Guest Blogger Nora Weston w/Contest!

Hi Everyone! Please join me in welcoming my guestblogger today Nora Weston!

Guest Blog:

Writer and Editor: One Head-Two Hats
The act of writing, whether it's poetry, a short story, or a novel is an exhilarating blast to the brain...a true rush that can easily devour six hours and make it feel like six seconds. If you enjoy writing, then I know you know exactly how that feels. After many months of creative energy going into my “baby,” at long last...I type the final word letting out a sigh of relief, and rest with a smile on my face.
I allow that smile to linger for about three seconds, close the file, and then I toss my writer's hat into a wall. Usually, I allow...at the very least, a few weeks to pass before I begrudgingly place my editor's hat on. I love writing, but editing is a tedious task that requires huge amounts of patience, and it must be done before a publisher sees the end result of my project.
“Oh, come on...,” you say. “How much of a difference does editing make anyway? Don't publishers have professional editors?”
Sure, publishers do have professional editors, but they will not rewrite your story or fix every typo they come upon. Publishers expect a clean manuscript, so editing is an absolute must if you want to get published.
For example, in Guardian 2632, which is a Sci-Fi adventure/romance, time travel is a major part of the plot. Originally, Chapter one began in the year 2489 with a tragedy on the spaceship Alliance, which had docked at Naissance Portal 1/Miyamoto Crater, Mars. Zane Grayson, the protagonist, in the year 2632, was illegally time surfing in order to find clues about the incident from the past. Time travel and how it came about at Guardian TMF (time monitoring facility) was discussed in chapter three. It came off reading like a history lesson...no action and no dialogue.
While I was wearing my writer's hat, that was fine; however, to the horror of my editor's eyes...it all had to be killed. Deleted forever...I then had to rework Guardian 2632. This meant using Guardian TMF's history as a means to bring a prologue to life with characters, action, and dialogue. That edit made me realize everything in Guardian 2632 that read like my high school history book, had to be assassinated as well. A killing spree of approximately 7500 words occurred, but from the ashes Captain John Paul Jones, aboard the ship Bonhomme Richard, arose to argue with Captain Richard Pearson aboard the British ship H.M. S. Serapis on September 23, 1779. A time traveling mission to aid Alexander the Great, at the Battle of Gaugamela, also replaced a scene that was all tell...no show.
Therefore, when that sigh of relief has filtered through your lips and you shove your writer's hat to the floor because your masterpiece, your baby is complete, remember to rest that brain and gather energy. Then, put on your editor's hat and have it. You'll be glad you did.
What have you done, not as a writer, but as your own editor to improve your work? I write...a lot, and then edit. Do you edit as you go along? Feel free to share your tips.
Thanks for visiting!


Guardian 2632:
Dr. Zane Grayson, the most accomplished executive director Guardian TMF has ever seen, is breaking the law…his law against time surfing. Zane has the supreme power, in 2632, to decide which paradoxes in time need altered, or deleted, but he’s frustrated. Something, or someone, is missing from his life.
Time surfing in illegal time zones is the rush Zane can’t live without. As addictive as the Martian dust called kilred, time surfing becomes Zane’s obsession. And knowing full well if caught by the Elite Guardians, he’ll suffer an unwelcome death by Time Mercs, Zane still dives deep into trouble. Soon, he discovers a mission in 2035 left him trapped in a timehole. This timehole places him in Pittsburgh, PA in 1998, instead of home. In Pittsburgh, Zane strolls into a coffee shop to see the bewitching Julia Emerson. From that point on, his life spirals out of control as he fights to protect what he loves most.
It’s possible Zane’s future is no longer in 2632…but actually in 1998. Guardian 2632 reveals what a man will sacrifice to save a life. This is the amazing story of Dr. Zane Grayson.
Guardian 2632 is for adults. It’s comparable to a movie rating of “R,” due to violence, language, and adult situations.


Email: noraweston.nw@gmail.com

Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/

Noracast: http://noraweston.wordpress.com/

Purchase Links: http://www.melange-books.com/

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guardian2632-511666-141.html

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcCg1wY60YQ

Contest: Simply leave a comment (and your email) to be entered to win either a small journal + pen that features Guardian 2632's cover, or a poster of the cover. Both are great prizes for Sci-Fi fans. Two winners will be randomly chosen. Good luck!