#revpit

Updates from the Editor's Desk

#RevPit 2024 Showcase and a master post for The Writer's Corner.

Hey Story Crafters,

The RevPit 2024 Showcase goes LIVE TODAY at noon/12 PM EDT! Come check out the hard work all the RevPit winners put into their query letters and first 5 pages: https://reviseresub.com/showcase

If you’re interested in learning about their RevPit experience, make sure to visit the #RevPitClassof24 thread on X/Twitter, where they responded to the prompts listed below:

As a first-time RevPit editor, the entire contest (from pre-contest events all the way up to the showcase) has been an exciting, rewarding experience. I really appreciate the RevPit Board for giving me the opportunity to participate as a RevPit editor, and I’ve enjoyed getting the chance to interact with both the other RevPit editors and all of the authors in the RevPit community, and working with my contest winner, Jacqui Culler (@CullerPictures)!

As many of us continue on our writing journeys, I thought I’d put together a master post of The Writer’s Corner posts that cover craft topics.

Master Post of Craft Topics

General Writing Tips

What Makes a Story Compelling?

Point of View + Psychic Distance

Saving Multiple Drafts of Your Writing

3 Tips for Staying Inspired During the Writing Process

How to Avoid Stalling During the Writing Process

Let’s Talk Flashbacks

Time in Storytelling

Writing Tips for Characters

3 Tips for Creating a Memorable Main Character

Make Your Main Character Shine

Profile of a Main Character

Character Development: First Conflict Event

The Value of Side Characters

Looking at Character Archetype: The Strongest Character

The Wound that Haunts Characters

Creating Physical Wounds for Your Characters

Relationship Mapping Part 2

Writing Tips for Dialogue

Let’s Talk Dialogue:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Writing Tips for Fight Scenes

Writing Fight Scenes Part 1

On Writing Fight Scenes: A Long Post

Example of an Effective Fight Scene: A Brief Breakdown

Post-Novel Writing Tips

On Consistency and Beginnings

Titles & Expectations

Let’s Talk About Sequels Part 1

Let’s Talk Query Letters

If you’re interested in talking with me about craft topics, or if there is any you’d like me to cover in the newsletter, get in touch! I also still have some openings for editing projects this summer, so please check out my services and send me an email if you’re interested in working with me!

Visit The Crafty Fox Editing Services

Send me an email!

I mostly edit fantasy, dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror, but I’m open to working in most genres if an author and I fit well together (like cozy mysteries!).

Until next time!

Best,

Leah

Connect with me on social media!

Interested in learning more about me, and the kind of energy I’ll bring to a writer-editor relationship? Subscribe to this newsletter (it’s free!).

Updates from the Editor's Desk

✨A brief announcement! 🌸

Hi Story Crafters,

A short post this time!

The biggest news I have to share is that the #RevPit 2024 winners will be announced today, Monday, April 15 at noon (12 p.m.) ET! 🎉🥳

A big thank you to everyone who participated this year! There were SO MANY amazing submissions, it was hard to narrow the selection down to one finalist and one runner-up. I managed to do it…somehow.

Please remember that if you weren’t chosen, it’s not a reflection on your ability as an author. It just means that your book may need more work that the time frame allows, or it’s ready for querying.

You’re all amazing writers and I look forward to seeing where you take your books!

I’m currently busy with client work and prepping for my #RevPit winner, so no craft thoughts today. I’ll have more for you next time!

Also, if I gave feedback on your query letter + first 5 pages during my 10Queries sessions, you can expect an email from me by this weekend! Keep an eye out for it!

And, as always, if you’ve got a finished manuscript and you’re looking for an editor, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Send me an email!

Until next time!

Best,

Leah

Substack post: https://thecraftyfoxwriterscorner.substack.com/p/updates-from-the-editors-desk

Visit The Crafty Fox Editing Services

✨Editing Process Insight: A General Overview of My Editing Process

A brief overview of how I start working on a fiction editing project. 🌸

Hey Story Crafters!

If you’ve been keeping up with my Twitter/X feed or with Revise & Resub news, you’ll know that the submission window for #RevPit 2024 officially closed at noon | 12 p.m. yesterday!

For those interested in keeping up with the #RevPit excitement—whether or not you decided to participate this year—there are daily activities you can join in on or observe during the (excruciating) waiting period.

Or you can stay up-to-date by following Revise & Resub on Substack, @ReviseResub on Twitter/X, or r/RevPit on r/eddit.

My Editing Process

In preparation for my #AskTheEditor session, I decided to share a bit of how I approach a new fiction editing project here. And I’m going to do it by comparing my editing approach to one of my hobbies—LEGO building.

My LEGO-building process

I’ve been building LEGOs for a long time, since the first versions of the Millennium Falcon, the Imperial Star Destroyer, and the Death Star II were in circulation—back when the instructions came in one giant, spiralbound booklet (which made it really easy to rip the pages) and none of the bags were numbered. Just picture it: bins and bowls filled with countless pieces of various shapes and sizes, primarily in black and several shades of gray. Sorting through the pieces was more time-consuming than actually building the models.

Since I built those models in middle school—before I refined my LEGO-building process—I can’t say whether or not there was a pattern to how the pieces were packaged. As I got older and LEGO started numbering their bags to make the sorting and building experience more enjoyable, I noticed that there is a pattern to the packaging. Which meant I no longer had to follow the unofficial first steps shown in all the LEGO building instruction booklets: dump out the pieces and sort them. (This was a big relief to my mom, who no longer had to loan out leftover containers or baking trays for my hobby.)

Now, my process is pretty simple:

Unpack the instruction booklet and all the bags.If it’s a big build and the bags are numbered, I organize the bags and put them back in the box in reverse order, so the higher numbered bags are on the bottom.

Start building. I open the bags and pull out the pieces I’ll need to complete the steps on the pages I have open.

In the process of pulling pieces out of the bags and building, I figure out how the pieces are packaged across the bags. So as long as I don’t mangle the bag upon opening, I can keep all the pieces in the bag instead of dumping the pieces out.

Repeat until done. (And sink into a sort of meditative state.)

So, my LEGO-building process is pretty streamlined, and I can reach the finished build relatively quickly (like, over a few days or less, time-wise).

Caption: Photo of LEGO 40463 Easter Bunny build. Alt-text: Photo of a small LEGO build of a cute brown bunny next to a couple of Easter eggs on a green base with flowers.

Caption: Photo of LEGO 10297 Creator Expert Boutique Hotel. Alt-text: Photo of a LEGO build of a hotel made of pink and green pieces.

Back to my editing process…

While I’ve been building LEGOs much longer than I’ve been editing fiction, my ability to refine that process gives me confidence as I continue to develop my editing process. It still undergoes a few tweaks now and then, as I learn how to improve my process with each author I work with.

But the way I start a fiction editing project is the same:

Upon receiving the manuscript (MS) in a Word file, I make a folder for the new project and save all the relevant files for the project (e.g., a developmental editing project folder includes the manuscript with markups, the dev editing tracking sheet, and the editorial letter).

Make sure the MS is formatted to industry standard (i.e., 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, page numbers).

Apply the “Heading” style to chapter titles to make navigation easier.

Start editing.

Communication

My method of communication is email, all the way.

Email is the best communication method for me to keep in contact with authors and other clients. It makes it easier for me to track what we discussed and when, so I can refer back to an earlier conversation if needed and expand on it.

I’m pretty responsive. I make sure to respond to current clients within 24 hours on weekdays. (I don’t usually respond to emails I receive over the weekend unless a current client has an emergency.)

During a fiction editing project, I have 3 standard emails:

At the start of the project. I send an email to the author saying that I’ve started editing their MS, and that I’ll reach out if I have any questions. I also remind the author to reach out if they have any questions, concerns, or need to share additional information about their MS.

A week before the return date. This email is meant to reassure the author that everything is on track to be returned on the date agreed upon per the contract (which we both agreed to and signed prior to the project start date).

The return date. The editorial package is returned to the author, with a reminder that the author has up to 30 days after the return date to send up to 10 emails to discuss the edits.

Frequency of communication

The frequency of the email communication can vary from author to author. I’ve worked with authors who I didn’t contact outside of the 3 standard emails (and a few follow-up emails), and were perfectly fine with that level of communication. I’ve also worked with authors who preferred weekly check-ins. When I start working with a new author, we decide on which level of communication works best for them and stick with it throughout the duration of the project.

#RevPit 2024 #AskTheEditor sessions

This week the #AskTheEditor sessions for #RevPit 2024 start up! My session is this Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. ET on r/eddit. If you’re interested in learning more about my editing process, please drop in! You don’t need to have a r/eddit account to view public threads, so if you want to take a peek at upcoming events like #10Queries, please feel welcome to!

Link: Ask the Editor chats r/eddit thread

If my editing process sounds compatible with your workstyle, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! I’m interested in working with authors of:

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy

Science Fiction

Horror

though I’ve also worked on cozy mysteries too. I’m open to working in most genres if an author and I fit well together, so please get in touch if you’re interested in working with me!

Send me an email!

And that’s it for this week! I hope to chat with some of you on Thursday!

Best,

Leah

Visit The Crafty Fox Editing Services!

Connect with me on social media!

Here is the r/eddit link and schedule:

Mine is on Thursday, March 21 at 7 PM ET! I hope to chat with some of you then. 😊

Thank you to everyone who participated! If you weren’t able to participate this year but are interested in doing so, there’s always next year. 💕