by Linda Hofke
So you've got your first (or second, third, twentieth...)
draft of your book completed and now need to polish it to perfection. It's a
daunting task, and you might not know where to start or how to do it
effectively. After all, completing the starting draft was hard enough!
If this sounds like you then you should have been with us at
the DAZ in Stuttgart on October 15th. Author Dan Wells graciously
agreed to give a free workshop on finishing your work. Thank you, Dan! And also
a big thank you goes out to Lindsey Cole who organize the event
for us.
Dan said a good friend once told him, “Your first draft is what you want to say. Your last draft is
how you want to say it.”
Great point. But, of course, getting from the “what” to the
“how” takes a lot of time, revision, and editing. To make the process easier,
Dan broke everything down into three phases: wide angle, close up, and
polishing. Each of those phases has several steps which include tasks such as
evaluating your first page, foreshadowing, chapter breaks, emotional pull,
ensuring a satisfying ending, line edits, and much more. I won't list
everything here but will tell you that his method is very thorough. As a picture book writer who is just
venturing out into the world of middle grade and young adult fiction, I found
it very helpful.
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| From left: Linda Hofke, Katja Rammer, Catherine Friess, Sanne Dufft, Laurel Decher |
During a question and answer session, further writing topics
were discussed. These topics included anything from writing groups to agents.
We also asked about the recently released film of his first book in the John
Cleaver series, I am Not a Serial Killer,
and about his new book Bluescreen.
Dan also signed books.
Thank you Dan for a
wonderful workshop and an enjoyable day.
* * * *
Dan Wells is the author of the John Cleaver series and the
Partials series. He also has several stand alone books and short stories. He
has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Campbell Award. If you are not
familiar with Dan or his books, you can learn more at his website:
Dan has also won two Parsec Awards for his weekly podcast
Writing Excuses. The podcast offer tips on anything writing related such as
character development, pacing, motivation, and the dreaded “killing your
darlings.” You can check it out here:
There is also a Writing Excuses Retreat which takes place on
a cruise ship, and in 2017 it will be coming to Europe. Tentative dates are
July 30th-August 5th. Keep an eye out on the Writing Excuses event
page if you are interested in writing and learning while cruising in the Baltic
Sea.
