Monthly Archives: January 2013

Focus – Chicago 1986

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A Pinch of Rodeo

By Joe R. Nichols

 

Focus – Chicago 1986

My rookie year of professional rodeo had not gone well. Most of the winter stock show rodeos were over, and I hadn’t won a dime. I planned to change my luck at Chicago.

Candy was a big stout mare that had been to the National Finals several times and I always craved getting on her. I knew she would fit me, and now it was going to be my turn to cash in.

It was a nice sunny day, and we were there plenty early for that final afternoon performance. My traveling partners and I loitered out in the parking lot for a good while, visiting and watching the planes coming in. The coliseum was real close to O’Hara Airport. Those big jets were stacked up in the sky for as far as you could see. Everyone was in a good mood, relaxed, and ready to win. Especially me.

Behind the bucking chutes as we prepared to ride, one of the top bronc riders gave me some advice. “Remember, she gets stronger right at the end.”

I always finished strong myself, so I wasn’t too concerned.

With everything going perfect, I only had one and a half seconds to go. Shoulders square, under my rein, in rhythm, getting a good holt with my spurs. No way she could buck me off. I definitely was going to win first. I started to wonder how many points the judges would mark me. I thought about all that money and how it would spend. I could already hear the crowd cheering.

She got me. I lost focus for a blink, and she got me.

A person has to finish each job at hand without getting distracted.

A Place To Go

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

A Place To Go

By Nandy Ekle

Now that you have a creation ready for the world to love, where do you send it? Here is an excellent suggestion.

 Announcing

2013 Frontiers in Writing Contest

Now Open For Entries 

For one low entry fee you can now enter multiple categories

Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in EVERY CATEGORY. 

Go to:

www.Panhandleprowriters.org

Entry rules, procedures and format regulations are listed on the

FiW Writing Contest Page 

Download FiW entry application and mail with your entry.

Entry fees can be check, money order, or pay online using “Payments” on the PPW website.

Sponsored by the Panhandle Professional Writers

KEYNOTE

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KEYNOTE

 “A newspaper may be forgiven for lack of wisdom,

But never for lack of courage.” – Gene Howe

By Sharon Stevens

In memory of Don Teague

 

What an amazing day that was!

For starters we began the day by opening our doors to kids buying their college textbooks for the beginning of the spring semester for WTAMU. Next, I spoke with the University Study Club at the First United Bank about the life of Gene Howe, founder of the Amarillo Globe News. Before I returned to the Buffalo Bookstore I dropped off an article I had found for Natalie Bright, a fellow Wordsmith Six blogger, connecting with the story she was working on.

And then I received a call from our daughter, Andrea Keller, about the focus for her presentation this next week with, “Making Your Mark-Using Technology to Level the Playing Field.” She had been so excited to have been connecting with Peter Reynolds, who is the author of “The Dot” and founder of International Dot Day.

Also on this day I received the news of the tragic death of A. J. Swope and Melissa Flores. What pain to mar so many glorious moments!

If I was told I would have to divide up my day and choose what events, on this particular day that touched my life above all others I couldn’t do it. Each second, and every encounter made their mark on my heart and touched something very deep in my soul. Every woman in the University Study Club, past and present, had made their mark with their family within their community. Our college students buying textbooks represented the future of this generation into the next. Natalie Bright linked the legacy of writers far and wide. And even though I didn’t know of the life of Melissa Flores, I knew that A.J. had made his mark not only as a mentor, a husband, father, musician, and a friend, but that he was such a gifted man working hard with wind energy across the panhandle.

At our writing critique group recently the question was asked about the content of our blogs and what they should contain. We all threw out our thoughts and ideas about the focus of Wordsmith Six and how it pertained to writing. Each of us had different opinions, and each valued for their merit. This reminded me of the conversation I had with Andrea the night before I was to give my presentation for the study club. She wished me luck and her advice was to stay on topic and to focus on the subject at hand. She knew for me that was an impossible task, but she threw it out anyway. My fellow bloggers also knew full well the hurdles I faced each week as I tried to pull my thoughts together in a disciplined fashion. Craig Keel, bless his heart, set up our blog in the very beginning and keeps us up and running. He is helping all of us to make our mark.

Andrea will stand next week before fellow teachers imploring them to remember that, “As educators we have an important role in reminding students that they are important and even the smallest mark can make a difference in the world.”

As writers we are treasured for our flexibility. Our words are our marks, but more importantly they represent every connection we can link together. We realize we are not only putting words into the hands of the reader, but every moment of every day we are constantly sharing our imprints with those around us in whatever way we can. I personally feel my greatest gift is to find a quote, or an article and to pass it on to the person, without even knowing, who may need this thought to add to their own. I don’t do this to complete their project, but hopefully to enrich the story itself. I know that my purpose in life is not to be the keynote speaker, but to share with those who will speak FOR not only me, but for those who have no voice. And also for those who have the courage to stand and share my voice with others. What a gift!

We will each grieve in our own way for A.J. Swope from now until the time we see him again. I wish his friends and family peace as they move forward in a life empty of his spirit here on earth. His life cannot be measured in a focused way of only one topic.

I know that future generations will come across his mark and remember. And that is what I wish for us all.

Please remember to attend the Panhandle Professional Writers bi-monthly meeting at the Amarillo Senior Citizens, January 19, 2013. Linda Castillo will be speaking on “Writing the Thriller” for the morning session, and Jennifer Archer’s topic will be “Channeling Your Inner Teen, Is Writing for the YA Market For Me?” These two women are our own and are marking their mark in a big way. This will be a fantastic event to celebrate writing in the panhandle!! Every writer, no matter the genre, will be able to glean something that will help in their writing.

Read, Read, and Reread

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Outtakes 77

Read, Read, and Reread

By Cait Collins

 

A well-edited document has no value if the writer does not take the time and effort to proofread the work prior to submission. Proofreading involves the mechanics of writing such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. While the computer’s spelling and grammar check will catch some errors, it is not the final authority. Nothing replaces human eyes on the paper. Here are a few tips I have learned from the experts.

  1. Read from the bottom to the top.
  2. Add paragraph breaks after each sentence.
  3. Read with a “cover”—one line at a time.
  4. Read slowly and read every word.
  5. If you work best from a printed copy, print the document on tinted paper.  Tinted paper tricks the eyes.
  6. Keep a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a grammar guide handy.

Check your spelling. Remember Spell Check does not read context. If you type “to” when you meant “too”, the error could be missed.

Have you used the correct word? They’re – their — there, you’re – your, it’s (It is) – its (possessive), affect – effect are among common misused words.

Incorrect punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. If you are unsure of the rule, look it up. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White and Punc-tu-a-tion for Writers by Harvey Stanbrough are excellent references. There are other good references available, but these are the ones I turn to when I need a quick answer.

Don’t overlook grammar errors. Are the pronouns correct? Have you properly used the subjective or objective forms of the pronoun? Determine whether the subject is singular or plural. Does the verb match the subject? Are proper nouns capitalized? Are modifiers properly placed? These are just examples of common errors. When proofreading the best advice is when in doubt, check it out.

There is one final bit of advice. Whenever possible, get a second pair of eyes on the work. Even the most thorough proofreader might miss a mistake. Another reader could catch an oversight. My critique group points out some misspellings, punctuation errors, and word usage problems. That said we focus more on content, story, and context. I have a good friend who reads my novels after I have edited and proofread the manuscript. She has saved me on numerous occasions.

I’ve heard some younger teachers say teaching young people the rules of grammar and punctuation is not as important now as students text and email. I can’t agree with that. Written communication may not be as formal now as in my youth, but the ability to write a good business letter, college application essay, or a resume is essential.  Good written communication skills will always be needed. Companies look for prospective employees with good writing skills to process correspondence for clients. The news media needs writers. Job opportunities are available for people who can craft training manuals, human resources documents, and procedure consistencies. In order for the positions to be filled, candidates must be trained not only to draft the required documents, but also to edit and proofread the text to provide a finished product. How will job openings be filled if written communication skills are not taught?

Banging My Head Against a Tree

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Banging My Head Against a Tree

By Rory C. Keel 

“What a dumb animal!” I said. And I said it loud enough for the bird to hear it. There I stood, on the side of the road with my head turned up into the sky, watching a woodpecker banging his beaked face against a branch of an old dead tree.

Focus

When I spoke he briefly paused, turned his head sideways and gazed down to see where the insult came from. He ignored me and continued his noisy rapping.

Persistent

The bird was unrelenting in his pounding, sounding like a machine gun in a war zone. I wondered if the woodpecker ever got a headache. Questions like, “Does he ever hit a tree so hard his beak shatters? Does he get frustrated after chipping a hole in the tree, only to find nothing? Why can’t the woodpecker be like all the other birds and just eat a bug crawling around in the open?”

I looked to find other feathered feasters and noticed there were none. He was the only bird within view of this barren tree.

The big worms

As he hopped from branch to branch, I watched the red tuft of feathers atop his head bob like a sewing machine needle. Suddenly silence filled the air. One of the biggest grubs I had ever seen wiggled in the very beak that had pounded the dead tree.

Success

There are times in my writing when I feel like I’m banging my head against a tree and it hurts. Sometimes I pound on the computer keyboard until I think it will break only to be disappointed in the results. Occasionally I feel all alone, ready to give up and be like everyone else. When this happens I think about that woodpecker, and how his focus and persistent work helped him get beneath the surface where the big grubs are.

Authors Reviewing Authors

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Middle Grade Mondays

Authors Reviewing Authors

by Natalie Bright

Writers write and writers read. And most successful writers I know read a lot, which brings me to the question of book reviews.

Should authors be reviewing other authors? The messages are mixed.

Some say no because if you’re going to do a book review, you need to be honest. If you have to give a bad review, why would you want to jeopardize relationships with other authors?  There are professional reviewers who can give honest, unbiased reviews of books. That is their job. The point being, do you want to write novels or post reviews?

The other side argues why wouldn’t you want to help a local author or friend? The gesture will be returned in kind, and everyone wins with the additional promotion. One author told me she only gives blurbs or reviews if she is absolutely blown away by the story and by the writing talent. Most authors post reviews for their friends and the question remains if they’ve taken the time to even read it.

Goodreads

I am beginning to rely on Goodreads more and more. It’s like a humongous book club where everyone loves stories and books, and those that don’t like a book aren’t afraid to say so. I read a lot, and I usually post reviews for stories that I absolutely love. For every book I love there are probably two or three that I couldn’t get past the first chapter, which makes me sad. Does that give me license to trash that author’s work? I don’t think so.

Now that eBooks have become an impulse buy and in my opinion, GoodReads offers varied and honest opinions to guide me in my purchases. My eReader is running over and that’s a good thing. It’s a wonderful time to be a book junky.

Subjective Opinions

The shocking realization that publishing is such a highly subjective business and people are so varied in their personal tastes came to light for me through a contest. One of my very first middle grade manuscripts was submitted to two different contests with varying results.

The first had a $50 contest fee, and came back with scathing comments. This judge did not like my characters, the setting, with the added notation that this should NEVER be in print even as a manuscript. Seriously, one entire page, single-spaced, of why and how much he detested this story. My investment to learn about story craft came back as hate mail.

How about a notation to subscribe to a market listing for magazines?  Your goal will be to actively study submission opportunities and submit X number of freelance articles during 2013.

What about your goals in social media and promotion? These are difficult to measure because the connections you make this year may not reap benefits for months, even years from now. I’ve had invitations to speak come from a contacts I made years before at a chance meeting.

You can define specific activities, for example, actively participating on twitter during the next year, setting up a Facebook fan page, or uploading your inspiration to a Pinterest page. Authors are utilizing Pinterest in unique ways and it’s loads of fun.

Dreaming Big

Add to your worksheet one “dream big” goal. List something you hope to achieve that seems totally impossible. Go ahead and put the “NYT Bestselling list” here if that’s what you want more than anything.

I’m excited to announce that my dream big goal from way back in 2010 was realized this past year in 2012: I signed with a literary agent. Don’t be shy or doubt your abilities. Dream away.

Thanks for Following our Blog

Good luck and Happy New Years, and thanks to all of you who have followed this blog, Wordsmithsix, during the past year. We really appreciate you. Sending out our best wishes that you achieve your writing goals in 2013!

www.nataliebright.com

Humorous-Holly, CO. 1980

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A Pinch of Rodeo

Short stories from a rodeo cowboy, 100% true-98% funny

By Joe R. Nichols

Humorous-Holly, CO. 1980

A warped sense of humor is hilarious to some, not understood at all by most. A rodeo cowboy is considered to be odd for laughing at his buddies when their life is threatened.

Moss was an old bull. Six to eight years old would be toward the end of a bucking bull’s career (which is longer than a ranch herd sire). But this little black muley (no horns) was maybe old enough to vote. I understand, in his younger days, he was seriously mean, never missing an opportunity to mall a fallen cowboy. Apparently, seeing my buddy on his back directly in front of him revived his desire to try and kill somebody. He attacked.

My friend, Spike, bucked off at about the seven-second mark and would have won the rodeo had he lasted one more tick of the clock. Now most bull riders will tell you, if they are going to die in the arena in front of a crowd of people, they would prefer the deed done by a ferocious two thousand pound tiger striped bull with horns as long as your arms. A small pig-eyed Angus just isn’t material for ballads, folk songs, or legends. This added to Spike’s humiliation.

The two rodeo clowns (bullfighters) wore trench coats. One wore a Jed Clampett style hat and carried an umbrella, the other wore a cap with an eighteen-inch bill and had an oversized pink plastic baseball bat. They would usually end up throwing everything they had at the bulls, either trying to get the bull to spin, or distract them from the rider on the ground. This included the trench coats. There was so much debris in the arena after a bull ride, it looked like a tornado went through a trailer park. They had to hurry and gather up all their belongings before they turned the next bull out.

Moss ignored all of their props hurled at him. He had his man down and he wasn’t giving him up for no umbrella, I promise you.

Now, I’ve seen plenty of hookin’s in my time, but this went on forever. The clowns became desperate, pulling on the bull’s ears, pulling on his tail, screaming insults at him, but nothing worked. When you think about it, why would a bull trade a man on his back for one standing up that can run? Makes no sense.

Anyway, the whole time the ancient, cute, curly headed little bull mashed and scooted ole Spike around on the ground, he wasn’t really hurting him. And we all knew this. Naw, hell, Spike’s all right. He just can’t get away from him.

Well, I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the ways of a mature bull, but one thing they do a lot of is snort and beller. This is to show dominance, which they are. Just ask Spike. But the thing is, when they snort and beller, they generally excrete large amounts of snot and slobber. Moss had been snorting and bellering during the entire happening, and Spike seemed to be really absorbent. The incident was funny to me from the beginning, but I lost all composure when Spike finally crawled out from under his captor and made his way out of the arena. What was left of his shirt was completely soaked in slime from the bull’s mouth and nose. His hat, not only destroyed, seeped with the same mucus. His glasses were broke and sat crooked on the tip of his nose. He had so much white foam on his head it dripped off his ear lobes. It looked like someone rubbed a jar of mayonnaise in his hair.

I don’t know why he got so mad at me for laughing at him. He got even madder on the way home when I periodically recalled the sight of him doused in white slobber and mostly clear snot.

I reckon he ain’t got no sense of humor.

Atrayou and the Child Like Empress

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Atrayou and the Child Like Empress

By Nandy Ekle

“You must contact an earthling child,” the child-like empress says.

“An earthling child? Where do I find one?” Atrayou asks.

“You can only find an earthling child beyond the boundaries of Fantasia.”

This is one of the themes of the movie, The Neverending Story, one of my favorite children’s storiess. The theme simply means that your character must reach out to the reader. And so, how do we do that? How does a character reach beyond the boundaries of the page?

One of the first things to consider is who is the earthling child you are trying to reach? If you write romance, your audience is probably female. So your main character should be female. If you write for children, your character should be a child. Your character should be identifiable with your readers. They should have a lot of things in common.

When you connect with your reader, they will follow your character through the whole story. This is the object of your writing, to get the earthling child to go on the adventure with the character.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

MIRACULOUS

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MIRACULOUS

By Sharon Stevens

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MIRACLE

I had heard on the news about the anniversary of E.B. White’s, “Charlotte’s Web” and read the interview in Vice Magazine centered on Bryan Garner. In the article by Jesse Pearson, Garner mentioned how much he loved this book, but also touched on another book by White which is considered a bible for writers as “Strunk & White’s, Elements of Style.”

I dropped by the Canyon Public Library to pick up a copy of this beloved book, and visited with one of the librarians. She had several copies there of the “web” and asked me to choose which one. I chose the Collector’s Edition in larger print. The illustrations by Garth Williams were vivid and striking. After I got home I opened the book, and touched each of the pages in turn, reading every word and treasuring each picture. I came across the story of when Mrs. Arable went to visit Dr. Dorian on behalf of Fern. She was so worried about her daughter spending all her time in the cellar barn with Wilbur, the pig. The mother asked if the doctor understood how there could be any writing in a spider’s web.

“Oh, no,” said Dr. Dorian. “I don’t understand it. But for that matter I don’t understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle.”

“Charlotte’s Web” brought up the most wonderful memories for me, and my husband, and our trip to Chicago in 2011 to the Follett Corporation. We needed to update the software for our business, the Buffalo Bookstore. We encountered so many wonderful treasures along our journey there, with each person and the life they shared. Southwest Airlines was our chariot there and back, but, every life held an open book of their family and home and community. To me THIS was truly the MIRACLE!

My blog today takes the words that Charlotte wove into her web to try to save Wilbur’s life, and connect them to everything wondrous we encountered.

HUMBLE

Bill Long, our Follett book salesman, picked us up at the airport and then took us to Maggiano’s for lunch. What a tremendous experience! Our server noticed the logo on Bill’s shirt, and mentioned she had gone to college, and bought the major bulk of her textbooks from a Follett bookstore. I explained that we were from Canyon Texas, and represented the off-campus, small local home-town business for our community, and that of our college, WTAMU.

I asked her what her degree was in and she told me that it was in business marketing, but that she had a family to support with small children, and this job worked better for her. I assured her she was using her degree every moment she served the public, and also for the business she represented. Her kindness and efficient attention to her customer’s needs meant so much to those of us she served, whether refilling our glasses or taking away our empty plates. We were travelers from miles away, petrified visiting the big city, on an adventure that would impact how WE would do future business. It only took a few moments for her to make us feel comfortable, to put us at ease. We found the same community we cherished at home, right then and there in Chicago! What a MIRACLE!

Bill then dropped us at our home for the week, the Hilton Garden Inn at Oakbrook Terrace at Drury Lane, next to the Drury Lane Theatre. Inside our room, I found in the drawer, a copy of the Bible placed there by the Gideon’s, but also of Conrad Hilton’s book, “Be My Guest” of his life building the Hilton hotel empire.

The whole time we were there I found an extension of all that community represented. Everyone worked hard to see our needs were met, but more than that, they greeted us with smiles, and truly cared that we stayed at their hotel and in their city. What a MIRACLE!

SOME PIG

Follett took us on a tour of their facilities and we got a behind-the-scene view of how our books came from the warehouse to our store and the process to make it all possible. We even got to meet the people (so many wonderful people dedicated to their passion and vision) The whole week my husband attended the training along with people from several other small colleges across the country. Carolyn Recker was one of the instructors and to this day will answer questions and help us with any concerns. We even witnessed the way trashed boxes were being recycled with turning them into packing materials to protect our books until we opened our boxes here at home in our store.

On that day while my husband was attending his final course I scouted out “RIF, Reading is Fundamental” which is housed in the same building. My daughters participated in RIF when they were in grade school and we have always cherished READING. What a true MIRACLE!!

I met the most amazing kids involved with this endeavor, as Follett is where it all began. They shared with me where their program reaches, and showed me the posters and thank you board they received from all over the country. RIF goes to ALL the schools, but also impacts the prisons, and juvenile centers. They gave me books printed down through the years that had been compiled by the students themselves filled with poetry and stories from the heart. This reminded me of Mark Williams and his North Heights students right here in Amarillo, and the books they have written and published, and the apps they did for tourism for the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. The student-produced books “Voices of the Heights” and “Paintings on the Wall” are available for download on iBooks, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

The photo above is of the two kids who were so kind in sharing their passion and that of the Follett Corporation and Higher Education. I wished I remembered where I put their names. They gave me so much more than books, so much more than from the past of the kids they represented. They centered my heart and reminded me of the MIRACLES that will always be books.

They presented me with a pocket-sized copy of Dr. Suess and I gave them a Buffalo Bookstore bag filled with Amarillo magazines, Canyon News, Jodi Thomas books, and pamphlets from around the panhandle area. But the true treasure I gave to them was a copy of “Every Buffalo Will Shine” written by Dr. Marty Kuhlman representing the 100 year history and heritage of our college, WTAMU.  I could think of no better gift to give them.

TERRIFIC

One of the most terrific experiences I treasured from this trip happened to connect closer to home. When we checked into our room I noticed the big sign advertising the performances for the Drury Theatre next to hotel. “Aida” was in the evenings, and ‘Charlotte’s Web” for the school kids. one morning after my husband left for his daily course I looked over at the theatre across the way. School buses had pulled up to the entrance and the kids were unloading. I knew what this meant! This was just like here at home when the school kids were going on a field trip to a show at the Varsity Theatre down the block, or over at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum for a tour, or in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Theatre on campus at WTAMU for a student performance of a children’s play, or at Mary Moody Hall for a musical extravaganza. This was meant for me!

I walked right next door and asked if I could purchase a ticket for the live theatre performance. They looked at me quizzically, but didn’t question. Oh, to be in such a wondrous theatre!! Instantly I was immersed within. I listened to the kids and the parents surrounding me. After being involved in musicals and plays at Canyon schools for so many years and also our area being the home of the musical drama “TEXAS” I knew what it was to bring a performance to life. I witnessed the costumes, the sets, the music, the lights, the seats, the colors…I saw it all. I even heard the outbursts of a group of kids at the back of the theatre that must have been the special kids that had come to see the show. Since our daughter, Andrea Keller, teaches special kids I recognized what a wonderful treat this was. (She had also attended Follett’s Higher Education ISTE this past year. What an experience that was for her!)

I settled into my seat in this wonderful theatre and immersed myself from the first notes of the overture to the last bow of the cast and crew. My tears were near to the surface throughout it all but were spilled when I saw the image of the windmill projected on the backdrop of the farm. Oh, this so reminded me of home.

My blog probably sounds more like a travel log and a review for the hotels, and restaurants etc., but nothing could be any further from the truth. Think of how many books have been placed in our hands as well as our hearts that have come alive within our soul. Our imaginations have become tangible with inspiration and encouragement from books. I have no idea of the future of college textbooks or even books for that matter, but I know I will treasure the written word in any form until they are gone or I am transformed from this earth. You can’t tell me that God doesn’t have some sort of library in the Heavens above.

My 1890 Webster’s Dictionary gives the definition of a MIRACLE as, “to wonder, to marvel, to hold.” I consider each and every precious word as a true MIRACLE in itself. No one can convince me that it will ever be anything else.

“Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”

THE END

Nip/Tuck

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Outtakes 76

Nip/Tuck

By Cait Collins

Editing and proofreading are not among my favorite writing tasks. First of all it’s time consuming. And there’s always that sneaky little error that escapes my computer checks and my eyes. Still the cosmetic surgery must be done in order to produce the best possible product. Each writer has his own method of editing and proofreading, but there are some basics that may help us.

1.  Develop a two-step approach. There is a difference in editing and in proofreading. Editing focuses on the style, flow, accuracy and completeness of the story, poem or novel. Proofreading emphasizes the mechanics such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Editing first and then proofreading could save time and duplication of effort.

2.  Check the following when editing a project.

  • Accuracy.  Are all names correct? Is the time line consistent? Does the character with blue eyes in chapter one have blue eyes in chapter 16?
  • Completeness.  Is the story finished? Have all the questions been answered? Has each character’s story line come to a satisfying conclusion?
  • Structure.  Does each chapter have an introduction? Are the paragraphs logically arranged? Does each chapter have a hook that makes the reader want to know what will happen next?
  • Clarity.  Is the story easy to follow? Is the plot complex enough to hold interest yet simple enough to be reader friendly? Are there sufficient tag lines to tell who is speaking, or are dialogue sequences cluttered with too much he said/she said? 
  • Conciseness.  Are the sentences to the point, or are they wordy and run on? Is the dialogue sharp and clean or do the characters stumble through the scene? Are descriptions sufficient to anchor the scene, or are they overdone?
  • Tone.  Is the tone appropriate to the scene? Are the characters speech patterns appropriate for age, occupation, background, and social status? Are dialects salted throughout the work, or are they over used?

3.  Distance emotions from the editing process. While writers have a relationship with their characters and story, not every scene or line of dialogue moves the plot. Be open to putting even the most favorite scenes on the chopping block if they are not needed. The goal is to create an exciting story, not justify each word.

4.  Whenever possible, take a break before starting the editing process. Trying to edit the minute after typing “The End” is not always productive. A few hours or even a couple of days may provide better prospective.

5.  Once the initial editing is complete, reread the work to make sure the edits have not created issues with the story. Correct any inconsistencies before moving forward.

6.  When the edits are complete, it’s time to proofread the project. Take a break. Proofreading is the subject of the next Outtake.