A Surprise in the Mail!

Look what I got in the mail today:



What is that, you ask?
I asked myself the same question.
And then I remembered.
It's that book! The one about revising. The one that has a whole chapter devoted to how I revised the first chapter of Julia's Kitchen.
I'm not kidding when I say I had forgotten all about this book. I think it was four years ago when I gave Sandy Asher some drafts of my first chapter and answered her questions about the revision process.

A lot has happened since then.

I was a little scared to read the chapter about me. I wondered if I'd said anything embarrassing. It turns out I did, but it was just one thing. One teeny tiny thing. One thing I plan to forget all about. Obviously, I'm good at forgetting.

Writing it Right is an excellent book, one that should not be forgotten at all! It shows how 20 children's book authors (of picture books, short stories, and novels) tackle revision. There are examples of early drafts, middle drafts, and published versions, so you can see the progress the author made. Sandy Asher offers up wonderful commentary on what is missing in the earlier drafts and how the author fixed things in the later drafts. She frames it all in terms of nine essential questions writers should be asking as they revise. There are also interviews with the authors, a few editors, a manuscript consultant, and an agent. Lots of wisdom to share.

I really believe this would be an excellent book for anyone interested in learning more about revision. But don't take my word for it. Look at what all these experts are saying! You can purchase the book at the Writer's Bookstore.