Yep, I've done the That-ectomy, a Had-ectomy, and oh-lord-have-mercy, a Reached out-ectomy. You should see the bruise on my forehead from banging my head against the desk. Amazing how you write something, let it sit for a while and then go back and read it and end up wondering "What was I doing??" Why write, "Katie pulled the door closed behind her," instead of "Katie closed the door?" I've also utilized susiej's Contractions Are Our Friends advice (unless, of course, they're the childbirth kind of contractions in which case they're not our friends but pure, unadulterated evil.)
Still working on the query letter, but since I've gone back to the manuscript to kill, maim and otherwise disfigure 20,000 words it might be a while before I give it my best shot. But I'll certainly be asking y'all's advice when I do!
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