Revision and Self-Editing for Publication

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of books on writing. As a writer,  martial arts instructor, father of seven ( yes seven) I rarely have time to attend writing seminars. The last writing seminar I attended was two years ago held by the Open Center in New York City. It was a Right to Write seminar by Julia Cameron and it was excellent.

However as artists we must always seek to improve our craft. So I keep my skills sharp on my blogs and I am constantly in the middle of several books. Some are fiction ( pick up anything by Brandon Sanderson, my current read is the Mistborn series), some are on martial arts, and some are on writing.

Lately I have been reading Revision &Self Editing for Publication by James Scott Bell. You can get it on amazon here :http://www.amazon.com/Revision-Self-Editing-Publication-ebook/dp/B00B03HSEW/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382978918&sr=1-5&keywords=james+scott+bell

I initially purchased this as an e-book for my kindle and then realized this was the kind of book that becomes a reference, a resource, so I purchased it as a paperback as well. If you are a writer, or an aspiring writer, this is a book you need to have in your author arsenal. This is the book that will help you polish your manuscript.  It asks the right questions, the hard questions. It spurs you to action with the sole goal of making your book the best it can be. GET THIS BOOK. Read it,  Write in it. Read it again. Do the exercises. Then go and thank James Bell.

writers write
Orlando

Pursue your Passion

Its the only way to do it.
You have to ask yourself
What would I do even if there was no reward?
What would I do even if no one else noticed?
What is that thing that burns within, that drives me to do it no matter what?

When you can answer those questions, honestly you will have found your passion. For me early on it was writing. I have been writing ever since I was very young. Short stories no one read. Novellas I would let some friends read. Journals in marble notebooks. Now blogs and books. One of the key ingredients to following your passion is that you don't seek the approval of others to follow that burning fire within, you just do it.

When you don't find it you will know. There is a longing within, a space, a void that needs to be filled. There are indicators that demonstrate you aren't following your passion- restlessness, discomfort, anxiety, apathy boredom-to name a few. A real easy way to find your passion is to ask yourself this question (in case the above three are too vague). If money were not an issue in your life, what would you do or pursue?  You will find that the answer to this question is your passion.

So what are you waiting for?

Find your passion, pursue it!

writers write

Orlando