Good, sensible stuff, Douglas. Years ago, a friend told me I should write romance. There was (and still is) a huge demand. I didn't have to think about it for long. I absolutely could not write a bodice-ripper, my mind doesn't work that way. I knew without a doubt that it would turn into something else, probably funny, maybe slightly horrific, definitely what "the market" wanted... as if the market ever knew what it wanted!
Another good editing tip is to print out the book, and use a red pen. There’s some evolutionary story about how red makes one more critical (I don’t know—my dissertation advisor told me this and it seems to work).
When I was teaching, I always used a red pen to correct papers. There were some who told me I shouldn't use red because it was "too intimidating." But intimidating is kind of what I was going for, right? I wanted my comments to get attention!
Good, sensible stuff, Douglas. Years ago, a friend told me I should write romance. There was (and still is) a huge demand. I didn't have to think about it for long. I absolutely could not write a bodice-ripper, my mind doesn't work that way. I knew without a doubt that it would turn into something else, probably funny, maybe slightly horrific, definitely what "the market" wanted... as if the market ever knew what it wanted!
Another good editing tip is to print out the book, and use a red pen. There’s some evolutionary story about how red makes one more critical (I don’t know—my dissertation advisor told me this and it seems to work).
When I was teaching, I always used a red pen to correct papers. There were some who told me I shouldn't use red because it was "too intimidating." But intimidating is kind of what I was going for, right? I wanted my comments to get attention!
All that matters is the story and the characters in the story. It's what keeps me turning the pages.
Right on!
Great read, great advice in particular bout "rules".
Thank you! I get tired of people telling me what I'm supposed to do, especially when most of it is bullshit.
They say that the money’s in bodice-ripping. I don’t think I could stop laughing long enough to write it🤣