By: Claire
Bradshaw
When you've
finally finished your manuscript after thousands of hours of work, the last
thing you want to hear is that there's more work to be done. But
unfortunately, that's the simple truth of the matter.
Finalizing your
draft is an enormous achievement, but now's not the time to rest on your
laurels! There's still a lot you need to do to get your book ready for
publication.
Once you've
written, rewritten and edited and you're satisfied with the story, it's time to
focus on the little things: the small yet important details of the writing
itself.
Despite (or
perhaps because of) the hundreds of times you've read your
manuscript, there are plenty of things you might have missed.
Overused or unnecessary words; inelegant phrasing or exposition; long,
difficult-to-read sentences...
All of these
things might have escaped your notice while you were dealing with bigger
issues like plot and characterization – but they won't go unnoticed by
readers.
After all this
hard work and effort, you don't want to let a bunch of little things
drag down the quality of your novel! So to help you tighten the
screws and sharpen your manuscript, we've put together a checklist of things to
look for when you're polishing and revising.
BEFORE YOU START: SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
First things
first. While you're performing a fine-tuning edit on your novel, there is one
thing you need to keep in mind throughout the process:
Everything must
serve a purpose.
Every word you
write, every sentence and paragraph and chapter, must add something to the
story or enhance the reader's experience. Each aspect of your writing must do
at least one of the following things:
- Drive the narrative.
- Develop the characters.
- Paint a portrait of the setting.
- Speak to the themes of the work.
Keeping this
sense of purpose in mind will help you tidy your manuscript until
it's trim, taut and razor-sharp.
We think the
great Dr. Seuss sums things up best when he says...
The writer
who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who
reads."
Let's take a
look at some of the things that could be hindering your book, and how
you can get rid of them.
CHECKLIST: THINGS TO CULL FROM YOUR MANUSCRIPT
1. ADVERBS
. . .
To read the rest of the post, click here:
~*~
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