by CWC Marin administrator | Mar 26, 2020 | Classes and Workshops, Craft
Thank you for joining us Sunday for Rewrite Right: 22 Ways to Make Your Book Better, our first monthly meeting on Zoom.
It was wonderful that so many of you were able to participate — about 40 of you, think. I hope you learned something that will help you face your rewriting challenges. I very much appreciate your patience as we navigate our brave new world.
Here are the slides from the presentation:
I’m also sharing a video clip of the meeting. It starts just as I’m introducing myself.
Hope to see you April 26 for David Corbett. Visit our website for updates.
— John
P.S. You can learn more about me and my books at johnbyrnebarry.com.
by CWC Marin administrator | Feb 26, 2020 | Classes and Workshops
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
