Table of Contents
Introduction: You can be published! ix
Part 1 Putting Words In
Chapter 1 Your classroom? It's your first chapter! 2
Chapter 2 Why you should be a hooker 5
Chapter 3 What's your point of view? 14
Chapter 4 Don't be an information dumper 17
Chapter 5 Your manuscript is a Christmas tree 22
Chapter 6 William Brennan: A "Christmas tree" case history 28
Chapter 7 Make your scenes work harder 32
Chapter 8 Don't discuss sows' ears with silken words 34
Chapter 9 You say your heroine doesn't hate your hero? Too bad! 38
Chapter 10 But they have to like each other, too! 43
Part 2 Taking Words Out
Introduction: 21 Steps to fog-free writing 48
Step 1 Use fewer -ing words 54
Step 2 Use fewer infinitives 61
Step 3 Change passive voice to active voice 67
Step 4 Avoid "expletive" and "had _____ that" constructions 70
Step 5 Use fewer "hads" in internal dialogue 74
Step 6 Shorten verbs 78
Step 7 Eliminate double verbs 81
Step 8 Eliminate double nouns, adjectives, and adverbs 84
Step 9 Watch for foggy phrases 88
Step 10 Remove character filters 99
Step 11 Delete -ly words 105
Step 12 Get rid of all dialogue tags except "said" 109
Step 13 Now, get rid of "said"! 113
Step 14 Cut the dialogue! 118
Step 15 Eliminate redundancies 122
Step 16 Use fewer prepositional phrases 130
Step 17 Get rid of throwaway words 135
Step 18 Edit for conciseness 143
Step 19 Avoid clichés like the plague 148
Step 20 Get rid of superficials 156
Step 21 Stop those wandering eyes 159
Part 3 Sharing Your Words
Introduction: Sharing Your Work 164
Chapter 11 Critique partners 165
Chapter 12 Professional editors 168
Chapter 13 Publishers and agents 172
Chapter 14 Writing the query letter 176
Chapter 15 Writing the synopsis 181
Appendix 185
Exercise Solutions 186
Sarah's Perils Solutions 195
Mystery on Firefly Knob Synopsis 207
Novels used as examples 213
Index 214
About the author 218
