photo by Moss Media 2007
EXCERPT from "Making Revising Work for You, Not Against You" by Adrea L. Peters in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:
Many how-to books and articles lead the writer through the first draft, but neglect to offer a method for accomplishing the subsequent drafts that lead you to a polished, sellable manuscript. The result: a writer who doesn't understand why his stuff won't sell, or how to fix what he's written. This article will offer a path for the writer, while hoping that each writer uses each manuscript and its necessary revisions as a way to perpetually evolve his style and craft. I know for this writer, each novel makes me more of the writer I want to be, and I attribute that to revising with a clear and specific intent for each draft.
The generous thing about writer's workshops and college programs like Seton Hill's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction is that they don't impose a methodology on writers. However, the working and/or student writer on a deadline works best when he or she develops a plan, or borrows one from a more experienced writer. Following a process will allow you the freedom to make your stories readable and original quickly. That's what sells books and lands contracts.
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Adrea L. Peters graduated valedictorian from the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Editorial Writing and was awarded her M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in June 2008. She published an online magazine, Artists Looking Ahead, from 2004-2009 where she shared her passions for photography, health and writers, interviewing best-selling authors such as Tess Gerritsen, Dan Pink and Jodi Picoult. She and fellow Seton Hill graduate, Teffanie White, recently launched an e-publishing company, Pictureless Books (http://picturelessbooks.blogspot.com), specializing in inspirational alphabets for the Kindle and other e-readers. Ms. Peters lives in Vermont and has just completed the first book in a children's science fiction series.
