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Saturday, 07.31.2010 |
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| Self-Editing for Fiction Writers |
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Product Details
Notes
CHAPTER 1 - SHOW AND TELL
what makes a scene a scene? it takes place in real time, events unfold
scenes have settings, they contain action, something happens or is said
scenes are harder to write than narration, so writers sometimes get lazy
the opening is usually better as a scene than as narrative summary
try to convert exposition about background story into mini-scenes
rather than giving broad background, write a specific detail that reveals more
when writing about historical past, show it happening rather than telling
narrative summary is useful when you want to vary the rhythm and texture
use it to break up lots of quick scenes, or to summarize similar scenes
that lets you create more contrast and let the most important scene stand out
don't tell how characters feel, show their reaction or let the reader feel it
resist the urge to explain emotions, let the reader experience them
a common mistake is to repeat the emotion in telling, even though it's obvious
the same applies to object descriptions, don't be obvious, notice details instead
allow for some ambiguity and let the reader come to their own conclusions
make sure major events or plot twists are told in scenes, not in summary
don't describe the feelings of characters, let it come through their actions
CHAPTER 2 - CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPOSITION
don't go into elaborate detail when introducing a character
you don't have to cover their entire history and psychoanalyze them
too much description slows down the story, get into the action
just give a few concrete details on the character, then expand later
let the reader get to know your character slowly, reveal background over time
the personality of a character will come through their actions and dialogue
don't do a character summary, let the reader grow to understand the character
let a character be characterized by others, by their statements or reactions
show a character's view of the world rather than your view of the character
give readers only as much background as they need at any given time
break up long blocks of nonfiction explanation into bits in a scene as needed
watch out for dialogue that is really just exposition in disguise
don't use interior monologue to have a character think about everyday life
CHAPTER 3 - POINT OF VIEW
third person is a continuum, depending on the choice of words and syntax
it's closer if you use the words the character would, based on personality
or you can add distance by using more formal words of a distinct narrator
the same event can be described differently by different viewpoint characters
in general, it's better to be more intimate, speak from the character's view
this helps to create more believable and engaging characters
give your description personality and color by infusing the character's mood
let the description reveal more about the character who's narrating
use impersonal narrative distance if you want to focus more on action
or if your viewpoint character is minor and you don't want to draw attention
be conscious and maintain control of your narrative distance
establish point of view quickly, in the first sentence if possible
it takes a little time for the reader to settle into the emotional connection
if you need to change viewpoint in the middle of a chapter, use a line break
you can also decrease narrative distance to increase tension in a scene
the viewpoint can become more and more personal leading to a big event
CHAPTER 4 - PROPORTION
this is how much time you spend on various elements
don't spend too much time on an insignificant character or event
look for a balance of action, suspense, thrills and pauses
don't overdo the technical explanations, again the key is balance
this doesn't mean that every detail has to advance the plot
but philosophical asides should reveal more about the narrator's character
subplots should resonate with the main plot
background info should make the fictional world more three-dimensional
in general, digressions should harmonize with the story in some way
try to forget your writing for a bit, then read it like a reader for the first time
notice what appeals to you, what interests you and what holds your attention
if most of what interests you doesn't advance the plot, maybe the plot is wrong
ideally you want to cut the uninteresting stuff and still have a solid flowing plot
be careful writing about pet interests, you may spend too much time on them
use proportion to your advantage, spend less time on clues so they surprise
also take into account the interest level of the viewpoint character who narrates
if they would pay more attention to details, then describe them, otherwise don't
make sure important characters get the most stage time
but don't let readers guess a surprise ending by a character who is too obvious
also spend more time on locations if they play a major role later
look at your favorite topics and see if they would appeal to other readers
CHAPTER 5 - DIALOGUE MECHANICS
if the dialogue shows the character's emotions, don't explain any more
don't tell the reader who a character feels, let them infer it from their words
the way we react under strong emotion reveals a lot about our character
so let your characters react according to their unique personalities
if the dialogue is clear, don't use unnecessary adverbs after the word "said"
use "said" most of the time, but don't start a paragraph of dialogue with it
start with dialogue, then put the attribution at the first natural break
if it's a long paragraph of dialogue, put the attribution early, like after two words
put the character's name before, not after the "said", it's more modern
don't overuse beats of action in place of speaker attributions, find a balance
use ellipses to show a trailing off in speech, and dashes to show interruption
start a new paragraph whenever you have a new speaker
search for any emotion near dialogue and incorporate it into the dialogue
try dropping speaker attributions and see if it's still clear who's talking
CHAPTER 6 - SEE HOW IT SOUNDS
dialogue needs to be more compressed and focused than real speech
but don't make it too formal, use contractions and sentence fragments
sometimes connect two sentences with a comma instead of a period
this flows more naturally like real life, rather than overly formal or academic
also don't put exposition in dialogue, real people don't explain so much
choose simpler words for dialogue, not long fancy words that would be written
use the screenwriter's method of misdirection, answering indirectly
so one character says something, and another responds about a related topic
allow characters to misunderstand each other once in a while
or maybe they can catch each other lying sometimes, or exaggerate or disagree
read dialogue aloud so it's easier to notice unnatural words or stiffness
also try recording yourself reading and then listen back later on
try reading all the lines by a specific character and notice their personality
read your entire manuscript aloud to detect problems in rhythm and sound
CHAPTER 7 - INTERIOR MONOLOGUE
interior monologue allows you to express thoughts that no movie can show
but many beginners overuse it rather than showing thoughts through action
don't interrupt dialogue with too much interior monologue, let the words speak
use interior monologue to show things the character is trying to hide
like when they don't want to say something outright, but they are thinking it
don't use quotes with interior monologue or thoughts
also don't let characters mumble to themselves or speak under their breath
that will tend to feel like a contrivance, use thoughts instead
use thinker attributions only when your narrative distance is large
but don't use attributions like "he thought" unless the thinker is unclear
sometimes you can use first person thought in a third person narrative
but this can sound like a gimmick unless you're careful
usually it's better to keep the thought in third person with no attribution
try not to use italics unless you have to and it's a short sentence or two
if it's a longer passage of interior monologue, put it in its own paragraph
the best method is to be subtle, integrate the thought with the narrative
if you have too much interior monologue, maybe it should be actual scenes
if you don't have enough, try delving deeper into the character motivations
CHAPTER 8 - EASY BEATS
beats are the stage business, the little actions interspersed in a scene
beats allow you to vary the pace of dialogue, but sometimes they slow it down
don't get carried away with nice sounding beats, keep the dialogue moving
also don't use beats to convey emotions or explain anything that's evident
describing every bit of action limits the reader's imagination
beats allow your readers to picture your dialogue taking place
define the details of action without overdefining it and slowing down the pace
during a high tension scene, keep the beats to a minimum for faster pace
if it's more quiet conversation, use beats to allow pauses and slower pace
when dialogue changes emotional direction, use a beat to separate
like when a character says something, then suddenly changes their mind
read your dialogue aloud to get a feel for the rhythm and pauses
don't just think about where to place a beat, think about the content of it
the words in the beat should reveal more about the character or situation
watch out for cliche beats, come up with interesting unusual actions
watch people in real life and look for unusual motions, reactions or gestures
pay attention to beats while you read, what do characters do in between talking
sometimes you want to deliberately pause with a beat before a revelation
CHAPTER 9 - BREAKING UP IS EASY TO DO
watch out for long paragraphs that run more than half a page in length
paragraphing more frequently makes your writing more engaging
it can also add tension, and readers' eyes move down the page quicker
especially with dialogue, white space adds more snap and momentum
thrillers commonly have shorter paragraphs, but don't overdo it
a page-turner is good, but it's better to vary the pace and include pauses
sometimes you want a long paragraph to setup the reader for a big twist
the reader can be lulled into a slower pace, then a quiet surprise can happen
a short sentence or paragraph can provide a powerful ending with resonance
in real life, most people can't say lots of sentences without being interrupted
so if a character has a long monologue, let others interrupt them occasionally
you can also let a character interrupt themselves, if they think of something
that's more natural than a long speech that sounds totally thought out
sometimes it's appropriate for a character to give a speech, but be aware of this
just like paragraphs, vary the length of scenes and chapters for pacing
flip through your manuscript without reading it and just notice white space
if there are sections that seem to drag, try paragraphing more
CHAPTER 10 - ONCE IS USUALLY ENOUGH
watch out for repetition of effects or overall ideas
examples are two sentences that convey the same information
or two paragraphs that establish the same personality trait
or two characters who fill the same role in the plot
a writer can miss these because they're too close to their story
repetition can also stem from a lack of confidence, making sure the reader got it
this is related to the idea of showing not telling, let the reader form impressions
conveying an emotion or situation in two ways usually weakens the effect
if one description is cliche, it takes away from the unusual description
brand names can be used for characterization, but don't overdo them
watch out for repeated words in close proximity, think of synonyms
especially when the repeated word isn't used in the same sense as the original
you can use repetition intentionally for effect, if it provides deeper insight
try to have your words and scenes do more than one thing
maybe they expose a plot detail and also reveal deeper character traits
it's better to create an effect once and do it well, than to repeat it for emphasis
don't let a character experience the same thing more than once, like sickness
sometimes secondary characters are added for comic relief, but they're cliche
one of the keys is to always be aware of what you're trying to do
and see if the words, sentences, and paragraphs accomplish this effectively
if you're achieving an effect in more than one way, which one is the strongest?
CHAPTER 11 - SOPHISTICATION
avoid stylistic constructions like verbs with "-ing" or phrases that start with "As"
basically these are actions that are weakened in a dependent clause
it's like combining two action sentences into one, separated by a comma
this is often when you are trying to say that both things happened at once
try to separate these into consecutive actions to bring the reader closer
usually you can rewrite the comma with "and" instead to connect things
look for more creative verbs to replace the normal dull ones
especially look for weak verbs with adverbs and replace them with strong verbs
think about using commas to separate sentences within dialogue
this might flow more naturally than periods, which pause longer
whenever possible, avoid emphasis quotes (quotes around a single word)
avoid frequent exclamation points and italics, lean toward the subtle
also don't overuse flowery poetic figures of speech, they detract from the ideas
sex scenes are often better with a subtle approach to engage the imagination
profanity is also overused nowadays, so be subtle and moderate the amount
the goal is to produce writing that appears effortless, through much effort
CHAPTER 12 - VOICE
the goal is a strong, distinctive, authoritative writing voice
the trick to bringing out your natural voice is to not concentrate on it
your style should serve the story, the goal is to engage the reader
when you feel the urge to be poetic, make sure it's a poetic moment in the story
look for the key turning points in a character's experience to be more poetic
don't keep up the flowery prose for too long, that is the author, not the character
also don't go in and out of elevated prose, use the effect only at key points
make note of all the places in your manuscript that seem to ring or resonate
read all the best parts and pay attention to your natural voice at its best
now make note of all the places where the writing doesn't work, it falls flat
try to analyze them and figure out what's different from the writing that works
if the writing is flat, see if the sentence structure is too similar throughout
if the writing feels vague or abstract, try adding more specific details and names
if the writing feels too obvious, look for redundant explanations in the words
if the writing is forced or awkward, read it aloud and note tiny changes in voice
pay attention to each character's voice as well, they should all be distinctive
read aloud all the lines by a particular character in a row to hear their voice |
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