Free Critique Response

I already received my Inspiration for Writers Critique back from editor and author Rhonda Browning White. Talk about punctual! Below are a few of the things I learned from this critique that I want to pass on:

1) Most publishers prefer the first line of each chapter be flush with the margin (so no indent). This goes for prologues, forwards, epilogues, everything.

2) To edit passive voice in your story, just to a search on words like were, was, there are, there were and because. Sentences with any of these words in it will either be passive or tend towards passive voice. We want active sentences - they are stronger and more powerful.

3) There are a few words that we often use in American English writing that are only appropriate in British English writing. (This was totally news to me!) Rhonda changed every backwards, forwards and towards to backward, forward and toward. There is no "s" on these words in American English...something I'd never thought about.

4) Whenever you make some sort of phonetic sound in dialogue, you use what Rhonda called the "Rule of Three." "Eeek!" or "Oooh." Three letters in repetition to get the sound across.

On really positive note, Rhonda liked my writing a lot! Below are some things she had to say that just blessed my heart to read:

"The prologue to your novel reads very well: it’s short, succinct and grabs my attention—all crucial factors to attracting an agent and publisher."

"Your writing is of high caliber...."

So yay! Rhonda also said that romantic suspense is in demand these days, and that my book would have a better-than-average chance of getting published once it's ready for submission.