America's Next Top Teacher

lettersandlight:

The “Now What?” Months are here! In 2014, we’ll be bringing you advice from authors who published their NaNo-novels, editors, agents, and more to help you polish November’s first draft until it gleams. Today, author Renee Ahdieh teams up with her literary agent, Barbara Poelle, to propose six editing commandments:

(Also, Barbara is offering free query critiques! To be eligible to win, just tweet this post, and include @Bpoelle and @rahdieh!)

While thinking about how to compile the Six Commandments of Editing, I turned at once to my trusty vodka guru, er, literary agent, Barbara Poelle. Over the course of our relationship she has caused me to alternate between tragically weeping and Breakfast Club fist-pumping, all in the span of a single day. And my manuscript is always the better for it.

So, without further ado, here are our suggestions/directives/rules-to-live-by (analytical commentary included) when approaching your knock-kneed, newborn masterpiece:

The Six Commandments of Editing

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(via nanowrimo)