Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore

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More About This Book

Overview

Professional editor and author Elizabeth Lyon offers aspiring novelists the guidance and instruction they need to write and edit well-crafted and compelling stories that will stand out from the competition and attract the attention of agents and publishers, including:

- Stand-out style techniques, from accessing an authentic voice to applying techniques of "wordsmithing" that transform prose
- How to rewrite characterization for dimensionality, a universal need, and theme
- Adjustment suggestions to match the prose style and structure of specific genres
- Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style
- Strategies to strengthen story beginnings and endings
- Methods for increasing plot stakes, creating movement, and adjusting pace for maximum suspense

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780399533952
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 4/1/2008
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 618,304
  • Product dimensions: 5.18 (w) x 7.88 (h) x 0.96 (d)

Meet the Author

Elizabeth Lyon, a regular speaker at writing conferences and retreats nationwide, has been a contributor to Writer’s Digest and is a mentor, editor, and teacher for many writers. The author of Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write and The Sell Your Novel Toolkit, she lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Preparing to Revise     xiii
Style Speaks
Inside-Out: The Voice of Style     3
Outside-In: Simple Revisions for Style     20
Outside-In: Advanced Revisions for Style     38
Craft Works
Revise for Genre     53
Whole Book: Five-Stage Structure     64
Whole Book: Journeys and Less Common Structures     90
Movement and Suspense     118
Time and Pace     139
Characterization Endures
Viewpoint     181
Character Dimension and Theme     204
Character-Driven Beginnings     217
Character-Driven Scenes and Suspense     242
Character Personality and Voice     264
Character-Driven Narration     286
Marketing Pays
Copyediting     303
Query Letters and Synopses: Polishing for Marketing     320
Acknowledgments     337
Index     339

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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 20, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    9781605500157 9781582975061

    Comprehensive Resource for Writers

    Whether you are editing a completed manuscript or starting your first novel, this book offers a plethora of fiction techniques and tips. It does a terrific job of introducing techniques and giving examples of how to utilize them. A must have for any writer!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 22, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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