CREATING A REVISION PLAN
Some writers love revision. In fact, for many, the rough draft is something to be rushed through to get to the real "fun," the revision. Some writers don't like the revision part at all, but they know it's necessary if their book has a chance of getting a contract. Our contributor Jan Fields is one of those writers. Jan admits revision might be something she would skimp on if she didn't enter into revision with a plan. Here's how to create your own plan.
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HOW GOOD IS YOUR TITLE?
Sometimes I find great fodder to share in the ICL archives. I loved this one, inspired by an article by Veda Boyd Jones. Have you ever played The Landlord’s Game? Come on. I bet you have. You know, the game that was created in the Depression? Oh, wait. That was the original title given to the game…it uses real estate as the theme. Does… Monopoly sound familiar? The Landlord’s Game was renamed Monopoly, and history was made.
Often, working titles can generally be dull and simply name the topic. Before you submit, you need to give them the zap that will make the reader pull a book off a bookstore shelf. And although editors often change the titles of an article, story, or book, as a writer you want the first reader––which could be an editor––to find your title engaging. The best way to learn how to title a piece is to study successful titles.
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GUEST EXPERT DEBORAH HEILIGMAN
Deborah Heiligman is the author of 31 books for children and teens. Her most recent book is Vincent And Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers. It has received six starred reviews and has won the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction as well as the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Printz Honor Award at the 2018 ALA Youth Media Awards. Her other recent books include: The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life Of Paul Erdos and Snow Dog, Go Dog. Charles And Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith was a National Book Award Finalist, A Printz Honor, the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction winner, and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize.
We discuss:
- What to do if you receive edits from an editor/agent/critique partner you don’t agree with.
- How to eliminate dates or places or details/facts that get in the way of story if you feel like the reader should know that stuff?
- Not writing “on the nose.”
- AND MORE!
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!