Melissa West

What are your other hobbies/passions/addictions? Are they inline with writing or on a totally different planet? Me? I have a LOT of premium denim - Seven for all Mankind, True Religion, Citizens of Humanity, etc. I used to be very addicted to denim b/c at heart I am very much a jeans and T gal. At one time I owned around 40 but now I have maybe 15 or so pairs. And don't get me started on shoes...though now that I’m a mom these things have taken a backseat. I buy for my daughter instead. :) I am addicted to skincare/make-up. I worked as a make-up artist at a spa in college as well as for Clinique and loved it. I can recommend a full skincare and make-up routine for practically anyone once I know a little about her skin. I love to cook, which has resulted in my daughter having a fairly advanced palate. She will only eat foods with lots of flavor and depth. I LOVE Top Chef! I'm into yoga, but I've been really bad since editing began. I take at a yoga studio that is amazing! Th...

I feel like some raging fan screaming at a rock concert. I am so over-the-top excited to read this book. I haven't felt this excited since the release of HP 7, which, yes, I waited in line at midnight to get. I read that book the very night I bought it. And then again two days later b/c I thought I might've missed some important detail. I should be embarrassed, I guess, but I'm not. It is EXTREMELY rare for me to read a book more than once. And even more rare for me to read a book more than twice. I have read all HP's at least 4 times. I've read Hunger Games and Catching Fire both twice, and no doubt will re-read them again. I'm not sure what about books conjures this sort of excitement. I will likely have the book read in a few days and will post my opinion. I would love to know yours. I read often, but will rarely post my opinions. Mainly because I am a tough critic and authors have enough of those out there. As writers, I feel if it isn't positive, then f...

So, (have you noticed I start nearly all posts with "so" :)) there are two types of -ing phrasing that can be an issue in writing. It is important to note that BOTH are grammatically correct. What's the problem then? The problem is that writing is about storytelling and good storytelling should be tight. Have you ever heard a story told by a long-winded friend or family member? They go on and on and before long you begin to wonder A - what's the point to this story again and B - when will the story end! This is the issue with -ing phrasing. Again, storytelling should be tight and PPP’s, at least, can lend themselves to very long sentences that make no sense at all. Some are good, but too much can be as bad as over salting french fries - you're ruining them! :) But, I digress. There are two types – gerund (or gerundive if you like to be fancy) phrases and present participial phrases (PPP). What's the difference, you may ask? They are VERY often confused. I rea...

I am working on a final line edit and was curious -- how do most writers line edit? I re-read each chapter and do the following: 1. Smooth out the writing adding anything necessary to make sure it flows correctly. 2. Check for typos. 3. Double check punctuation - though this one is a toughie for me. I'm a firm believer that most writers should go to a comma AA group. My crit group adds comma's to my sub's that I would never dare put there. This is again the drag of my day job. My undergrad was in Communication but specific to business. So, press releases, memos, public speaking, etc. And one of my lit professors despised comma's and I guess it stuck! :) I have to force myself to add them in. 4. Double check for repetitive words. 5. Double check for my overused words - "could" is really my verb of choice, not "was." Then there's the weed "that" and the worm "just." And let's not forget the over use of gestures! Some I ...

Yes, I am super excited to say that I have completed the final revision of my current MS. I am exhausted, mentally and physically but it is done! This was very much a rewrite as opposed to revision. In total, I would say I applied four revisions and this complete rewrite to the book, and oddly enough the word count didn't really move that much. Maybe 2,000 words. So now, it is out with readers and hopefully soon I can begin the grueling query process. Wish me luck! :) M.B.

Mine? This and sites in general. A book (other than my own). There are many, many, many reasons that I can come up with to not write/revise/polish/repeat. So what got me thinking about this topic? I am a busy writing person. I have a critique group that requires 2 chapter reads a week. I have a critique partner (Hi!) that I critique a couple of chapters a week. And also, I have a few people that request that I read/edit for them. This weekend, alone, I critiqued around 60,000 words--all while my parents were in town! So, explain to me exactly why I am unable to edit MY work in that quick of an amount of time? Laziness? Probably. Fear? Definitely. But ya wanna know the real issue here? (And I am betting my favorite pair of 7's that you are the same way. ) The issue is that I am unable to see my work objectively. And I do not mean, that I think my work is fantastic and therefore cannot see the weeds. Oh no, I see lots and lots of weeds. So many so that I spray killer on my work to d...