October6 - 16, 2009
MASTER CLASS: "Tune Up That First Chapter"
by Don McNair
Why did that editor reject your novel?
The sad truth? Editors reject most manuscripts after simply glancing at their first chapters. It’s as if their problems were lit with neon. This course will help you spot your own manuscript’s problems and--better yet--help you fix them.
Use that rejected “first chapter” as your practice field for identifying and resolving your craft mistakes, then apply your new
knowledge to the total manuscript. It will become much more compelling, and--hopefully--published! You’ll learn how to:
* use strong “hooks”
* turn “info dumps” into sparkling, vital prose
* strengthen verbs
* strip away author intrusions
* identify crippling character filters
* eliminate foggy phrases
* correct passive voice
* solve numerous other writing bugaboos
Don McNair has written award-winning materials for forty years. He
edited trade magazines, and oversaw a staff of writers as he wrote
and placed hundreds of articles for a major PR firm (and won the
nation’s top PR award in the process). For the next 20 years he ran
his own PR business for national clients. He is also the author of
five published books, including a young adult novel “Attack of the
Killer Prom Dresses” (written under his “Donna McClaire” pen name)
that was named a 2008 Eppie finalist. McNair now edits fiction for
others at his McNairEdits.com website.
Prerequisite: Must have first chapter of a completed novel that is ready to submit.~ ~ ~
To register for the MASTER CLASS: "Tune Up That First Chapter," click HERE.