Author Heather McCorkle

I love to write, but I also love to edit, and to design captivating images. Partly it is the creativity in me that is unable to rest, and partly it is the side of me that loves to see my friends and fellow writers succeed. Something about helping other writers is very rewarding for me. It is part of why I co-created the #WritersRoad chat and took part in organizing the very first #WriteOnCon, a free online conference for writers. Many of you might not know this, but aside from writing books for Entangled and Kensington , I'm also an editor for City Owl Press , and a graphic designer of book covers. And now I'm opening my doors for freelance editing jobs for authors who want a highly polished manuscript to self-publish, or to submit their best possible work to agents and publishers. As a hybrid author myself, I understand all too well how important a polished book is, and how expensive it can be to hire a freelance editor. Which is part of what prompted me to want to do f...

Like most writers, I used to cringe at the very thought of editing one of my manuscripts. But now, it's my happy place. Out of the entire process from inspiration to finish, editing is the part I love the best. The writers among you in particular may wonder how I reached this magical place. I used to be a pantser: one who writes by the seat of their pants, letting inspiration guide them in whatever direction it chose. That can be a fun way to write, but it is a nightmare to edit such a book. And I say 'can be a fun way to write', because it can also be a headache. I used to get stumped all the time, lose forward momentum, get turned around, and all manner of other snares. It generally took me a year to write a book that way, and almost as long to edit it. Then I attended a writer's retreat under the tutelage of the fabulous William Bernhardt (bestselling thriller author). Bill made me write an outline on a book I had already completed. It seemed silly until I finis...

Have no fear, my absence from social media has not been without fruit. But I've missed you all, oh how I have missed you! Determined to take this year by storm, I have been working my rear off (literally in some cases as I have started a serious workout regiment. Well, okay, serious for me. But it's paying off, so that's what matters!).  What type of fruit you may wonder? Then there are those of you wondering how we went from my derriere to fruit. Hang in there, we'll get back on track. You may have noticed my blog/site is now a .com, yay!!! It took no small amount of sacrificial locks of my hair and sanity to accomplish, but it is done! My website and blog are now connected. Whew. To anyone who has ever had to do this, I raise a glass.  In the writing arena: Two manuscripts are currently in my agents hands, one of which is hopefully a final draft after three of their fabulous critiques and re-writes (cross your fingers for that one peeps!), the second manusc...

As I work through edits on my next project ("Next project!?" you say.  Why yes. You know me, idle hands and all that) I'm thrilled to finally not fear the copy edit process. This last project actually had a notation in regards to his (my editor) fear of becoming obsolete. Of course, he was kidding, in part. I will always need and editor because two sets of eyes are better than one and I'm too close to be objective. What he meant was, I'm not making the same mistakes I made with prior manuscripts. The things he told me not to do in the edits of the prior books, I have not repeated. Partially it's because I'm a perfectionist and once someone tells me of an error that I'm making, I work hard to correct it and never do it again. Another reason though is that to me the editing process is not just a means to an end, it's an opportunity to learn and improve my writing skills. If a writer goes slow enough, takes the editing notes to heart, and truly list...

If you’re a regular of mine then you may have noticed how sporadic my posts have been lately. I’ve been crazy busy editing five projects, working on three covers for clients , organizing and writing posts for both this blog and my Indie Elite blog, the occasional post on the Indelibles blog, working a full time ‘day’ job, and trying to squeeze in writing time in between all the chaos. To say its been hard would be a monumental understatement. You know you’ve overstretched yourself when you start justifying sleeping less to get more done. Which is about where I’m at right now. But I miss you peeps terribly and I’ve decided to make myself a schedule so I can spend more time with you, drop by your blogs and say hi, that kind of thing. So my writing tip for this week is: Keep a calendar to help yourself organize your writing time, editing time, and other projects. And, don’t over commit! Now, if only I can follow my own advice... How about you, how do you cope with the craziness tha...

Today's writing tip is about editing. With more and more authors choosing the independent path, the importance of editing and not getting in a hurry are more vital than ever. You are the last line of defense between your novel and the world. Don't let it go out into such a cruel place without making it into a lean, mean, fighting machine. Once you hit publish it's out there for the world to see, agents, publishing house editors, everyone. It can make or break you even more so than querying. Tip: Put your manuscript through the ringer; critique partners and/or beta readers, and if you are going indie, use a good freelance editor after you've put it through the paces. Golden bonus tip #2: Don't be in a hurry to put it out there until it is polished to perfection.

You know that great feeling you get when you're only a few chapters away from finishing a round of editing? I've got that feeling! *happy dance* Good thing this isn't a vlog, you SO don't want to see my happy dance. I didn't just make my goals last week, I blew past them! When I finish this round I'll be revisiting a special project for a few weeks, then I'll be free for two months to work on my new book. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to return to it. I love working on the channeler series but there's nothing quite like writing fresh words. Did you make your writing goals for last week? What are your new goals? Do you love writing a new book or are your best times spent with your manuscript during editing?

My writing (editing) goals kind of got blown out of the water when I realized I had to add another new chapter to my WIP, and then another, and then another. So three new chapters later I'm back to almost the same page I was at during the beginning of last week. But it was worth it because I have three new chapters that deepen my character development and enhance the plot twists. Yay! But now it's time to get back into the game and set a write goal for myself for the week. I'm on page 164 of editing my sequel. My goal is to finish the 3rd new chapter, get it entered into the document, then get another 25 pages edited, taking me to page 189. My fingers are crossed that I can pull it off amidst the crazy fun that is my Tour Of Secrets. Speaking of which, today you can find me over at Elizabeth's blog, Liz Writes Books . More points for the contest are to be had over there, and of course another secret. Trust me, you want to know this secret. ;) So what are your write ...

One of the best parts about being a writer is what inspired me last week; seeing a project come together beautifully. The notes from my Critique Sisters  arrived as well as the notes of my wonderfully supportive friend Carolina  and I spent the week entering them then doing a final read through out loud to my ever helpful other half. It feels good, solid, and compelling, it feels done. Well, not done in the sense that I won't have to edit again once I get an agent (because one almost always has to edit upon signing with an agent), but highly polished and ready to submit. Yep, To Ride A Puca is out on submission! Whoo hoo! Now that I've hit send on the very first submission I think I shall go throw up. Just kidding, the submission butterflies migrate after you've been doing this for a while. At least until the requests start coming in. Then it's nervousville all over again and the butterflies start hatching in my tummy. Speaking of querying, this Wednesday I'll be...

I am in my happy place, the one I love above all others; editing! This was my go to picture throughout my young adult historical novel, To Ride A Puca. It only makes sense that is sustain me now as I work my way through the editing process. I don't know who painted it so please leave me a link if you do so I can give them credit and link back to them. I’m so excited about this book because it feels special. From the research and outlining stage it spoke to me in a different way than any of my other novels have. I felt a deep connection to this one and now that I'm editing it I'm noticing that came through in the writing in a good way. I'm finishing up reading The Clearing by Anne Riley and am loving it. It started out with a bang then slowed down for a few chapters but after that it picked up and swept me away. I would definitely recommend this novel. Next up is The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder which I'm really looking forward to, and not just because she's...

This picture seemed so appropriate for the last chapter of my novel that I could hardly wait to use it! Finally, last week I was able to as I closed in on The End of my rough draft. It came together beautifully. My characters surprised me a little but in good ways. Even though I write an outline I allow the story to grow organically based on where the characters take it. Now comes the part I like best, editing. No, I'm not crazy (well okay, maybe a little). I think I figured out why I love editing so much. For those who don't know, I'm an outliner. A lot of the kinks, character arcs, plot twists, and subplots are all worked out before I even write the first page. I also write chapter by chapter so there isn't much to flesh out later. I end up cutting more than I add. This makes the editing process a lot easier and a lot faster. I didn't always outline though. I was a pantser (write by the seat of your pants) once and back then it took me 7-12 months to complete an...

This beautiful scene has always put me in the right mood for the novel I wrote last year. Why am I going backward to work on a novel that is finished and edited? Well, because a novel is never truly finished until it is sitting on the bookstore shelves. Last month at the San Diego State Writers' Conference I had an advanced reading session with a fabulous editor who gave me some incredibly helpful feedback. She said that with a bit of fine tuning my manuscript could be great. Sometimes it takes someone with a sharp eye who is completely removed from the manuscript in any emotional way to point out where it needs improvement. That was exactly the case for my manuscript. The fixes were simple things that made me want to smack my forehead and cry out, "why didn't I see that?" So last week for the remainder of my vacation I've been applying the changes Fabulous Editor suggested to my entire novel. It is polished to a high sheen now and I feel really good about it. W...

Once the rough draft of your book is complete you may think the hard part is behind you, you may even think you're done. Think again. Successful editing is the key to a successful book. But then what is the key to successful editing? Ah, there is the catch. It is both simpler than you might think and much harder than you might imagine. The key to successful editing is detachment. It does seem like a simple thing does it not? If you've tried it then you know it is anything but simple. Detaching from their novels is the hardest thing a writer has to do. While creativity is definitely needed you must be practical at this stage. Just like your children, you have to prepare your novel for the hardships of the outside world. This means you have to take a good hard look at it, see where it is weak, and make it stronger. It will sometimes feel perfect just the way it is. Trust me, it isn't. To be truly objective you must distance yourself from it and approach it as though it is...

I'm a big believer in learning to edit your own work because let's face it, life would be so much easier if you could. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a time and place to hire a freelance editor to go over your manuscript. Before I get into that though I'll reveal how I learned to edit my own work and improved it to the point where my agent thought I had used a freelance editor. And even more important, we'll compare the cost of both. Upon the recommendation of a published friend I attended the Hawaii Writers Retreat (formerly the Maui Writers Retreat) in 2008. Before I arrived my instructor sent us some requested reading. It was The First Five Pages  by Noah Lukeman. You probably recall me gushing about how this book altered my writing forever, for the better. At the retreat I studied under bestselling thriller author William Bernhardt . I learned and improved so much that I went back to the retreat in 2009. At the retreat in 2009 I met my wonderful cr...

I hope all my American followers had a safe and fantastic Independence Day this weekend. The holiday had me reflecting upon our freedoms, the freedom of speech in particular. Which, oddly enough, led me to think of researching a novel and deciding what to put in and what not to. I know what you're thinking, why would a fantasy writer be researching a novel? The novel I'm researching for is going to be a sort of young adult historical fantasy. This novel involves a Mariana trench depth of researching. I'm even going so far as to learn another language to help immerse myself into the culture and get the voice for the story just right. When you're writing a story that requires so much research it can end up making your novel too fat. But, having invested so much time and hard work in it you might find it hard to cut unnecessary parts. You may have a tendency to put all that great research in your novel when it isn't needed. Here is an easy tip for what to leave out...

 Knowing when to stop editing and start sending their work out isn't easy for a lot of writers. It wasn't always easy for me. Many writers second guess themselves at every bend in the road to publication and because of it they may linger at the crossroads. Not only have I seen friends of mine caught at this crossroads, I've been caught there myself before. The question is, how do you break the cycle and go down the right road? Or more importantly, how do you know when it's time to take that road to submission? Going it alone without help of any kind will almost always result in taking a left, right, or going back instead of forward. Or worse, it can result in going forward when your manuscript isn't ready. I've been guilty of both. What do you do if you're going it alone as so many writers do? You've heard me say this before, attend conferences, workshps, retreats, any place where you can improve your craft. This will help build your confidence and p...

A friend of mine who hates editing recently asked me what inspires me while I'm editing. It kind of surprised me because I realized I hadn't really thought about it much. Of course I listen to music, a lot of blues and old rock and roll, recently even a little Bob Marley (that could be the spring weather bringing that on!). But I realized at this point in the process is isn't music or pictures so much that keeps me motivated. This bookshelf is what keeps me motivated while editing. It is filled with books that friends of mine have written. Just seeing them sitting on the shelves reminds me that I can do this. It motivates me to be the best I can be so my books can sit next to theirs one day. This shelf reminds me that my goal of becoming published is reachable and that there is a publishing house out there somewhere that will love my work. If you don't have published friends don't worry. Just the anticipation of sending it off to a critique buddy can be enough t...

The last two weeks my inspiration has been all about editing since I'm eyeball deep in it. Don't worry about throwing me a life preserver though, I’m loving the deep water. Editing is my happy place. Sick? Yeah, I know, to most it's a painful process to be dreaded and avoided. But not for me. To me the hard part is out of the way now. Cutting and adding and searching for issues is what I love. My friends tell me I should have been an editor but I'm not sure I'd love it so much if it wasn’t my own work. How is it that I enjoy it so much? I guess I just love the process of improving the work until it shines. From the cutting of adjectives to the correcting of semi-colons and dashes, every part of it brings me a feeling of accomplishment. When you celebrate each stage of the process it makes it much more enjoyable. This week my reading inspiration has been Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins whenever I can steal a moment to read through a few pages. As for music, when I...

Even if you write fiction part of your story is probably based on fact and getting those facts straight is what makes the story believable. You can make a fantasy world as creative as you want but if you screw up the simple stuff readers will always call you on it. My last young adult trilogy was about werewolves. So where are the facts in that you ask? Good question. There are two kinds of facts, actual ones and those you make up. You don't want to get either one wrong. My trilogy was based on four very different cultures that (in my books) migrated to America hundreds of years ago, Romanians, Tibetans, Irish, and Mayans. To accurately portray each culture I had to research each and every one and learn about their history and people. It was a lot of work but it was fascinating and I really enjoyed it. That's what I like to call the facts within the fiction. While Google is a great research tool you have to be careful that the sites you do your research on are reputable. In...

Describing a scene, a person, or an object can make your novel shine or rust. There's a happy medium between describing something just enough to put the reader there and overdoing it to the point where you jolt them out of the novel. It's easy to tell too little and confuse the reader. I've been guilty of this myself. Sometimes when you're rushing too fast to finish the work this can happen. That's okay, as long as you take your edits nice and slow and catch it there. More than one scene in my manuscript will start out being anorexic and I know I'll have to spend extra time on it during one of my many edits. You can go the opposite direction and overwrite a description as well. As a reader I love good description. But if the author goes on for pages where they're just describing the scenery or the weather and nothing is happening, I'll probably close the book. There is the key, something has to be happening. You can describe a grassy meadow the charact...