Finishing a book, putting that last word on the page, usually involves cheering and a sense of accomplishment. Truth is, though, that you're most likely not finished.
Create a file on your computer or get a spiral notebook that you label with your book's name and keep notes inside.
Now it's time to re-read and catch glitches in the plot or mis-spellings or missing words or impossible feats by characters or…. The list can go on and on. If you make a change that you know will affect a future event in the book, make a note in your file or in your notebook since you know you'll have to change things later on in the book. Take care as you stack up the pieces of your book.
Be on the lookout for pet words used over and over. You probably won't even know you're using them unless you search for them. If you do a search and find for, say, weeping, and find that you’ve used it eight times, that may be too many times. Find another word or way of saying what you want to convey to the reader. You can also use "search" to make sure you didn't make a mistake. Did you say the bad guy's shirt was pink or red? Do a search on each word. You'll be able to determine which color you used as well as determine that you didn't slip up and call it some other color.
Don't hop from one character's head to another. Stick with one character either for the entire book or for long sections. Readers can get lost if they're in Susan's head, then they jump to Jack's thoughts, then they're suddenly back in Susan's head or maybe Harold's head. And pretty soon the reader is putting down the book and picking up another.
Think about how you can define a character without listing traits or describing him/her in detail. One way is how that character talks. Does he talk like everyone else? Does he use contractions and slang? Does he, for example, say MickieD's instead of McDonald's? Does he speak without using contractions? For example, does he say, Let us go to McDonald's. Or does he say, Let's go to McDonald's. One way to help define a foreigner is to have them not use contractions.
Create a file on your computer or get a spiral notebook that you label with your book's name and keep notes inside.
Now it's time to re-read and catch glitches in the plot or mis-spellings or missing words or impossible feats by characters or…. The list can go on and on. If you make a change that you know will affect a future event in the book, make a note in your file or in your notebook since you know you'll have to change things later on in the book. Take care as you stack up the pieces of your book.
Be on the lookout for pet words used over and over. You probably won't even know you're using them unless you search for them. If you do a search and find for, say, weeping, and find that you’ve used it eight times, that may be too many times. Find another word or way of saying what you want to convey to the reader. You can also use "search" to make sure you didn't make a mistake. Did you say the bad guy's shirt was pink or red? Do a search on each word. You'll be able to determine which color you used as well as determine that you didn't slip up and call it some other color.
Don't hop from one character's head to another. Stick with one character either for the entire book or for long sections. Readers can get lost if they're in Susan's head, then they jump to Jack's thoughts, then they're suddenly back in Susan's head or maybe Harold's head. And pretty soon the reader is putting down the book and picking up another.
Think about how you can define a character without listing traits or describing him/her in detail. One way is how that character talks. Does he talk like everyone else? Does he use contractions and slang? Does he, for example, say MickieD's instead of McDonald's? Does he speak without using contractions? For example, does he say, Let us go to McDonald's. Or does he say, Let's go to McDonald's. One way to help define a foreigner is to have them not use contractions.
 |
The late Helen Ginger (1952-2021) was an author, blogger, and the Coordinator of Story Circle Network's Editorial Services and writing coach. She was also a former mermaid. She taught public speaking as well as writing and marketing workshops. Helen was the author of Angel Sometimes, Dismembering the Past, and three books in TSTC Publishing’s TechCareers series.
|
The last word on the page is just the beginning of the pre-publishing, publishing, and marketing processes. Sometimes I wonder how many of us would have opted to become writers if we had known the REAL work of becoming a published author.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Linda! I think most of us stick to writing because we have characters talking to us in our heads.
DeleteThe draft is the easy part. Revision is the hard part, harder still because you want to be truly "done." I created Story Building Blocks III to hold all my revision methods in one place and I work them through high to low ... the internal resistance building with each layer. Sometimes you have to set it aside for a day (maybe a week) before you continue the gauntlet. But, satisfying the readers makes it all worthwhile. I finished Cassandra Clare's City of Heavenly fire and her favorite phrase was "gout of blood." Odd phrases really stand out when they are repeated.
ReplyDeleteThey do, don't they, Diane. "Gout of blood" would definitely catch my eye!
DeleteGeez, Helen McBuzzkill ... my happy dance just turned into a funeral march!
ReplyDeleteChristopher, you always make me laugh. Thank you.
DeleteI'm approaching the final chapter--or chapters; I never know for sure. When I'm ready to edit, I print it out in a different font, in 2 columns so everything looks 'different' and then I read the whole thing, making notes before transcribing changes, which is the opposite of my 'edit as you go' system for writing. I've also found a nifty program called Smart Edit that can pinpoint overused words, and I'm always finding new ones. It also flags adverbs, cliches, and profanity and a whole bunch of other things. Makes a good 'second set of eyes' before sending it off to my beta readers and then to my editor.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Terry. This is the first I've heard of Smart Edit. I think I'll look for it!
DeleteSmart Edit looks interesting, Terry. I've used Auto Crit, and that helps, especially with those overused words.
DeleteGood reminder of how important those second and sometimes third drafts are before we declare a book finished. I'm going to look for smart edit, too. Sounds like a great resource.
ReplyDeleteI tend to read and re-read and re-re-read and so on.
DeleteGood advice, Helen! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI definitely needed this blog post today. The problem is the greatest when you stop and start a book. Other things get in the way, and all of a sudden you don't know where you were in the story. That's when mistakes happen.
ReplyDelete