Most stories see multiple edits and revisions before making it to the book shelf. It can be a bit intimidating to offer your work to a critique partner or to trust your editor’s advice. But if you want your book to succeed, you have to face the music first.
1)Don’t be afraid of the delete button.
Every scene must have a purpose. Ask why? If it is not moving the story along, you need to consider getting rid of it. Look for red herrings in your scenes. Every scene must have a focus. I have come to places in my story that don’t fit. I read and reread, sometimes highlighting the different topics in different colors, until I figure out why it doesn’t work. It’s usually because I’ve tried to cover too many themes or ideas in one scene. Time to weed out those unessential thoughts.
Watch out for wordiness. Every scene must get to the point. We don’t need to know every movement involved in answering the door. Unless you are purposefully using more details to some effect like slowing down the pace, “he answered the door” will generally suffice.
Everything needs to fit. When you run across
a phrase or a scene that doesn’t work and you
try every which way to fit it in, only to find it is
still a misplaced puzzle piece, sometimes the
only option is to get rid of it.
2) Don’t be afraid of advice.
Listen to and weigh carefully all feedback. The reason you hand your manuscript to someone else, is to get another pair of eyes on it, to see what you can’t see because you’re too close to it.Take the good and leave the bad. If several people are pointing out the same problem with your story, there’s a good chance, it’s spot on. If only one person sees something, do not immediately toss it. If it really bothers you, set it aside for a day or two then go back at it. The perspective of another day is clarifying.
Grow thick skin. Not everyone will be nice about their critique. That doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Even when someone is nice, it is easy to allow hurt feelings. Surround yourself with people who encourage you, but not in exchange for cheap feedback. If you want your story to be better, you need to listen to the tough stuff as well as the accolades.
Know your voice. Once you’ve determined that a certain piece of advice is on track with what needs to change, make the changes in such a way that stays true to your voice.
Apply yourself well to edits, then not only will you have a stronger story, you will be a stronger writer. (Tweet this)
Join me today on Debra L Butterfield’s website where I will be featured on her author spotlight. (tweet this)
photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net // Stuart Miles // Salvatore Vuono
