. Show: the game begins. What’s the difference? When is telling OK? We’ll look at telling in description, dialogue, dialogue tags, and narrative.
• Page Assessment: We’ll look at how to know if we’re moving the story page by page.
• Tips & Tricks: What editors do to make their job easier. How to work with your word processor to make the editing job easier.
• Grammar Gods: That picky period, comma, semi-colon, etc., that can trip up any writer. We’ll look at the most common mistakes and how to prevent them.
• The End: Make sure we’ve covered the bases and the ending of scenes, chapters, and the manuscript all dazzle and sing and leave the reader ready to read your next book.