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It. Leave It Alone
(Rewriting
Your Manuscript Without Committing Murder)
By
Cass Andre
© 2000 Cass Andre
I have
never been more inspired as when I hear how many rewrites
a classic or best selling author makes before their work
is complete. And to think, I expected their books were
produced in absolute perfection. Not so. Everyone must
rewrite. Whether it's the entire book, one page, one
paragraph, or one sentence, no story is written in stone
the first time around. But how much is too much?
Ask
yourself this:
Do you
rewrite your entire manuscript for every suggestion
you're given?
Do you
line edit, yet again, based on a POV slip on page
302?
Have
you spent more time "fixing" a manuscript
than it took to write it?
If so, you
may have committed murder. While rewrites are essential,
there's also the danger of over-writing and overkill. My
suggestion? Get away from the scene of the crime
immediately. Find a new victim. Or better yet, write a
new book.
There
comes a point in every story where the book is as good as
it's going to get before it starts taking the downward
plunge. So, what suggestions do you use? What revisions
are necessary?
Here
are a few tips:
DO NOT make changes you do not
agree with. If your critique partner has more
experience or has been writing longer than you, that
doesn't necessarily mean they're always right. If her
suggestion is a "rule," check it out. Make
sure you understand and agree before applying it to
your work.
DO NOT revise because of a
rejection letter. Especially if it's a form letter.
DO NOT revise because of low
scores in a contest.
DO NOT revise because your mother
thinks your heroine's name rhymes with the name of a
girl she hated in high-school. In other words if we
rewrite our manuscripts at the smallest criticism or
recommendation, we'll work the life right out of
them. Someone will always want something changed.
Always.
DO get a critique partner.
DO get more than one critique
partner. Ask one to focus on sentence structure and
the nuts and bolts. Have another focus on the story
and characters. (Note: This needn't be a writer. A
reader who isn't afraid to voice what they really
think will do just fine.)
DO revise to music (classical
pieces, ballads, etc.). Mellow music will slow your
reading pace during rewrites. It's hard to rush
through a chapter when a slow tempo is playing in the
background.
DO take every suggestion into
account. Just as you have to sort through what you
don't agree with, you also have to open yourself up
to accepting suggestions. Most critiques are
well-meaning. If your critique partner is good with
pacing and advises you to quicken the pace in a
scene, her advice will more than likely improve your
work.
Here's a
few more tips on how you can break down the chore of
revisions by dividing your rewrites into two sections:
TECHNICAL
REVISIONS:
This is punctuation, sentence structure, and techniques.
1)
Spell check. We all know about this one. Use it.
2) Do
a search for suggestions that have been made to you
in the past.
Example:
in one of my manuscripts it was pointed out that
my characters lifted their gazes quite often.
That's one of the first things I check for now.
3) Do
a search for misused words that you tend to use and
over look.
Example:
"shined" instead of "shone",
"it's" that should be "its".
4)
Search for words that we all tend to use. Eliminate
as many as possible.
Example:
"was", adverbs (ly words), and
"felt".
5)
Read your manuscript out of order. When you're
reading out of order you're not emotionally involved
with the story. Therefore, it's easier to catch the
little mistakes that usually slip by.
REVISING
THE STORY AND CONTENT:
This is characterization, pacing, dialogue and all the
things that manipulate a reader's emotions.
1) Do
your first revision on the computer. At this point
you're checking for everything that stops you from
reading.
2) In
the second revision, incorporate your critique
partners suggestions. This is not a complete
read-through. Skip straight to the pages their advice
applies to.
3)
Perfect your first three chapters. You're going to
send these out while you finish polishing up your
manuscript.
4)
Print up a hard copy of the manuscript. You'll be
amazed at everything you didn't catch on the screen.
Many writers also like to read aloud. I do both.
5) The
final read. On the computer, read the second to the
last chapter first, and proceed backward to chapter
one. After chapter one, read your final chapter.
Reading this way you'll be amazed at how obvious the
characters' growth is. Weak development will wave red
flags and inconsistencies jump out at you.
All
together you will have read your manuscript four times.
But you've been thorough. You've touched on everything.
Your book is done.
Write
it. Revise it. Leave it alone.
Now when
this masterpiece is requested it's ready to go out. You
won't have to stop the process on your current work in
progress to revise the requested one.
With every
book we get better. Every sentence becomes stronger. Our
characters grow deeper. We understand exactly what we're
doing and when we're doing it. If you're on manuscript
number five, and realize that you have a slew of know-how
to add to number one, ask yourself: Is number one really
worth saving? Can it be made better or will you be
killing it? Or would it be more beneficial to take your
knowledge, your growth, and apply it to a new work
completely?
Yes,
revisions are essential, but too many can lead to a
manuscript's demise. Don't be guilty of this crime:-)
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