Cut the Crap

The rewrite process can occur in many different ways. I know authors who rewrite their story as they write the story. They spend a certain amount of time every day rewriting before or after they have added pages to the manuscript.

I’ve tried this method and found that it doesn’t work for me. The right side and the left side of my brain don’t play well together. So I do most of my edits after I have finished the whole manuscript.

The problem is that there is a lot to do at once and at times, the task can be overwhelming. So I find it best to break it down into sections, by scenes or chapters.

Checklist

1.       Emotion on every page. I go through and highlight the emotional words on the page: sound, scent, taste, see, feel, texture, imagery.

2.       Beginning hook/ending hook of each scenes are they strong enough to keep the reader reading.

3.       Backstory – too much--not enough.

4.       Characterization – is this character true to his personality or have I gotten off track.

5.       Story – did the story go where I wanted it too or has it meandered off course.

As you can see there are a number of things to consider. The time invested in writing the story can only be improved with a strong rewrite process. Take the time and discover that the story is even better than you initially thought.

Best of luck in your writing,

Tina