Lara Zielinsky

New titles roundup

Been a bit of a hectic period, and while I’ve taken a few moments during that time to update the client book list, I thought I’d share a blog post talking a bit about each of the new titles that client authors have published since I last posted about their books in November 2021. TJContinueContinue reading “New titles roundup”

Proofreading

Today is National Proofreading Day. I thought I’d talk a bit about what proofreading actually is and where it fits in the process of getting your manuscript ready for readers. Prepublication’s final step The first thing to begin to understand about proofreading is that it is the last editing step before publication. Proofreading is doneContinueContinue reading “Proofreading”

more about story goals

When discussing how long a scene should be, I mentioned a concept called a scene goal. The scene goal is a step toward achieving the overall story goal. The story goal is the main character’s goal. It’s a situation or outcome they want and are convinced they need in order to be happy. There canContinueContinue reading “more about story goals”

Loose ends

In the same vein as several previous articles, this week I’m going to discuss getting your draft manuscript (possibly the one you worked on for NaNoWriMo just past) ready for other eyes. This might be when you are self-editing, or getting the work ready for beta readers or a professional editor. Stories are driven byContinueContinue reading “Loose ends”

Editing Prep

Authors have many choices these days to get their words published. I’ve discussed the process from draft to done. In this week’s article, I’m going to focus on what authors should do to prepare their files for sending to editors or agents who will make changes to the manuscript. This is going to be oneContinueContinue reading “Editing Prep”

Writing with Others

Reference: This is a post about writers workshops and writing groups, and is my take (and expansion) on ideas presented by academicwritingsuccess.com. Disclosure: I am an editor. I also definitely have a teaching approaching when working with clients. It’s a new year and, if you are like many writers, some of your resolutions revolve aroundContinueContinue reading “Writing with Others”

Attributions in Dialogue

Reference: Managing Attributions in Dialogue Scenes: Who Said That? (Florida Writers Association) One of the toughest things to explain, IMHO, is when attribution is necessary, when it’s not, and whether it goes in front or behind the dialogue. This blog linked above from the FWA is very bare bones and I don’t think goes quiteContinueContinue reading “Attributions in Dialogue”

2021 Year in Review

My year of editing full time was a blast! An absolute joy. Every day. Stats From January through December 2021, I edited: short stories (under 15k) = 6collection of shorts = 1novellas (15k=45k) = 4novels (50k+) = 13 This list represents more than 1.3 million words. I also helped writers one-on-one with brainstorming and evaluatingContinueContinue reading “2021 Year in Review”

Processing Feedback

In a previous blog, I discussed the steps to go from first draft to done and ready to publish. Step 2 is getting feedback. Whether this is from alpha readers, beta readers, developmental editors, you need to get feedback from people who look out for what readers need to be able to read your workContinueContinue reading “Processing Feedback”

Editing Yourself

You don’t have to edit on paper, but you do need to be able to gain distance from your writing process to edit yourself. I generally recommend only that you edit yourself after a very long break – and stick to broad concepts. Unless you have already internalized the grammar rules – or are willingContinueContinue reading “Editing Yourself”