James Scott Bell over at The Kill Zone has a great post here on what you need to do with your manuscript to make it the best it can be before you submit. They’re good, straightforward suggestions from somebody who knows what he’s talking about, and I was pretty pleased to see that most of the suggestions are ones I follow. You’d think I’d be a whole lot happier with my work.
Anyway, check it out and tell me: What do you think of the suggestions? Which ones do you regularly follow? Do you have any other suggestions?
I'm on my way to check it out, thanks for the link! I love his book about plotting. And you should be happy with your writing, I think it's great!!
ReplyDeleteThat was a good post. I just commented on it. I recently joined a critique group, and two members told me to add back story. It didn't sit well with me, and now I know I'm right to keep it full of action. My favorite advice is to make every word count.
ReplyDeleteI think I pretty much cover all the 9 in my women's fiction but for my Regencies it's a whole other ball game.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice for the use of "then". That's my biggest peeve right now. I've gotten rid of "that" however replaced it with "then." Ugh!
Thanks for the link! That was a great article. Fortunately, I follow most of it. I need to get his Plot & Structure book.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would add is to have your MS printed through Lulu when you think you're close. You can set it to private so it doesn't go on sale or anything and it's only about $5 (much cheaper than the copy shop!). The format makes you see things you never noticed before.
Great advice. I could add a couple. First, revise again! And maybe do a word search for those pesky words that we use in the thick of writing, instead of choosing a more communicative word. "Just, "such," "was," those sorts of words.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link--very timely, as I feel like I'm possibly over-revising at this point! I think for now I mostly need to correct a few pacing issues my CPs pointed out and read aloud some dialogue I'd trimmed to make sure it reads smoothly.
ReplyDeleteInteresting link! I'll have to re-read it when I have a few more minutes but it looks very helpful both to me as a writer and as a beta reader.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, while I do think most pieces need backstory, I think it's best not to frontload that. I like the idea of pitching people in headfirst into a story.
Headed that way now. I think that will certainly help since I'm deep in revisions. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteooh those were awesome. Thank goodness i do all of those, though some could use more work than others
ReplyDeleteGood link, thanks.
ReplyDeletePretty obvious all that, when you think about it. Revise. Action. Minimalist style. Make every word count.
- Eric
Great! Thanks for the link. I'm off to check it out.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weds, Sarah!
Great list, exactly what I aim for when editing my work. I agree with every point, although after I let my computer read to me, I read everything (not just dialogue) aloud myself into a digital tape recorder and play it back.
ReplyDeleteBackstory is my nemesis! I always want to start with it (or include it somewhere) but luckily I can usually pinpoint it. I've found that I can almost ALWAYS take out every instance of it because readers will still follow.
ReplyDeleteI, too, wanted to start with backstory, but I didn't. I'm glad I went with action. Now, I wonder about an explanation-if I should move it to a later point...but I still have other surprises waiting....hmmmm...great info and I'm now following that blog, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI added that post to my favorites - thanks for the link! I absolutely feel like I'm "revision possessed" right now - I'll have to check out his book.
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