By:
Chris Robley
When
your ideas stall or you’ve written yourself into a corner, maybe it’s time to
do something radical to shake things up and revise your book.
You’re
stuck. Something about your book just isn’t working, but you’re not quite sure
what it is. Time for drastic measures.
Yes,
you could tinker away at the sentence level or rearrange a few chapters here
and there — but why not GO EXTREME!? At this point you’ve got nothing to lose.
You
can always return to your original stinker of a draft if these attempts at
radical revision fail, right? So yeah; you’re totally safe to play around and
get your hands dirty.
Here
are four things to try when your manuscript feels like it’s falling flat
1.
Combine characters
Maybe
you’re asking your readers (and yourself) to invest in too many characters at
once. Instead, combine multiple people into a single (more) complex and (more)
compelling character.
For
instance, let’s say you’re telling the story of two sisters who inherited the
family restaurant after their mother died. One sister is a free-spirited jazz
saxophonist. The other is quiet, dutiful, and resentful of the other sister.
Well, we all know how that’s going to play out!
Instead,
try telling the story of an only child who feels an obligation to keep the
restaurant going because there’s no one else to do it – but who resents this
familial duty because it seems like a roadblock to her own goals and passions.
Suddenly
all the psychic drama can occur within one person, and we can invest everything
in following her struggle.
2.
Cut to the good stuff
.
. .
Read the full
article HERE!
~*~
If
you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they
are again:
- Blots
& Plots
: Why You Should Write a Prequel for Your Novel - Blots & Plots http://ow.ly/OVDzi - MASTER LIST of Facial Expressions! | Bryn Donovan http://ow.ly/OVElQ
- Interesting Ways to Get Rid of Ghosts and Demons | Bryn Donovan http://ow.ly/OVEx7
- Create A Favorite Posts Image For Your Blog | PicMonkey http://ow.ly/OVF0r
- Tips to grow your blog with Pinterest - Creative Ramblings http://ow.ly/OVFfi
- Fiction Friday: 8 Things Writers Forget When Writing Fight Scenes | Lisa Voisin http://ow.ly/OVFpO
- MuseInks: How to Have a Successful Book Launch: 5 Simple Steps http://ow.ly/OVGpr
- Why are you writing for people who hate reading? - Samir Bharadwaj http://ow.ly/OVGzL
- Tips on Writing a Book - How to Write a Book From Outline to Finish Line http://ow.ly/OVGWm
- Seven Reasons Your Non-Fiction Book Might Be A Blog And Not A Book | Self-Publishing Review http://ow.ly/OVH4S
- Self
Publishing on
… Instagram? | readers+writers journal http://ow.ly/OVH7V - I
is for Interior – Self-publishing from A to Z - Author Zoo http://ow.ly/OVHkx - Indie Authors: Marketing Books by Collaborating http://ow.ly/OVI9J
- How
& Why I Decided to Not Write My Next Book
. . . | Notes from An Alien http://ow.ly/OVIlY - Holly Cave – 6 Reasons Why YOU Should Read Indie Books http://ow.ly/OVIui
- Radical
revision: blow up and rebuild your novel –
BookBaby http://ow.ly/OVK0B - Front and Back Matter in Books | Self-Publishing Advice for Writers http://ow.ly/OVKwb
- 12 Ways to Embrace Growing as a Writer - Active Patience http://ow.ly/OVKyW
- Four Don’ts (Plus One Do) for Authors on Facebook | Fix My Story http://ow.ly/OVKF9
- What Kind of Cover Design Sells More Books In Your Genre? http://ow.ly/OWdaP
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