Thursday 24 September 2015

Discover your inner editor

If you fancy learning how to edit your own work, take a look at Red Pen on the ScrivenerVirgin website. This is an updated version of the RedPen group I joined ten years ago and to which I still belong. I now make fewer mistakes and, thanks to my friend Anne Rainbow and her three tasks system, I get more worked published than would otherwise have been the case.  
Red Pen is free to join and members receive regular newsletters with help, advice and editing tasks. If you join up now, you'll be invited to take part in a free editing webinar on Tuesday 29 September. 
For those wanting to invest in further Red Pen Training, a private Facebook group offers additional information and the chance for mutual mentoring with fellow RedPenners. There is a programme of online tutorials and ‘Proof of the Pudding’ editing workshops. In the first of these POP workshops, Anne will take you through the steps involved in turning one of my earliest first drafts into a story which was published by Candis magazine in 2007.

Later, Anne will be offering the option of a paid-for upgrade for those who'd like individual help with a particular piece of writing.

If you have any questions put them in the comments and Anne will do her best to explain


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would be helpful if Anne's website gave instructions on how to join RedPen, having promoted its virtues. I can see several ways to get in touch, e.g. leave a comment on the site or use social media. I'll experiment…

Editing is exactly where I am at the moment (and struggling with ability and motivation in that regard), so thank you for this article.

Dolores Doolittle said...

How very interesting, Patsy. Would be handy if my Inner Editor could learn how to delete a few adverbs (for a start).

Carolb said...

Thanks, Patsy, this looks like just what I need. :)

rainbowmaker said...

Hi Captain Black - there is a pop up, but some users block pop-ups so you might not have seen it. I've 'joined' you though following our email exchange. Hope you enjoy the newsletters and look forward to see you next Tuesday at the Launch webinar.

Hi Delores - we have special lessons on adverbs - it's a common problem!

Hi Carolb - I do hope so ...

Enjoy your editing!

Anne

Niddy said...

I can fully recommend RedPen having been a 'pupil' for many years and can claim that it works as many of my stories have been sold as a result. Well worth joining.

Patsy said...

@ Captain Black - I find the RedPen approach of breaking it down into separate tasks is helpful. Editing a whole manuscript is daunting, but looking at a few points and making improvements isn't so bad.

@ Dolores and Carol - definitely worth having a look and seeing if this method works for you.

@ Niddy - Snap!

rainbowmaker said...

@ Niddy Thanks Niddy! You've been a star pupil ... and deserve all the success you've enjoyed with your short stories. See you on Tuesday for the Webinar - looks like we'll have a full house. Anne