Musings
Revisions
June 3, 2024
When I think of editing, I think of what’s technically called copy editing. That’s basically checking spelling, grammar, etc. When I think of revisions, I think larger-scale, structural or story-level changes. Both are really important when writing a novel. To learn more, check out Revising vs. Editing: What’s the Difference? by Doug Landsborough.
Editing is something someone else can do for you if you wish. It’s technical, and there’s usually a clear right and wrong involved in its decisions. Revisions, on the other hand, need to be done by the author if you wish to retain sole authorship and maintain your unique voice. That’s not to say that others can’t or won’t offer suggestions. Whether you implement those suggestions or not, and how you go about implementing them, is up to you. For more details on revision work, see How to Revise a Novel: 6 Steps to a Smooth Revision, a Reedsy blog post.
Mars Web Pages!
December 20, 2023
Exciting news! LindaAnnZuvich.com now includes an entire section dedicated to the more technical aspects of the world of the quasi-cozy Martian mysteries. Feel free to geek out on data related to traveling to Mars and living on Mars, including details of systems introduced in the series stories.
This section will continue to grow as more stories are added to the series. Web pages can also be added to this section based on reader questions or suggestions. Check out the Mars link at the top of the page to begin perusing the Mars section, and then use the Contact link at the bottom of the page if you have questions or suggestions.
The Perfect Literary Agency Submission Explanation
November 28, 2023
Debut authors rely upon literary agents to champion their projects, which means literary agencies can seem to wield unprecedented, and unpredictable, power. The truth, however, is that most agents, and agencies, just want to do their best for their clients. So choosing authors to represent is a delicate dance of passion and practicality, and never have I read a more thoughtful and sensitive explanation of this than on the Andrea Brown Literary Agency’s website. Check out the Message to Creators section of their submission page. Bravo – well said!
Awesome Depiction
October 17, 2023
In Murder on the Way to Mars, the characters are onboard a ship heading to Mars. The ship is made up of habitation rings that rotate to simulate gravity. We can only imagine, at this point, the full experience of living in centrifugal artificial gravity. However, I’ve recently discovered the work of digital artist Erik Wernquist, who has created a short film titled One Revolution per Minute, that does a stunning job of depicting it.
Helpful Writing and Publishing Videos
October 4, 2023
Alexa Donne is a published author who runs a great YouTube channel with writing and publishing advice. If you’re in the process of writing a novel or querying literary agents, check out what she has to say.
Linda's Editing Tip
September 27, 2023
Get a screen reader and listen to it read your book to you. Meanwhile, watch the text as it goes by. You’ll catch spelling and punctuation errors, because the screen reader will read them wrong. But more importantly, you’ll hear if your characters are saying things that don’t fit their personalities or if certain phrases just don’t flow the way you thought they would.
A free option is NVDA. It’s a bit clunky to use, and the voice is definitely mechanical, but it gets the job done. I’m sure there are other readers out there that sound more natural, but I doubt they’re free.