critiques Archives - Write2Ignite

It’s Time for Write2Ignite’s 2 for 1 Critiques

On February 8, 2020

In Archives, Author resources, critiques

You may be wondering whether your manuscript is ready to be published. Maybe you have a nagging feeling that your story is missing something, but you don’t know what it is. Perhaps you’re going to attend a writer’s conference, and you want to make sure your writing is polished before sharing it with editors and agents. Your family thinks you’ve penned the next best seller, but what will professionals think? A professional opinion would really help.

We have just the thing: a 2-for-1 critique! You receive a written one-page critique or comments written on your pages from two Write2ignite professionals.

We are offering 2-for-1 Critiques now through June 15. The fee of $45 gets one story critiqued by two professional members of our faculty. Two heads are better than one, and two critiques offer twice the insight!

To submit a manuscript for critique in any of the categories below, email your manuscript to our critique coordinator, Brenda Covert. In the subject line, put “W2I CRITIQUE ENTRY.” Include in the email text your name, email address, title, and category. You may submit as many manuscripts as you wish, as long as you pay the fee for each one.

Manuscript Submission Procedure

Type all manuscripts in double-spaced, 12-pt. font, standard manuscript format. Include your name, the title of your piece, and the page number on each of your manuscript’s pages.

Payment

We accept payment by check, money order, or credit card.

Credit Card:

if you wish to use a credit card, please contact Cathy Biggerstaff.

Check or Money Order:

If mailing a check or money order, make it payable to Write2Ignite. Please send the check to the address that you receive after you email is confirmed.

Editors – Should an English Teacher Edit Your Book?

By Ava Pennington

On September 23, 2019

In Archives, critiques

Write2Ignite 2019 is history, but now your work begins! We hope you’re primed and ready to tackle a new project or pull out an old one that needs editing and polishing.

No matter how well we write, we all need someone with an objective perspective to critique our books. That’s why writing critique partners and groups are so valuable to us.

Still, we need to be careful. How do we process the feedback we receive? What is the background or experience of the people offering their critique?

We need to be especially intentional about the people we hire to edit our books. Are they familiar with the contemporary publishing industry? Someone with an in-depth knowledge of English or even classic literature may not be the best individual to edit our books. Which brings us to English teachers…

English teachers as editors?

At first blush, an English teacher sounds like the perfect editor. But the grammar and punctuation rules a teacher may follow might not be the same as those used by editors familiar with contemporary books in your genre.

For example, most of us were taught that sentence fragments are inappropriate. Yet they’re in frequent use today. And many classic literary works are heavy on flowery descriptions which contemporary fiction readers tend to pass over. As Elmore Leonard once said, “When you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.”

Additionally, English teachers frequently encourage creative substitutes for the word “said.” However, in today’s publishing world “said” is better to be as invisible as possible. An even better choice is to replace it with physical beats. For example:

“No way!” Mary exclaimed.

As opposed to:

Mary slammed her fist on the table. “No way!”

Another example is the use of punctuation. From the perspective of an English teacher, semi-colons can be correctly used in fiction. However, in contemporary publishing, semi-colons are often discouraged in fiction. Why? They tend to pull the reader out of the story.

All that to say English teachers can be great editors as long as they also understand the current publishing environment.

Of course, they can be terrific at critiquing plot flow and character development. And they would also serve well as beta readers to provide feedback on whether your book held their interest.

So, definitely seek out critique partners and editors. But don’t make your choice based on titles or vocations. And when it comes to hiring an editor, connect with the individual to determine if they’re the right person to edit your work.

Bottom line: understand your genre’s standards and ensure your editor understands them, too!

Write2Ignite Team Videographers!

By Carol Baldwin

On July 15, 2019

In 2019 Conference Updates, Archives, Conferences, critiques, The Influence of Christian Faith

When this picture was taken of the Write2Ignite team at the 2018 conference, little did they know that within a year many of them would become “experts” at taking and posting videos online. Here’s a sampling of some of the recent videos our team created about writing and the conference. View one or view them all! As new videographers, we would appreciate your feedback–and of course, we hope to see you at Write2Ignite 2019!

Deborah DiCiantis on the Teen/Tween Fiction Contest

Click here for more information on the contest.

Diane Buie talks about how to get the most out of your 15 minute meeting time at a writer’s conference.

Brenda Covert shares the benefit of getting a critique.

Cathy Biggerstaff with “Bring a Friend” discount.

Here’s the link to the Bring a Friend discount. Cathy is given you an EXTRA big discount. Each friend will receive $15.00 off the regular price-which brings your registration down to $109.00. Since we think going to a writer’s conference with a friend is such a good idea, we’re giving this discount throughout the registration period.

Carol Baldwin with 5 Writing Tips.

Who Needs A Two-for-One Critique?

By Carol Baldwin

On March 28, 2019

In 2019 Conference Updates, Conferences, critiques, The Craft of Writing

By Brenda Covert

You may be wondering whether your manuscript is ready to be published. Maybe you have a nagging feeling that your story is missing something, but you don’t know what it is. Perhaps you’re going to attend a writer’s conference, and you want to make sure your writing is polished before sharing it with editors and agents. Your family thinks you’ve penned the next best seller, but what will professionals think? A professional opinion would really help.

We have just the thing: a 2-for-1 critique! You receive a written one-page critique or comments written on your pages from two Write2ignite professionals.

We are offering 2-for-1 Critiques now through June 15. The fee of $45 gets one story critiqued by two professional members of our faculty. Two heads are better than one, and two critiques offer twice the insight!

To submit a manuscript for critique in any of the categories below, email your manuscript to our critique coordinator, Brenda Covert. In the subject line, put “W2I CRITIQUE ENTRY.” Include in the email text your name, email address, title, and category. You may submit as many manuscripts as you wish, as long as you pay the fee for each one.