I'm so excited to have Harlequin and Wild Rose author, Lynne Marshall on the blog today. Welcome Lynne!
As a writer or an
aspiring author, at one time or another, it is inevitable you WILL be asked to
revise your book. The author letter,
also known as the revision letter from your publisher can be as simple as a few
tweaks to the story, or a six page, single-spaced breakdown of each and every
aspect of your story that needs reworking.
A revision letter can knock the wind out of the author, and nothing less
than determination is required to successfully interpret and implement a
particularly troublesome revision letter.
A writer must have faith in their ability to figure out what the editor
is asking, agree or disagree with it, fix what can be fixed, and discuss
differences-in-vision for the story with a level head and a clear plan.
Let’s discuss what Revising is
from a practical standpoint with my medical slant.
Think of revisions as major surgery on a patient (your manuscript) with a good
prognosis. You must be bold and daring
with your approach to cutting and changing scenes, and yet precise when
capturing the important emotional nuances and theme of the story.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE A HACKSAW AND DRAW
BLOOD TO FIX YOUR BOOK.
Examples of revision requests:
- Revisions mean to delete the prologue and the seduction scene because the editor doesn’t feel they make the hero sympathetic enough.
- Revisions mean to change up a sequence of events and/or move a scene around or delete it if it causes a lag in story tension or pace.
- Revisions mean to change a pivotal scene and have the heroine walk away instead of the hero (even though that’s how you always imagined that scene from the day you hatched the story) to give the book more emotional oomph.
Especially For Romance Writers:
- Revisions mean to go through the entire manuscript and add emotion, tension, and passion!
- Revisions mean to somehow find a way to add a pregnancy, a baby, or a marriage of convenience to your story if the buying editor thinks you should.
Above all, revisions mean to be FLEXIBLE and do whatever it takes to make your
story a combination of your vision and what your agent or editor is looking
for.
Things to keep in mind:
- Editors are paid professionals who know how to make our books better.
- We may think of ourselves as “Artistes,” but a quick reality check in today’s market tells us we are writers for hire.
- Stop and think very carefully about what is being asked of you as the author, does it help or hinder your story? Will the changes increase conflict and put more tension on the page?
Let’s face it, the revision portion of your manuscript request can
make or break the publishing deal. Our
attitude plus skill at delivering what the editor or agent requests are the
key. Handle revisions with care.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
I’d like to ask you to think outside the
box on your current work in progress or that manuscript you’ve just submitted
to an agent or editor. Imagine and
choose an outrageous editor or agent request for your plot (a surprise
pregnancy, a secret child, a marriage of convenience, a change in profession
for either of your characters, deleting a secondary character – you catch my
drift). How would you add it to the
story if an editor said they loved the book, but asked you to make the change
in order to publish it?
***
Lynne Marshall writes contemporary and Medical Romance for Harlequin
and The Wild Rose Press. The first book
in the Grady family trilogy, Courting
His Favorite Nurse, is a March 2012 Harlequin Special Edition.
Also coming in March in e-book only is, An Indiscretion, a contemporary romance with strong medical
elements, from The Wild Rose Press.
You can connect
with Lynne Marshall on the Web:
COURTING HIS FAVORITE NURSE Harlequin
Special Edition, March 2012 #2178, US
Anne Grady knew better than anyone
that love was complicated. When she’d left her hometown, she thought she was
leaving her past heartbreak behind for good, as well. But practically the
moment she returned to care for her injured parents, she stumbled headlong into
their confidant—her first love, Jack Lightfoot.
Jack had been unable to deny his
feelings for Annie when he was a teenager dating her best friend, and he
certainly couldn’t muffle the spark twisting between them now—even if memories
of the past kept threatening to push them apart. This time Jack wasn’t going to
let history repeat itself—he was going to show Annie that the two of them were
meant to be much more than best friends!
And the next for Lynne is:
A doctor... A nurse...
An indiscretion...
Paul Valverde is
stretched to the limit, caring for an elderly relative while running a business
and maintaining a full-time medical practice at St. Stephen's Hospital--with no
time for a relationship.
RN Carrington Hanover
leaves her money-hungry fiance at the altar and moves on to a new job at St.
Stephen's Hospital in Los Angeles. The next man in her life must love her, not
her money.
All work and no play
has made Paul an unfulfilled man, and the resurrected redheaded crush from his
youth is driving him to distraction. Can their complicated past become
untangled by their newfound attraction--or will their love be doomed by
mistrust and long-held resentment?
Thanks so much for joining us today, Lynne! Happy revising everyone.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Lynne! Happy revising everyone.
