revise
Describing Characters? Be Subtle
When should your characters notice and comment on something and when should it be just subtly included?
Subtext is when something is going on in the story, but it’s only mentioned in passing, slantwise, or it’s just understood. Often, subtext comes out in dialogue, the unspoken things that the audience understands from knowing the characters and [...]
8 Ways to Enrich Your Character
Character Revision: 8 Ways to Jumpstart a Make Over
You have a first draft, but you realize that your character needs work. How do you retrofit a character when you revise?
I don’t think of a personality transplant. Instead, I try to add to and enrich a character. Here are 8 suggestions on how to revise your [...]
3 Ways to Show, Don’t Tell
Classic advice to beginning fiction writers: Show, Don’t Tell. I taught several sessions to teachers last week and they all nodded. Great advice. But how do you DO that in practical terms? How do you teach students to Show, Don’t Tell?
Show, Don’t Tell: Why?
In the old days of storytelling, it was fine to just say [...]
Drastic Revision in Search of Voice
When you revise your novel or story do you look at what you wrote before or start totally from scratch?
Revise Previous Text
Usually, I’ll work with the text that I already have written. The idea here is that I’m close, but it isn’t quite there yet. In this case, I’m refining the text and story as [...]
Feedback on Entire Novel Makes Difference
Whole mss critique or chapter at a time critique?
I went to Idaho this weekend for a Novel Revision Retreat.
Whole mss critique. One thing I like about the Novel Revision Retreat is that it is set up to get feedback on an entire novel.
Many critique groups run on the idea that a person will [...]
Talking About Revision
When I teach Novel Revision Retreats, I need a variety of ways to explain this thing called “revision.” Lately, two ideas have helped.
Plot: Aiming for Bull’s Eye
There are two things novelists must do when writing a story. First is figure out “what story are you telling?” Second is “what is the best way to tell [...]
4 Manuscripts That Should Stay in Your Drawer
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series File Cabinets
Private v. Public Stories: When to Hold Back
We’re talking about those old files, old stories, old passions that are hidden in your file drawer. Here are four manuscripts that should stay in your drawer.
Your first manuscript. No, you are not allowed to air [...]
Don’t Open Your File Drawer without Reading This
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series File Cabinets
A 5-part series.
How Valuable is Your File Drawer?
You are writing fiction and building a career. One of your valuable assets is your file drawer, your rejected stories. I have 2 four-drawer file cabinets full; plus, my flash includes many partial or complete manuscripts and [...]
Revise: Remember the 4 Sources of Conflict
Conflict, the type that motivates and moves a plot, comes from four sources.
Yesterday, an editor asked for revisions on a very short piece which was meant for a kindergarten or first grade audience. The editor didn’t like the competitiveness between siblings. But when she contemplated taking out that conflict, she correctly understood that the story [...]
Shrunken Manuscript Reveals Novel’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Shrunken Manuscript Technique Helps Visualize Problems
Following my directions for shrinking, marking and evaluating a novel, here are some recent examples:
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