A GRADUATE COURSE IN REWRITING

I'm currently taking Margie Lawson's online course called "Deep EDITS" - which she humourously calls "a graduate course in rewriting". If you want to check out her website at www.MargieLawson.com you'll find all of her courses listed and when you can get in on them.

It's completely turned my editing/rewriting world upside down. I can't believe what I didn't know before about writing, and I mean that sincerely. (and btw, my Blogger hasn't recovered from it's scheduled outage at 4 p.m. yesterday - my dashboard has disappeared!)

Anyway, I've learned such big words as:

CONDUPLICATIO: it means to use a key word in your previous sentence to start off your next sentence.
ONOMATOPOEIA: it means to use words that gives you the sound you want. Eg. roar, growl, whimper, whoosh.
ANADIPLOSIS: it means to repeat the last word of your sentence at the beginning of your next sentence.
EPISTROPHE: it means to repeat the last word OR final phrase (three or four) words or phrases in a row.

Maybe you readers out there are all English majors and are way ahead of me! I'm sure any editors reading this are all familiar with these techiniques, if not their names. :) But each of Margie's lectures have been a cornocopio of discovery for me, and although the course has slowed down my writing this week, I know it'll pay big dividends for the future.

I highly recommend any of her courses. Check out her website. You won't be sorry!

And yes, I've rewritten my BA heroine back to a cop, from an investigative reporter. She just told me too, and I had to pay attention to my character. Somehow, they always know what's best.