Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition : How to Edit Yourself into Print

King, Dave, Browne, Renni

ISBN 10: 0060545690 / ISBN 13: 9780060545697

Published by HarperCollins Publishers, 2004

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # 10432201-6

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition : How to Edit Yourself into Print
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060545690
• ISBN 13: 9780060545697
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 2nd Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 0.461 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the essential editing techniques of the trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.

In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the professional book editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.

This essential guide for writers teaches you how to:

• Show, Don't Tell: Master the crucial difference between narrative summary and immediate scenes to draw readers into the world you’ve created.
• Sharpen Your Dialogue: Move beyond mechanics to eliminate formality, find each character’s unique voice, and make every conversation advance your story.
• Strengthen Point of View: Learn to control narrative distance and maintain a consistent viewpoint to build a powerful, intimate connection with your reader.
• Refine Character and Pacing: Unobtrusively weave in characterization and exposition, and use proportion to control your story’s rhythm and flow.
• Develop a Professional Voice: Identify and eliminate amateurish habits, from clichés to weak verbs, to give your writing a sophisticated, polished edge.

About the Authors

Renni Browne, once senior editor for William Morrow and other companies, left mainstream publishing in 1980 to found The Editorial Department, a national book-editing company.

Dave King is a contributing editor at Writer's Digest. He also works as an independent editor in his home in rural Ashfield, Massachusetts.