Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Z is for Zeroing in

Zeroing in on one issue at a time helps me through my editing.  I notice that I have a problem with tense so I read my whole manuscript looking for tense issues and then I read the whole thing to correct point of view issues, etc.  

I zeroed in on weakness, multi-tasking and found that my strength is I work best when I focus on one thing at a time.

Right now I am going to zero in on a glass of Zinfandel to celebrate finishing up the A to Z blog!

Congratulations to us all!  I hope to see you all throughout the year and doing this again next April.  This is my second one and it did get easier but it is still a lot of work and an accomplishment you should be proud of.

Happy Writing!

18 comments:

  1. What a great thing to zero in on, I think I will join you in that later. Congrats on finishing! I'm so glad to have met you thanks to the Challenge.

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    1. Julie, Congratulations on finishing the challenge. Glad to have met you and found your blog.

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  2. Loved this one. One thing at a time is perfect advice. We so often don't do that. Make that I so often don't do this!

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    1. Nice to see you today. I had the same issues, we are told that multi-tasking is so necessary but for many people it is just inefficient. I am one of those people.

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  3. Zinfandel works for me!
    Ho'omaika'i (Congratulations) on completing the AtoZChallenge; and Happy "May Day is Lei Day" Hawaii tomorrow! Gail visiting for AtoZ

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  4. Good idea! Though it's still early in Hawaii. Nice Z post too. Congrats! I don't think I got a chance to hop here earlier. Got swamped mid month.

    Maui Jungalow

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    1. Thanks for visiting. Congratulations to you for completing as well. Time for a break. Enjoy Lei Day tomorrow.

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  5. That's an interesting way of going about it. I do a lot of my editing in my head before I ever put words to Word or paper. Those tense and POV issues will probably dissipate the longer you write, especially if you choose to stay conscious of them as you write.

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    1. Patrick, This is my first manuscript and I hope you are right that I will learn from this and not make the same mistakes next go round.

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  6. Ha! Too funny we both had the same idea for celebrating an end to the challenge!

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    1. We did have the same idea. I just found your unicorn bell blog and signed up. Congratulations!

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  7. This is a fun--and excellent idea, Kat, thanks for sharing. I'm in the middle of the second draft of my current WIP. When I get to my third draft I'm going to try this technique, zeroing in on character, grammar, plot, etc. Great for focus. Raising a glass of zinfandel to you! Yay, you reached Z!

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    1. Congratulations to you on completing the challenge- that word is appropriate after the last few letters.
      It is too hot of zin today I had to go with a refrigerated white. Here's to us!

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  8. Excellent idea. I have a one track mind too. I do best focusing on one thing at a time.

    I used to print my pages out and then edit them randomly, that way I was looking for problems and not reading along with the plot.

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    1. Elizabeth, that is an excellent idea. I am going to try the random page editing next go round- especially since there are sections of the story I feel I know so well I don't really read it anymore.

      Congratulations on completing the challenge. Thanks for visiting.

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  9. Congratulations! WE DID IT :)

    Thanks for stopping by at mine during the challenge xx

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  10. Zeroing in on Zinfandel...........ahhhhhh. I was drinking an Italian Red last evening, but still playing a bit of catch up after a-z, as I was gone the last several days in the month. I will be continuing blogging though in that format so hope to see you. By the way, it takes some extra doing to get here when you don't leave a link to your blog. The cut and paste thing isn't a live link. On my blog and lots of others, just click the drop down box and paste your url where it says url and add your name, then it will be a live link......much easier then a hyperlink and people will get directly to your blog instead of trying to find your blog on your google+ page. It's often very difficult to see one's blog there, as visitors see all the comments you've made elsewhere and it's not obviously where your blog is.

    Example..if you click on my name you'll go to my profile page...much like your google+ page, but you don't know which blog to click on, as I have several (though slightly easier then google+ with other peoples blogs listed), then you have to continue to click to find which blog to visit. I'm leaving you a hyperlink because you don't have the drop down option of name and url. With the hyperlink, not only are you directed right to someone's blog vs their profile pages, but you can be directed right to a specific blog post. Let me know if you need help with it.
    Sandy at Traveling Suitcase

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  11. Focusing in on weaknesses is a good plan when cleaning up ones work.

    Congratulations on making it to the end of the Challenge.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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