I've worked with my editor at TN, June Ford, going on four books now. She's a very insightful lady with a real gift for analyzing the pacing of a story. I've learned tons from her about such things as:
1. Eliminating most passive verbs
2. Working with short, salient blocks of description for settings
3. Giving each character a signature--either in their dialog or something in their physical description. A scar on one cheek, a limp, a thick neck, the overuse of a word, etc.
Great stuff.
But one thing I've noticed--and this I find both hilarious and somewhat disturbing--is that we are starting to think alike. Perhaps more accurately, I'm beginning to write and think at times the June does.
Just last night working through a set of edits for Isle of Swords, I came across one of June's notes about a scene where Ross, the roguish but affable pirate, attacks a Spanish Galleon. June suggested that my character Ross would most likely know the Spanish language, but he could test Father Dominguez (a special passenger on Ross's ship) by asking him to translate what the Spaniards are saying. Funny thing was, I had completely fleshed that out in one version of the manuscript--before June had ever said anything about it!
And this was one of many instances where I found myself reading June's mind or vice versa. Scary, eh?
