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Showing posts from January 29, 2010

On Movement

A while ago, Kathy Teamen posted a list of things that editors are thinking about when they read manuscripts. The whole list is good, but my favorite item on the list is this one: Am I personally moved by this story or situation? This is a question that matters in two ways, I think. First, this is the way I edit. At some level, when I revise my stories, I'm always gauging how I feel about what's happening. In every book I've written, there are parts that I find myself skimming over or moving past without really seeing them. These are the parts, I have learned, that are the boring parts. Yeah, that's a harsh truth. But it is a truth. When I, the author, am not moved by a certain scene, that means that it's not, well, moving. Of course, every scene doesn't have to be high melodrama, but even the parts of stories where characters have to share information or things have to be described, the scenes can be moving. There can be conflict and character detail.