Cat Editing

My cat helped me with my novel a few weeks ago. This was the line he fixed: Worry tightened inside him. What if it wa/////////////////////////       sdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddy7uuuuuu776ts his house?

Can you imagine how horrendous that line was before he edited it?

In order to make your book the best it can possibly be, you’ll need someone to help. Not that you aren’t awesome and can’t improve it on your own, but sometimes editing requires an extra pair of eyes and an extra brain. (I never would have thought to use a t between the 6 and s—my cat is a genius).

Where can you get good feedback?

(Sorry guys, my cat isn’t starting an editing service anytime soon).

Help can be found in critique groups. Or in writing websites. Or professional editors. There are pros and cons to each area. I’ll dedicate a blog entry to each of them. I’ll talk about how to find them, what to look out for, and how to have the best experience.

So stay tuned for more.

Happy Writing

Best Friends: Your Main Character’s Sidekick

Sometimes good hero needs a sidekick or a best friend. They can provide the comic relief as Ron Weasley so often did. They can be helpful and save your hero’s behind like Timon and Pumbaa. They can sometimes be annoying like Edmund in the Narnia books (or worse like Eustace Scrubb). Sometimes, the sidekick simply gets your characters into more shenanigans like Ethel of I Love Lucy.

Either way, your character isn’t a solitary figure. (Unless you are writing about the last man in the entire world). Use those people around them to create a richer world and a richer character.

Here are some pictures of my two favorite best buddies:

Reading It Out Loud

Here’s a little tip I got from the writing conference last week. Reading your novel out loud helps you find errors.

I’ve heard this one before (like a million times), but I never did it. I didn’t need to read my novels out loud. I thought it was a waste of air. Plus, I read pretty fast in my head. Speaking the words takes so long.

But that’s sort of the point. Yes, most people can zip through page after page in their head, but an interesting thing happens when we do. Silent reading means the words go straight from our eyes to our brain. And our brain does some handy little subconscious editing.

For example, when reading silently, we automatically understand words that are missing lettrs. Or our brains will adjust if words up end backwards. We even add words that have been out. While these samples are silly, in works you are familiar with (such as your novel) you will end up doing at least one of these things.

Reading out loud, that’s different. Now it must go from your eyes to your brain and to your mouth. If what you are seeing and what you are saying doesn’t match up, you will catch yourself.

           Also, in reading out loud, you will catch little rhymes and alliterations that you didn’t mean to say. These unintended phrases can be a mouthful (or a brainful) and your epic fantasy novel will end up sounding like Dr. Seuss.

On a side note, now that I’ve started reading my novel out loud, my cat is completely convinced I’ve lost my mind. He meows and tilts his head as if to ask, “Why are you talking?” And of course, he automatically assumes I’m talking to him. Poor kitty. What am I trying to say to him? Why am I talking and not giving him love or food (which is pretty much the same thing in his eyes)?

Do you read your novel out loud? Does your cat think you are crazy?

Happy writing!

R: RagaMuffins

What are RagaMuffins and what do they have to do with writing?

Well, RagaMuffins are a breed of cats. They don’t really have anything to do with writing. I just really like them a lot.

The RagaMuffin breed was started in the 90s. They were specifically bred for their sweet personalities. Nico from this post http://jessicalfoster.blogspot.com/2012/04/n-introducing.html is a RagaMuffin.

Here’s what I’ve noticed about this breed of cats from owning them:

1.      They are very social. These cats certainly aren’t the aloof, typical cats that don’t care if you are in the room or not. In fact, if I leave the room, Nico has a minor meltdown. As long as he can see me, he’s happy. (Though he’s happier if he’s cuddling).

2.      They are super floppy. Google RagaMuffins and you’ll hear all about how the go limp when you pick them up. It’s true. Nico melts in my arms like a little ragdoll whenever I pick him up.

3.      They are gentle. Nico doesn’t use his claws when playing. I can play with him with a hair tie and not get scratched. Usually, the only time RagaMuffins will use their claws is if they are falling or if they are in the bath and think you are drowning them.

4.      They have soft fur. Nico’s coat is long with extra fluff. It feels like rabbit fur which is the breed standard.

5.      RagaMuffins are huge! Right now, Nico is eight months old and he weighs ELEVEN pounds! He will most likely be twenty pounds full-grown.

RagaMuffins are sweet-faced, gentle giants. I personally think they are the perfect cats and can’t imagine owning any other breed. But they aren’t for everyone. Because of their dog-like personality, the need more attention than your average cat. They crave human affections. RagaMuffins aren’t the kind of cats that you can simply feed and ignore. Likewise, they enjoy company, so this isn’t the kind of cat to get if you travel a ton and plan to leave the cat home alone a lot. Also, their sweet natures make them great pets, but it also makes them vulnerable. They may be giant, but generally they love everyone and everything—including the dangerous animals that could hurt them. This means RagaMuffins are indoor cats only. They simply won’t defend themselves.

To learn more:

S: Sorry for missing a day. I was traveling back to my non-family home.

N: Introducing . . .

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Nico was a kitten.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be—that wanted to attack my toes (No, actually, I knew exactly how much—everything from his fluffy tail to the tip of his dark little nose wanted to seek and destroy any moving object within the bounds of our house).

And a third, I unconditionally and irrevocably thought he was the cutest creature ever.

Enjoy!