Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Next Step

Congratulations!  Sure felt great to flip the calendar to March, didn't it?  But, now what? 

JUDGING and REVISING these new PBs seem impossibly daunting, right?  Here's what I did last year to transition from running the marathon to revising the marathon.  Perhaps it'll work for you also.


I revisited each manuscript and wrote a one or two-sentence synopsis.  This exercise helped me see if there truly was a coherent story within what I had written.  Some of the results surprised me.  Next I chose my top ten ideas and submitted the synopses to my critique group (and agent) for comments.  I then chose three to focus on for intense revisions.  Only after that did I consider the other manuscripts.  If this process sounds feasible, give it a go. 

BTW--Nathan Hale (the illustrator and PB author who designed our marathon logo) is inviting folks to "vote" for a favorite PB amongst the ones he created during this marathon.  Good luck limiting yourself to just one!  Check out his blog at http://spacestationnathan.blogspot.com/

It's been a pleasure running with you.  Good luck with your gems! 

We hope you'll join us again next February.   
 



 

3 comments:

  1. I will definitely do the marathon again next year. It was a great experience and got me on track.I will follow your tips on revising, sounds like a good idea. Thank you very much for all your hard work. See you next year.

    Blog:Writing Four Kidz

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  2. I'll be back as well. The tips for March are an excellent idea. Thank you again!

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  3. Thanks so much! This month definitely fueled my pb writing--and I did it without even dipping into my "ideas" folder. I ran with new stuff, which is exciting.

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