Blog - Page 48 of 73 - Adam Blumer

Tackling the Most Common Point of View Problem

By Adam Blumer July 20, 2012 Fiction, Freelance Editing, Novel Writing, Weekly Post, Writing 2 Comments

I’ve edited more novels this year than ever before. What I’ve observed (without pointing fingers at anyone in particular) is that a lot of inexperienced story writers make the same mistakes. One area of particular challenge is point of view. What is it? The term “point of view” pertains to the filter through which readers experience any particular scene in a story. Point of view occurs through the filter of the five senses and includes thoughts, memories, and really anything that can go on in a character’s head. One common rule of fiction writing today (which definitely wasn’t true one hundred years ago) is that point of view must remain consistent from the beginning of a scene (a slice of action in a story) to its end. What’s wrong with it? Readers want to experience story while “in the skin” not of the author but of one story character per scene…

From Layoff to First Novel Contract

By Adam Blumer July 13, 2012 Fatal Illusions, Fiction, Novel Writing, Novels, Publishing, Weekly Post 4 Comments

Note: Previously published as a guest post at Thoughts of a Sojourner My Unconventional Path to Publication My boss sank into a chair across from my desk, hung his head, and delivered news no employee wants to hear. “We’re making cutbacks here at the college, and I’m afraid”—he took a deep breath and let it out—”your position is being eliminated.” A two-by-four to the side of the head couldn’t have jolted me more. What!? They’re cutting my job? It was January 13, 2006, and I was sitting in my office (see photo) at Northland Baptist Bible College (now Northland International University), where I’d been serving as an editor since 1995. With a BA in print journalism, I was in charge of editing and writing content for all sorts of campus publications: promotional brochures, a magazine, the academic catalog, the yearbook, even the website. And now, in five months, I’d no longer…

Respectable Anxiety

By Adam Blumer July 6, 2012 Book Review, Christian Living, Inspiration No Comments

For my birthday, I asked for a book several friends had recommended—and I’m so glad I did. Lately, I’ve become rather impressed with this little book (187 pages). Because each chapter is topical, focusing on a specific sin, I’ve been first going to the chapters that address areas I know are a struggle for me. The book is Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges. If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend you go get a copy. Now and then you may find me referring to it here because that’s how impressed I am with it—and how much it has stirred my thinking about several key areas of my life. And how I love passing on its truths to others. Yesterday, I was reading the chapter about anxiety and frustration and came across this wonderful quotation from John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace.” “[One of the…

10 Common Misconceptions of the Wannabe Novelist, #10

By Adam Blumer June 28, 2012 Fatal Illusions, Novel Writing, Publishing, Writing No Comments

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9. #10: If a publisher accepts my novel, they’ll just make a few changes and print it. Acceptance of a novel for publication means a publisher is happy with the heart—the essence—of the overall story and believes that publication of said story shows strong potential for bringing in a good financial return. But that doesn’t mean the novel is perfect. Not by a long stretch. Rare is a manuscript that doesn’t need some level of work. That’s what the revision stage is for. Revisions? Say what? The newbie says in a timid voice, “But I thought . . . well . . . I guess I thought the publisher would . . . well, you know . . . just have the manuscript proofread and then print it.” Uh no. Before publication, manuscripts can go through quite a bit of…