|
 |
 |
Thursday, 11.20.2008 |
|
| The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction |
![]()
|
|
|
Product Details
Notes
print out your manuscript and mark it up on paper, not on the computer
retype your entire manuscript, you'll find new revisions along the way
try editing another author's published book to practice the skill
remember that you can put back anything you cut, so cut liberally
revision begins even when you first tweak your idea and characters
coming up with a story is only the beginning, refining it is the key
try asking questions:
1) how would the story be told from the opposition's viewpoint?
2) what do you learn about the protagonist from the opposition's viewpoint?
3) what insights do you get about the opposition from their viewpoint?
4) how would the story look from other characters' viewpoints?
5) what happens if you change the setting of one of the scenes?
6) does gender play an important role? what if you switched genders?
7) what if you changed the careers or backgrounds of characters?
the first stage of revision is not grammar, it's big picture theme and structure
think about characters' looks, background, education, and personal quirks
also remember to consider how the characters view each other
review the story from each character's viewpoint, filter it through them
ask these questions:
1) are the characters true to themselves? their personality, opinions, behavior
2) are their actions motivated by events, or are you forcing your own needs?
3) are their goals appropriate to them and the story? are the goals clear?
4) do their physical characteristics and mannerisms remain consistent?
5) do they say things that fit their character? can you recognize their words?
6) is the viewpoint consistent? do characters know things they can't see?
read dialogue aloud, or have someone else do it so you can hear the sound
use contractions in dialogue when they would be more natural speech
use "said" instead of fancy attribution tags, or skip the tags if it's clear already
don't overuse adverbs, show the emotions through words and actions, don't tell
use beats if there's a lot of dialogue to add brief pauses with action
more questions to ask during editing:
1) what are you trying to accomplish with a particular scene?
2) does the scene serve the intended purpose?
3) are things moving too slowly? is the tension weak?
4) is the dialogue being used to explain or provide background story?
5) are all the scenes appropriate to this story? are there unnecessary tangents?
the protagonist can be different than the viewpoint character
think about each character's viewpoint, which one would be most interesting?
if a character does something "out of character", set it up early using backstory
usually it's better to introduce the skill or hint sooner rather than later
don't tell the reader about background right at the time of crisis
that will sound contrived, but if it's introduced early, it seems natural
you don't even need the actual character in the scene where the hint is placed
you can have other characters find something or talk about something to hint
contemporary readers don't have much time to read
they may also take long breaks between chapters
so they want a story that is easy to pick back up and get back into easily
also some people may listen to audiobooks while driving
this is one reason flashbacks are less common, they require more attention
revision is often needed on the big picture level of the entire story
this is where synoptic reading can help you with overall arrangement
this is different than critical reading of a particular scene, for grammar, etc.
ask yourself if the reader knows enough background at every stage
think about whether to reveal background as a scene or through dialogue
be careful not to let subplots overwhelm the main story
map out what the reader knows or believes as the story progresses
it's usually better to have one long flashback than many short ones
consider the purpose of every scene in the following ways:
1) is there conflict in the scene? something to force a character into action?
2) does the scene further character development or change?
3) does the character consider the events important? is the narrator interested?
4) is the reader wondering what's going to happen next? is there tension?
5) can you make a scene stronger by adding or taking away action or dialogue?
6) does the pacing feel right? is it too slow or too fast?
surprises are important, but so is the manner in which they are discovered
they should seem inevitable to the reader, because of careful setup and hints
the opening doesn't have to have action, but it must draw the reader in
your unique voice and style should come through from the beginning
make sure you show a scene with emotions, not just telling it
sometimes what you think will grab the reader is not what really works
the opening should set the tone for the story and introduce questions
allow your theme to resonate through the opening, even if it's subtle
don't worry about overdescribing the setting unless it's key to the action
see if you can make your words serve multiple purposes
maybe they can outline the action and hint at the underlying themes
watch out for anachronisms, like using modern words while describing the past
if a scene is set in the past, some words didn't exist yet, or were used differently
also culture and society were different, so accuracy is key with any history
authors will argue that they were trying to do things a certain way
but remember that the author will not be there with the reader
so all the reader has to go on are the words themselves, without explanations
most writers who resist editors don't get published, you need the right mindset
the first draft is the raw idea, the idea should be big enough to cut and refine
try removing each scene and see if it changes anything, if it's really necessary
check the length and pacing of each scene, is it too long or too slow?
look for minor characters that serve no purpose, or can be combined
check the subplots and make sure they tie in properly and are resolved
the story is not about the events, but about the events' impact on people
do your characters have an interesting past and a developed personality?
do any flashbacks flow naturally from the events in the story?
are the characters introduced at the right time? should it be earlier or later?
see if there's extraneous dialogue that is redundant, or useless events
dialogue should advance the plot and/or provide character development
look for "said bookisms" where the word "said" is replaced with another word
also watch out for any adverbs on the word "said", such as "said angrily"
see if the dialogue is true to the character, their speech patterns and vocab
look for any scenes where the characters are "talking heads" without context
read the dialogue aloud, see if it sounds natural, use contractions
listen to the vowels, the alliteration and rhyme, and the rhythm of the words
see if your characters each sound different, if their voices are unique
visualize the scene and see if the setting is captured, and the characters
watch out for long blocks of description that pause or slow down the pace
make sure the description and setting have a purpose, they add something
go through all your senses and see if you can add anything to the scene
note that the sense of smell is the most powerful spur to memory
watch out for brief descriptions of characters, like when they are introduced
if they are important, they need more description, otherwise they need less
if you use an actual place as setting, make sure it's completely accurate
verify your facts, but don't let your research bog down the story itself
give your readers credit for knowing and understanding without explanation
don't tell emotions, show character reactions, or let the dialogue show it
maintain the correct point of view when describing emotions or observations
see if your language, tone, style and manner are consistent with the genre
read the entire manuscript aloud and listen to punctuation, rhythm and sound
looking at the big picture, is this the story you wanted to tell?
what's missing from your main purpose or idea? what's been overdone?
does the ending flow naturally from everything that comes before?
make a chart tracing each story line, subplot, and peripheral incidents
see if things are resolved, or if they need to be cut, or left hanging on purpose
style is about finding the exact right word, not just one that's close enough
subject matter is also a stylistic choice, most writers come back to similar issues
you bring some of yourself to the book because you write what matters to you
style is why people read all the previous books by a bestselling author
change words for meaning, to avoid repetition, or for sound
untrained readers might say a novel feels flat, that's because of the language
maybe they can't say why it doesn't work, but they sense it subconsciously
if a reader says a novel feels slow, there might be unnecessary scenes
modern readers are used to faster pace, movies, TV, internet, quick clips
readers may skim long paragraphs, especially of description, use whitespace
in general, most sentences shouldn't be longer than 12 words
paragraphs should generally be less than 8-9 lines
chapters should typically be no more than 18-20 pages
look for the element of surprise, make sure conflicts can't be resolved too easily
ideally it will look like there's no way out, but the answer will make sense
the ending will feel inevitable even though the reader didn't think of it before
think about when characters meet and encounter obstacles, timing is key
sometimes you can make early conflicts part of a subplot
this lulls the reader into a false sense of security, without being fake
it gives the beginning enough interesting action, but doesn't give away too much
in a mystery, clues must be presented fairly, the reader hates stupid tricks
not all genre traditions have to be followed, but break rules with a good reason
the most important thing is to see if your vision was captured in the end
did you have a unified voice throughout, and is the story compelling overall?
during revision, look for fresh ways to create imagery and describe things
be creative with similes and metaphors, but don't get too flowery
don't use cliches, and avoid comparisons that draw too much attention
question the words and images you've chosen, are they precise?
the last step is copyediting, fixing basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation
what do the phrases and attitudes in your book say about you or your characters
this author says that editors don't really notice passive verbs that much
if the words sound right, you don't have to follow every single rule
but strong, active verbs are often better, especially when showing actions
remove modifiers like adverbs and adjectives and improve verbs and nouns
look at your pronouns, are they all clear? do they refer to the correct person?
be specific when describing important things, otherwise keep it moving
look for unnecessary words, try removing "suddenly" and see if it still works
also remove "almost," "truly," "practically," and similar useless words
watch out for other redundant words, like "nod in agreement," or "whisper softly"
use "which" correctly, most of the time it should be replaced with "that"
overall, this book was kinda slow, i prefer The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman |
|
|
