Lara Zielinsky

Copy editing

Rate: $9.00 per 1,000 words ($0.009 per word) Copy Editing is editing that brings the manuscript up to the appropriate style through paragraph and sentence restructuring, and grammar fixes to fix or strengthen voice and tone. A copy editing sample (free up to 1,500 words) is definitely recommended before we dive in. You’ll want toContinueContinue reading “Copy editing”

Finding Readers (and buyers!)

In writing last week about creating your book blurb, I mentioned that having this information will come in handy when writing query letters. But perhaps you already decided to self-publish and figured you could skip that. Don’t. Finding readers (and buyers!) – whether they are acquisition editors at a traditional publisher or readers who enjoyContinueContinue reading “Finding Readers (and buyers!)”

Writing a Book Blurb

In November, you probably wrote madly and got a lot of words down for the story of your dreams. You now have to take a step back and figure out what it is you’ve got. If you don’t know what you have, you’re not likely to get very far trying to fix it. In myContinueContinue reading “Writing a Book Blurb”

Individualizing characters

This is the last one where I’ll suggest you bookmark and come back if you’re NaNo-ing. Good luck as you finish! This is my last post on broadly editing the story you’ve written. This is not the end of such self-editing, but I feel like it’s important to thoroughly check your story’s structural pieces -ContinueContinue reading “Individualizing characters”

Plot Holes

If you’re Nano-ing, bookmark this and come back in December. Good luck as the final days of November roll on. I’ve talked about revising by identifying the focus of your writing and filling out details using the different tools of storytelling. I’ve also talked about looking at the growth (or rather the lack of it)ContinueContinue reading “Plot Holes”

Growth

Again, consider bookmarking this post until after NaNoWriMo if you’re taking this month to write your book. In this second post for broad evaluation and fixing of your story, let’s talk about growth and change. What happens to us affects us. What we experience changes our perspective, our behavior, and our relationships. We understand thisContinueContinue reading “Growth”

Focus

If you are writing a raw first draft for NaNoWriMo, go back to writing. Do feel free to bookmark this post and come back to it in December, or better yet, January, with your completed draft. My next few posts will contain advice for revising broad structural elements of your story. What’s your focus? EverythingContinueContinue reading “Focus”

Preptober week 4

This final week before the rush begins, take a writing break and crack open some other aspects of creativity: visuals. This week you’re going to do some “manifesting” by creating marketing materials. Write your book pitch Focusing on the big things about the story idea that excite you (and thus will excite readers), write theContinueContinue reading “Preptober week 4”

Preptober week 3

This week you’ll be writing – short things that are part story, part summary, all background. This week is about setting the main character(s) in your mind. Turn them around and over and about in your hands to see them from all sides. You’re going to write a “now” story about the characters in November.ContinueContinue reading “Preptober week 3”

Preptober Week 2

You should be coming to the end of the first book you’ve read this month and writing a review of it. You can publish that review, or keep it for yourself. That’s entirely up to you. For week 2 we’re going to focus the second half hour of your set-aside time on BRAINSTORMING. To writeContinueContinue reading “Preptober Week 2”