When I'm revising a full novel, I always start by rereading it and making comprehensive change notes. But for those "almost there" projects that might be getting close passes from agents, a full revision may not be necessary. Here are 5 things to try when you want to tighten up those first pages...or first fifty, like I did!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever devoted countless hours to applying for grants and fellowship opportunities, only to face rejection after rejection – and that’s IF you even hear back from the organization. Time and time again, we jump through hoops, invest precious hours answering big creative questions in 500-word blocks, compile portfolios, and triple-check we formatted everything per requirements. I don't want to minimize the potential life-changing impact of grant money or a writing residency. But all the time writers spend applying for financial support of our art distracts us from our true purpose: creating art. The trick to making grants apps work for you as much as possible is to streamline the repetitive stuff as much as possible. So keep reading for my top tips on how to simplify grant applications (this works for writers' residencies too) and reclaim your creative time.
You've finished that marathon draft of your work in progress. Now comes the editing slog. You know the areas that need work, but staring at the document flummoxes you. Overthinking sets in. Resistance creeps up. Suddenly, that whole passionate work of possibility seems...impossible. Get out of revision purgatory with these 5 editing tips.