Leslie A. Rasmussen is the award-winning author of the novel, After Happily Ever After and The Stories We Cannot Tell. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA. She went on to write television comedies for Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey, as well as The Wild Thornberrys and Sweet Valley High. After leaving the business to raise her boys, she obtained a master’s degree in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years. Recently, she’s written over twenty essays for Huffington Post, and Maria Shriver, and spoken on panels discussing empowering women in midlife and other women's issues. You can also hear her on NPR talking about her latest book.

Leslie is a member of The Writers Guild of America, as well as Women In Film and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. In her free time, Leslie loves to read, exercise, and hang out with friends. She lives in Southern California and is married and has two sons. Leslie is hard at work on her next novel.

SHOW NOTES:

Can you tell us about your novel?

Can you describe your Writing Process?

What advice do you have for writers?

Can you describe your television writing experience and talk about how similar or different it is to writing a novel?

What are you working on next?

What have you learned the hard way in terms of publishing and writing a book(s)?

LINKS:

Website: https://www.lesliearasmussen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslierauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesliearasmussenauthor

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey https://www.donnanormancarbone.com

You’ve heard it said that a first draft anyone writes is a story they tell themselves. Seldom, if ever, is the first draft ready for any reader’s eyes, especially not an agent or publisher. So, how do you get a draft ready to be read by anyone besides the writer? This is where editing and revision comes in. This episode addresses various stages and techniques for piecing your manuscript into a cohesive whole.

SHOW NOTES:

“The difference between a published writer and an unpublished one might be their ability to revise.” Courtney Maum

Stages of editing:

Development/Content

Copy/Line edit

Proofreading

Put distance between yourself & your manuscript before beginning the revision process.

Methods of revision:

Notecards

Creating a beat sheet

The Backwards Outline (nod to Jeni Chapelle, editor)

Backwards vs. forward editing/outlining

Storyboarding

Color-coding problem scenes: showing, telling, dialogue (for example)

Nuts and bolts:

Structure (3 or 5)

Word count

Cutting

Crutch words & echoes

Cliches

Passive Voice

Showing vs. telling

Every scene must have a purpose

Working with a Critique Partner:

Develop a list of questions (focusing on problem points)

SOURCES & LINKS:

“Getting it Right: Learning to Revise,” Before and After the Book Deal, Courtney Maum (process and methods, such as writing groups and critique partners)

Save the Cat Writes A Novel, Jessica Brody (structure)

Story Genius and Wired for Story, Lisa Cron (structure and character development)

The Thesaurus Collection by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi (showing vs. telling)

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression

The Conflict Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus…

Launch Pad: The Countdown to Writing Your Book, Emma Dhesi, Grace Sammon

(finishing touches)

On Writing, Stephen King (2nd half: on making writing concise)

DO NOW:

TRY at least one of the revision methods you learned today; see if that helps your story come together more fluidly.

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey https://www.donnanormancarbone.com

Join us as we interview Jill Hannah Anderson, author of four novels:A Life Unraveled, Crazy Little Town Called Love, and The To-Hell-And-Back Club and, her most recent, Closer to Home released in March. Jill shares her journey to publication, discusses the differences between writing and publishing each of her novels, research and her experience as a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA).

SOURCES & LINKS:

https://jillhannahanderson.com

FB: Jill Hannah Anderson

IG: @jillh.anderson

For complete Show Notes, visit our website

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey https://www.donnanormancarbone.com