For/From Indie Authors: Judi Coltman

Raised in an affluent suburb of Detroit, Judi Coltman grew up in a female heavy household with an urban sense of "normal." Coltman attended Michigan State University, majoring in Journalism until a professor requested she switch majors - "Apparently making a story better with added features isn't acceptable in the news world," Coltman laments.

With a BA in English from Northern Illinois University, Coltman has written for local, regional and national publications.  Most recently, Coltman has been writing a weekly blog called, "My Life in a Nutshell," from where her book material was born. Coltman lives in northern Illinois and is working on her second book.

Advice: 

• Put yourself inside your characters head. Look at movements, conversation, observations as if you were the person you are writing about. How would he/she handle waiting in line at the check out counter? What would they buy? Get to know them on a personal level that has nothing to do with the story to get a fair view of how they behave within your story. 
• Read your work out loud. Yes, you will feel stupid but if it doesn't flow verbally, it won't flow on paper either. What you believe is good writing, may be a mouth full of garble when read aloud. 
• Walk away for a few weeks. Revisit it when you have a fresh pair of eyes and a new outlook. Then, rewrite if you are so moved. You'll know instantly when you revisit whether it needs rewriting or not. 

Links: 
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