BooksChatter: ☀ Revision is a Process

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Revision is a Process, a Non-Fiction Self-Help book by Catherine E. McLean (26 April 2017, Rimstone Concepts LLC, 122 pages).

Don't miss our guest post by author Catherine E. McLean, "What I Am Passionate About These Days?"

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and the excerpt below.

Author Catherine E. McLean will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).

|| Synopsis || Teaser: Excerpt || Author Guest Post || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

Synopsis

Nothing gives a writer a life-high like finishing the first draft of a story— and nothing frustrates a writer more than having to revise and edit that draft.

Writers are individuals but to be a producing writer means creating a system to revise and polish a work so the reader thoroughly enjoys the story. REVISION IS A PROCESS is a guidebook for writers and authors that shows how a simple 12-step process can be tailored to eliminate the most common and chronic maladies of writing genre fiction. This valuable guidebook contains secrets, tips, practical advice, how-to's, and why-to's for taking the frustration out of self-editing.

Revision is a Process offers secrets, tips, shortcuts, practical advice, and "cheat sheets" that will enable a writer to go step-by-step through a self-editing process to create a reader-friendly, marketable manuscript.

Revision is a Process showcases—

How using 12 simple steps when revising saves time, energy, and frustration
How to systematically examine the entire story so nothing is overlooked
How to examine the plot for what's out of sync and for missing elements
How to avoid "logic flaws," Freudian slips, and faux pas
How to use "red flag" words to find bloopers and blunders
How to diagnose a prologue before keeping or deleting it

Every writer believes there has to be an easier way to revise a manuscript. Revision is a Process is the gift you've been waiting for. In its pages is a remarkably easy approach to self-editing that will take the pressure off a daunting task and open the path to success.

Teaser: Excerpt

SECTION 1
AN OVERVIEW OF REVISION IS A PROCESS

When you race to get books up before they are ready or not care that the manuscript is not your best work, that stuff stays around forever- and hurts you.

- Susan Meier, Author

The rhetoric runs deep that fiction writers must shun analyzing their work because doing so will destroy the creative process. It's the old analysis equals paralysis theme.
Hogwash.
Knowledge is the power that enables a fiction writer to rise above the ordinary and commonplace.
Yet, nothing causes more aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration than having to revise and rewrite a story.
Revising a story means analyzing what's been written so it will generate 'a movie' in the reader's mind-the same movie you, the author, envisioned and strove to create with. your words.
Editing in all its forms may seem like a neverending torture, but here's the thing- clarity trumps all rules. If the story isn't clear to the reader, then you, the writer or author, have failed to share your stories, your views, your characters, and your plot's twists and turns with the reader's mind. And never forget that-

READERS ARE LOGICAL PEOPLE

Readers are judge, jury, and executioners of books and stories.

Many writers realize that when their books don't sell. For others, it's seeing one-star reviews that basically say, "There's a story here, but it's not well told."
I can't stress it enough-readers only have the words on a page to go by to visualize a story and its characters.
Here's another reality - all manuscripts benefit from editing. Of course, there is the expense of hiring developmental and copy editors (who are worth every penny), but it is best to hire a copy editor after you've self-edited your story and made it the very best you can.
If you have recently completed your first manuscript, you likely will not be familiar with many of the terms in this guide that deal with aspects of writing good fiction. If so, take the time to educate yourself and broaden your knowledge base. Learn all the craft techniques and devices of good fiction that you can. How-to books on writing fiction, storytelling, and craft techniques abound. Interestingly enough, I've found the best treasure troves of information come from how-to books by teachers who are also authors.
Notice I said books. Reading Internet blog entries and essays will give you a glimpse of a topic but they don't delve deeply into a technique or device. However, a book by an expert can.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge helps your work stand out to readers and gives you an edge when
submitting to publishers. If self-publishing is your goal, knowledge gives you a far better product to market.
Yet, there's another essential kernel of information that can minimize the aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration of self-editing. And that is -

Change your mind-set
about self-editing and revising.
Adopt the mantra of -
revision is a process.

That's right, revision is a process. A logical, straightforward process where you don't try to find and fix everything at once. Instead, you break the monumental task into component parts and focus on only an item or two at a time.
Okay, so the reality is that creative people, especially writers, hate logic and straightforwardness.

Revision is a Process
Available NOW!

About the Author

Catherine E. McLean's lighthearted, short stories have appeared in hard cover and online anthologies and magazines. Her books include JEWELS OF THE SKY, KARMA & MAYHEM, HEARTS AKILTER, and ADRADA TO ZOOL (a short story anthology).

She lives on a farm nestled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania. In the quiet of the countryside, she writes lighthearted tales of phantasy realms and stardust worlds (fantasy, futuristic, and paranormal) with romance and adventure.

She is also a writing instructor and workshop speaker. Her nonfiction book for writers is Revision is a Process.

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