Dear CWC Members & Friends,
We’re moving our meeting online this Sunday. Here are Instructions on How to Join Us.
Writing is rewriting—we’ve heard that so many times, it’s lost its meaning. But in the age of self-publishing, it’s truer than ever — too often, authors click “publish” before their books are ready for prime time.
Whether you work with editors or not, you as the author have to do most of the editing and rewriting. On March 22, author and CWC-Marin board member John Byrne Barry will present “Rewrite Right! 22 Ways to Make Your Book Better.” He’ll walk through 22 rewriting and editing strategies and tactics. Such as:
- Start scenes and chapters in the middle of the action.
- Map out chapters like you’re turning a combination lock.
- Eliminate unnecessary filter words.
- Make your setting work so it’s more than a description of your backdrop, but it advances plot, reveals character, echoes theme, and more.
- Always be in scene. (Or almost always.) If you can’t picture what’s happening, you may not be in scene.
John Byrne Barry is a writer, designer, actor, bicycle tour leader, and crossing guard. He is author of three novels — When I Killed My Father: An Assisted-Suicide Family Thriller, Wasted: Murder in the Recycle Berkeley Yard, and Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher. For 25 years, he was a writer, editor, and designer for Sierra Club, serving as Director of Editorial and Design. More at johnbyrnebarry.com
